Picture Insta-worthy set-ups, interactive exhibits, and thought-provoking artworks throughout the Civic District.
They can only mean one thing: Singapore’s largest visual arts festival, Light to Night Singapore.
Happening from Jan 19 to Feb 8, the 2024 edition of the festival will have over 60 art installations, interdisciplinary programmes, light projections, and live performances that will set the city ablaze with light and colour. Festivalgoers can enjoy free and ticketed experiences (although some require pre-registration).
“Reimagine” is the festival’s theme, a playful and intriguing way to challenge preconceived notions.
The highly anticipated event, organised by National Gallery Singapore, showcases the quality of the visual arts in Singapore and Southeast Asia, with thought-provoking works by veteran and budding artists.
This marquee event of Singapore Art Week takes festivalgoers on a journey of unexpected and unconventional exploration, using inspiration from history, origin, and artworks from the National Collection to present a multitude of sensorial experiences for all.
Get out, look around, participate!
Art works have been created to inspire people to get out and about, reimagine everything and actively participate in art in a new way.
Lee Wen’s Ping Pong Go-Round, a mixed media installation commissioned from Korea, is an excellent example of interaction. Take ping pong to the next level by playing it almost in a circle, with the exception of a gap so participants can pick up a paddle. Make some new friends along the way if you buddy up with a stranger.
You may have heard Whisperlodge’s live ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) experiences. At Light to Night 2024, experience a multi-room journey called Wishful Thinking at the gallery’s Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium Foyer. Besides listening to ASMR clips, go ahead and touch and explore different textures. On Saturday evenings, festivalgoers can enjoy a 60-minute live ASMR performance on and around the installation. This is a ticketed installation at $5 per person.
8-Bit Word Cloud at The Arts House Front Lawn will appeal to Gen Xers, millennials, and zillennials (the “micro-generation” sandwiched between Gen Zs and millennials). Created by Justin Loke, the illuminated art piece evokes memories of Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow. Aside from the eight-bit pixel blocks, the exhibit is also an interactive puzzle. Fill in the mixing letters to decipher beautifully worded quotes.
Reimagining mediums and materials
Experience dancing lights and vibrant colours at the Party Pavilion by artist-illustrator Howie Kim at Asian Civilisations Museum Green. Inspired by the museum’s collection and the whimsy of theme parks, the artwork embodies the exuberance of adolescence, inviting everyone to rediscover their carefree youth.
Speaking of illumination, one of the main highlights of every Light to Night edition is the projection show cast upon National Gallery Singapore’s grand facade. We bet you’ll be oohing and ahhing, too, when you see the colonial architecture come alive with different themed projections, each evoking a different emotion.
They include Living the Life by Cultural Medallion recipient Teo Eng Seng and Paris-based multi-disciplinary visual and intermedia artist, Milosh Luczynski, and Temple of Love by Indonesian visual and performance artist Arahmaiani and shadow puppetry collective Wayang Merdeka.
The Arts House’s facade is also given a surreal presentation of ecological challenges, coupled with an exploration of spiritual consciousness and trippy visual wonders in Winter Sonata, Summer Mookata. The light projection is by local arts collective Knuckles & Notch, known for its bold graphic works, risograph printing and publishing studio.
In addition to these mammoth achievements, check out the larger-than-life Wings of Change by Singaporean artist Kumari Nahappan. The inflatable six-metre-tall exhibit magnifies the iconic saga seed to urge action for sustainability and preservation.
Multi-dimensional spatial experiences
At the National Gallery’s Padang Atrium, look up to admire Victor Tan’s Rapture. Inspired by the biblical notion of rapture, the act of ascending into a realm beyond our own, the eight life-sized human wire sculptures – with seven “floating” mid-air – symbolise a surrender to the divine through a transition from earthly to spiritual.
Symphony of Order by Sarah Choo Jing also requires you to look up. The projection artwork at Gallery’s Rotunda Library & Archive immerses viewers in a 360-degree dining scene at projection.
Transmissions From The Wayang Spaceship by Ng Yi-Sheng, nor, Diana Rahim, Wu Jun Han is a reimagined Chinese opera stage at Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall’s Empress Lawn. Transporting you through the past, present, and future, the installation activates with light, sound, and film each night and explores the unlikely relationship between Chinese opera and science fiction.
Meanwhile, the building itself is the canvas for Sistrum’s Embroidered Landscapes. Merging vernacular and contemporary art forms, the light projection on the facade draws on a fading form of Chinese opera called jie xi.
As part of the Gachapartment Complex at the Funan B2 underground pedestrian linkway, local illustrator Nikkei has crafted a hidden utopia where toys come to life. Students from Temasek Polytechnic created an AR component that enables them to explore parallels between their busy lives and Funan’s hustle and bustle.
Other notable programmes include Dungeons & Dragons: The Art Quest at National Gallery Singapore’s UOB Southeast Asia Galleries. This is a reimagined rendition of the popular game which incorporates art from the National Collection.
There is also Collective Canvas: A Tour Reimagined guided by expert storytellers, and Basement X for a myriad of hands-on activities. Both take place at National Gallery Singapore.
All the mental and visual stimulation should work up quite an appetite. Light to Night has taken care of that, too. The Art X Social Festival Village along St Andrew’s Road (facing the Padang) will have F&B kiosks and dining areas for you to catch a break. You can also catch live performances at the Padang Atrium to maximise the good vibes.
Check out the full line-up of art experiences, performances, and F&B offerings at www.nationalgallery.sg/lighttonight2024. Book your slot for Light to Night’s ticketed programmes here.
All photos courtesy of National Gallery Singapore
