Even though the chilly weather has gone kaput, you shouldn’t put your social life away in storage with your winter clothes. There’s still much to do this weekend, with many arts events at the forefront plus a couple of parties to let loose at.
Friday, Jan 19
“Art Skins on Monuments” at Light to Night Festival
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. Jan 19-28
PARTY
It’s gonna be all about atmospheric house this weekend when UK producer-DJ James Trystan steps into the cage at Headquarters. Jan 19
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 Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, a film that stars David Bowie, and focuses on trying relationships intricately woven against a backdrop of war. Jan 19
CONCERT
You’ve seen the films, you’ve heard the catchphrases, now experience the music from every James Bond film ever made performed live under British conductor Pete Harrison and his 28-piece live band at MasterCard Theatres. Jan 19-20
CONVENTION
Top up your personal office pantry (a.k.a. your side drawer) and shop for all your favorite munchies at the World Snack Fair happening at Suntec Convention Centre. Brands are separated by country/region (Japan, Korea, Australia, Asia and Euro), so it’s easier to navigate and go straight to that snack you’ve been craving for so long. Jan 19-21
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 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
ART
The sixth edition of Singapore Art Week has already kicked off, and there’s 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/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. But you can still catch Edith Podesta’s The Immortal Sole, Emanuella Amichai’s The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener and other envelope-pushing shows. Through Jan 28
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
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
Alternative gallerists kult have collaborated with German cultural organization Goethe-Institut to curate a sartorial exhibition on games and politics as a reflection of the political nightmare that was 2017, and the conversations we should continue to have. Open your mind and have your hand at the Games and Politics over at Kult Studio & Gallery. Through Feb 12
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
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
CARNIVAL
Get your adrenaline pumping at Singapore’s largest carnival. The massive Prudential Marina Bay Carnival will span across 25,000 sqm (or the size of three and a half football fields) at The Promontory and Bayfront, and boasts more than 40 rides and games—most of which are from the UK, Germany and Italy. Through Apr 1
Saturday, Jan 20
Tap Robertson Quay
DRINK
Your favorite $10 craft beer bar has opened a second outlet in Robertson Quay. Lovingly known as Tap, they’ve been in soft launch since last November, serving 20 rotating beers on tap to thirstry drinkers there. Drop by for their grand opening and you may have a chance to drink from free kegs. Jan 20
WELLNESS
Start the weekend bright and early by taking up an outdoor Hatha yoga class at the Botanic Gardens with one of Urban Yogis’ traveling guest teachers, Annamarie. Jan 20
PARTY
Trust Ce La Vi (CLV) to have a good time, especially when they’re throwing day-to-night parties in their Noon to Moon series. This edition sees CLV’s residents helm the decks for most part of the day, before German DJ-producer Alle Farben takes over to provide uplifting and feel-good beats against Singapore’s sunset. Jan 20
ART/FESTIVAL
The cool Aliwal Urban Arts Festival is back to celebrate Singapore’s underground. Check out an eclectic showcase of works inspired by international street culture, from graffiti and graphic art to skateboarders showing off their prowess and b-boys and flygirls breaking it down on Aliwal Street. Urban art collective RSCLS and interactive visual artist Ryf Zaini will also be debuting their collaborative installation. Jan 20
CONCERT
Mince a spoonful of soul, a dash of jazz and two parts hip hop, and you get 25-year-old multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and producer Jordan Rakei. This New Zealand-born overachiever has worked with Tom Misch and Disclosure, and recently released his second LP, Wallflower. He’ll be taking the stage of Kilo Lounge for the next Kilo Live sesh. Jan 20
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 Magda Danysz, Banksy, Shepard Fairey and more. Through Jun 3
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
Sunday, Jan 21
Run For Hope 2017. Photo credit: Run For Hope’s Facebook page
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 21
FILM
Also part of NMS x AFA’s Witness to War: Memories and Screens series, catch the Singapore premiere of Three Godless Years, a 1976 film about a school teacher who’s assaulted by a Philippine-born Japanese soldier, becomes pregnant and proceeds to fall in love with him… all amid World War Two chaos. Jan 21
HEALTH
The 25th Run For Hope is organized by the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, Regent Singapore and the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS). Choose to run either the 3.5km or 10km route, all in the name of cancer research. Tickets are priced from $42. Jan 21
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
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
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
