Singapore Art Week continues with its mammoth selection of events. But also happening this week are a series of live gigs (Clean Bandit kicks off the week), film screenings and epic parties (Headquarters’ heady rooftop shindig is back).
Monday, Jan 22
Clean Bandit
CONCERT | Postponed. Read more here.
If you’ve been pining to catch British electronic outfit Clean Bandit since their gig at The Coliseum in 2015, your day has arrived. This Grammy Award-winning group returns to Singapore as part of their “I Miss You Tour 2018”, with SIngapore being the only stop in Asia. Jan 22
EXHIBITION
If you’re a fan of the ‘50s art movement, or even just someone who likes keeping up with popular culture, head down to the Visual Arts Center as they present the best of Singaporean pop art in their new exhibition, Instant Fame, featuring names like Andre Tan, Billy Ma and Justin Lee. Through Jan 22
ART
The sixth edition of Singapore Art Week kicks off this month with a mind-blowingly vulgar amount of events to indulge in (we’re not complaining!). To start you off, we’ve picked out a couple of must-go’s here. Through Jan 28
FESTIVAL
After a successful first run last year, the dazzling Light to Night Festival returns to the Civic District to wow audiences once again. Similar to last year’s program, the festival will offer a visual spectacle on the Gallery’s facade, a Festival Food Street (line-up to be confirmed), music performances, and a variety of installations that will explore the sensation of color. Through Jan 28
FESTIVAL/THEATER
M1 Singapore Fringe Festival returns for its 14th edition that moves away from its usual thematic concept of “Art & ____”, and focuses on a new direction that calls on artists to conceptualize or feature works that are themed around iconic Singaporean artists and their works. As usual, there’s been some controversy in the lead-up, with The Glory Hoes accusing organizers The Necessary Stage (TNS), a non-profit theater company formed by Alvin Tan in 1987—of censorship. Catch all the evenlop-pushing shows before they’re sold out. Through Jan 28
Tuesday, Jan 23
M1 Singapore Fringe Festival: The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener. Photo credit: Nadia Poliez
THEATER
Part of this year’s M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, catch Emanuella Amichai’s The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener, a theater production that tackles gender roles and sexuality in an ironic, humorous and witty performance between a fatigued husband and his wife. Jan 23-24
FILM
Spend Tuesday nights watching a free movie at Popcorn Movie Nights, over at Palawan Green in Sentosa. This week’s chosen film Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials; a great opportunity to recap the sequel of the series before the final instalment opens in theaters. Jan 23
EXHIBITION
A cursed gem, a dodo and a giant stuffed sloth walk into a museum; the punchline is that they’re here to stay till the end of April. Treasures of the Natural World , the traveling exhibition from the Natural History Museum in London, makes its first and only stop in Southeast Asia at the ArtScience Museum, bringing over 200 of the London museum’s star artefacts Through Apr 29
EXHIBITION
On the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, the National Museum of Singapore remembers 1942, with their first large-scale, blockbuster war exhibition featuring more than 130 artefacts from 10 overseas museums and institutions. It’s the biggest collection of war stories to date, but go because the exhibition explores events and portrayals of World War II beyond just your textbook syllabus. Through Mar 21
Wednesday, Jan 24
5 Rehearsals for a Wedding. Photo credit: Kray Chen
THEATER
Just how much do you know about the cultural, social and collective expectations of a traditional Chinese wedding? Visual artist and 2018 Young Artist Award recipient Kray Chen takes that perceived knowledge and puts a twist on the usual rituals in 5 Rehearsals for a Wedding, to shine a light on the anxieties and behaviors that come with weddings of today. Through Jan 31
COMEDY
They’re packing up their cameras, dusting off their wigs and saying farewell to a well-loved, 10-year-long YouTube channel otherwise known as MunahHirziOfficial (MHO). Catch them one last time at Munah & Hirzi Live: Curtain Call and see your favorite MHO characters live (you know you want more of that Leticiacia, Corporal Hassan, Makciks, Minahs and Aunties) before they call it quits. Jan 24
ART/FILM
Asian Film Archive’s (AFA) annual flagship and visual art series, State of Motion, is back for its third edition. This time, they’ll be exploring film as a medium of cultural and ideological changes of Singapore during 1955-1965, featuring 10 films that were produced in that decade such as Seniman Bujang Lapok (1961), Hang Tuah (1956) and Hang Jebat (1961). There’ll also be exhibitions, public art walks, panel discussions and guided film location tours to give a deeper perspective on the topic. Through Feb 11
EXHIBITION
The problematic issues surrounding climate change and the ocean take center stage at this exhibition presented by the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore. Featuring contributions by 12 artists, filmmakers, composers and researchers who made trips to islands in the Pacific, The Oceanic focuses on large-scale human interventions in oceanic ecospheres. Through Mar 8
EXHIBITION
Curated by acclaimed art historian Lorand Hegyi, The Artist’s Voice, brings together the works of 34 contemporary artists from around the world, to reflect on socio-political issues and the human conditioning through mediums ranging from sculpture and video. Through Mar 18
Thursday, Jan 25
The Council Openair. Photo credit: The Council’s Facebook page
PARTY
Dance your troubles away this Thursday on the rooftop of 79 Circular Road for another edition of Openair, brought to you by the same peeps behind Headquarters. Prepare for an evening of upbeat, disco-spangled house tunes courtesy of Korean-born Berlin DJ-producer, Hunee. Jan 25
WELLNESS
Learn to take care of your body and join in the twilight edition of Urban Yogis’ Pop-Up Yoga series on the MBS Boardwalk. Jan 25
DRINK/FOOD
Join in BottlesXO’s sixth edition of Tasting Session, where they’ll introduce their new partner, eCommerce delivery service WhyQ, who’s all about bringing food from famous hawker centers right to your doorstep. Of course there’ll be food—satay, Hokkien mee, carrot cake; you name it—along with brews from BottlesXO, which includes a selection of craft and premium beers from Stockade Brew Co., Henri Darna & Birra Follina. Jan 25
FILM
Stay woke and catch A Plastic Ocean at The Projector, a documentary by journalist Craig Leeson who teams up with a bunch of divers, scientists and researchers to unearth the truths about plastic pollution and practical solutions that can be put in place to deter it. Jan 25
COMEDY
Everyone’s favorite drag queen comedian Kumar is bringing his usual antics, politically incorrect rants and Singapore issues-based jokes to Wisma Atria’s Picnic Food Park. Jan 25
PARTY
Flume may have left Australian electronic music project What So Not in 2015, but the Sydney producer (and remaining member) Emoh Instead continued under this moniker and has brought it to greater heights. He’s played festivals like Coachella, Ultra and Lollapalooza and is known for hits like “Gemini” (with George Maple), “High You Are” and “Tell Me”. He’ll be in town for one night to fill the main room at Zouk Singapore. Jan 25
ART/CONVENTION
Whether you’re an actual art collector, or just an appreciator of fine art, Southeast Asia’s flagship art fair Art Stage Singapore is the place to be to check out the best of Asian contemporary art. Now in its eighth edition, the fair continues to be the shining platform to develop and bridge various art aficionados, collectors and artists in the region through dialogues, panel discussions, exclusive private collection previews, and more. Jan 25-28
ART
The fourth edition of ArtWalk Little India will see long-lost tales and urban myths of the area through colorful murals, over-the-top public art installations and free performances by local artists and performers such as master storyteller Kamini Ramachandran, self-taught aerosol painter Shah Rizzal, artist duo Sobandwine, musical fusion band Lotus Collab, Indian theater company Ravindran Drama Group and more. Through Jan 27
EXHIBITION
In a stunning collab between National Gallery Singapore and the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, Claude Monet and his contemporaries grace our sunny island with over 60 Impressionist masterpieces in Colours of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musee d’Orsay, featuring works like the dreamy Le Bassin aux nympheas, harmonie rose. Through Mar 11, 2018
EXHIBITION
If you fancy yourself a cinema enthusiast, the Singapore Art Museum’s latest exhibition Cinerama: Art and the Moving Image in Southeast Asia is a must-go. In a series of immersive, multi-medium installations, the exhibition brings together the works of 10 artists and art collectives from across the region. Here are five you should check out. Through Mar 18, 2018
Friday, Jan 26
The Hive Studio
OPENING
Ever wondered what goes on in a fashion shoot? Satisfy your curiosity and head over to The Hive Lavender for the official launch of their swanky new Hive Studios, where you’ll get to see upclose how shoots are done as fashion label OliveAnkara puts up a demonstration. Jan 26
ART
Gillman Barracks comes alive after dusk with the return of the flagship edition of Art After Dark. The night-time open house will play host to an evening of live music, F&B pop-ups from revered establishments in Singapore, and of course new exhibitions and programs at the various galleries in Gillman Barracks. Jan 26
PARTY
You’ll want to keep yourself free for this one—Berlin-based Turkish house producer-DJ and resident at Heart Ibiza Zigan Aldi will be taking music lovers at Headquarters on an aural journey with his rich, etheral and ethnic take on house music. Jan 26
WELLNESS
If high-intensity interval training (HIIT) isn’t a challenge for you anymore, try doing it on water. Over at ParkRoyal on Beach Road, these low-impact classes will require you to do a fun, full body workout that include burpees, lunges, squats and aquaclimbers on a solid float in their pool. Jan 26
PARTY
Prefer getting jiggy with Britpop, indie and everything in between? Head over to The Great Escape as Misshapes takes over everyone’s favorite gritty rooftop carpark together with Indonesian duo duo Pubhorror for an unabashed night of screaming, jumping, dancing and boozing. Jan 26
FILM
National Museum of Singapore (NMS) is teaming up with Asian Film Archive (AFA) to present a special selection of war films as part of the Witness to War: Memories and Screens series. This week, catch Momotaro, Sacred Sailors, Japan’s first ever feature-length animated film that was intended as a means of boosting morale amongst the locals, for when it started to appear Japan would not emerge victorious. Jan 26
EXHIBITION
If you have a penchant for urban exploration but have nowhere else to go, you might want to drop by Raid; a three-week-long exhibition taking place at the historic Tiong Bahru Air Raid Shelter. Eight promising artists will be presenting their interpretation of the site through sculptures, installations and conceptual art. Through Feb 3
EXHIBITION
You’d think a traveling exhibition from the London Natural History Museum would be hard to top, but ArtScience Museum’s upcoming shtick will trace 40 years of street art, from its controversial beginnings as expressions of counterculture, to its current standing as a major pillar of contemporary art. Art from the Streets will feature the works of the world’s top street artists, such as Banksy, Shepard Fairey and more. Through Jun 3
