Singapore Art Week 2017
Some of us are art aficionados, some of us feel clueless around paint brushes. But whatever your artistic inclinations – art enthusiast or just someone curious about art – Singapore Art Week is here again with over 100 different arts offerings, many of them outside the four walls of museums.
Catch street art at its finest, visit a house in Chip Bee Gardens stocked with artefacts from the distant past, or explore Gillman Barracks in the dark. From 11 to 22 January this year, art as you know it will be taking an unusual turn. And right here are the 7 fun things you’ll want to zone in on:
1. Trade your old stuff for picking up a new craft
If you’ve old textbooks or toys lying around the house, you can trade them in at Aliwal Urban Art Festival’s Barter Workshop Market. Take classes in silkscreening, live portraiture and urban farming without having to fork out a cent, as you pay the way our ancestors did back in their day – barter trade.
Be it bottles of booze or good ol’ conversation, all’s fair trade in getting artists to teach you their craft. So even if you’re strapped for cash, it sure doesn’t mean you can’t pick up a new art skill.
Aliwal Urban Art Festival
When: 14 Jan 2017 | 5PM till late
Where: Aliwal Arts Centre
Website
2. Uncover tales about Little India on an art walk
Belilios Lane, Little India. Source: @singaporestreetart
You’ll find that Haji Lane’s not the only place with colourful murals as you embark on ARTWALK Little India. Get directions to insta-worthy street art as you walk through the alleyways of this heritage site. You’ll find Singapore’s vibrant street art scene hasn’t dulled.
Casual strolls down Little India’s rustic streets will take you to captivating art installations and immersive dance and theatre performances. But don’t get too carried away and keep your ears peeled as you get transported to the world of traditional Indian myths and folktales.
ARTWALK Little India
When: 12 – 17 Jan 2017
Where: Little India Precinct
Admission: Free
Website
3. Shake TGIF up a little at a former military camp
Source: @gillmanbarracks
The idea of hanging out at an old military barracks in the dark might sound creepy, but there’s nothing frightening at Gillman Barracks’ Art After Dark. Here, galleries extend their opening hours and the grounds are transformed with live performances and F&B pop-ups.
Supermama’s New Design Exhibition Source
For a “night at a museum” experience, head to the exhibitions at NTU Centre for Contemporary Art or Supermama, because these places are extending their regular hours till late. But if you prefer appreciating art outdoors, you’re in luck, the LOCK ROUTE public art showcase is launching officially to the public the very same evening.
A whimsical installation in public art showcase LOCK ROUTE – a modified bicycle with artistic direction, product of a collaboration between a bike enthusiast and two street artists Source
Inspired by the barracks’ address (9 Lock Road) and the traditional 24-km route march of NS recruits, the area features 16 different masterpieces by 15 world-renowned and emerging international and Singaporean artists. But you’ll be relieved to know that you won’t have to walk that great a distance, because the LOCK ROUTE installations are located within the barracks’ compound!
Art After Dark at Gillman Barracks
When: 13 Jan 2017 | 7PM till late
Where: Gillman Barracks
Admission: Free
Website
LOCK ROUTE Public Art Showcase at Gillman Barracks
When: 13 – 30 Jan 2017 | 24 hours daily
Where: Gillman Barracks
Admission: Free
Website
4. Have a museum all to yourself for 30 minutes
This is a novel spin on the traditional museum. Only letting in two visitors at a time, for 30 minutes of self-directed exploration of their eclectic relics, is The Bizarre Honour exhibit.
There are no labels, no guides and no explanations accompanying the artefacts inside this 2-storey house in Chip Bee Gardens. All you have is an 80-page dossier containing memos, photographs and classified information to figure out what these artefacts mean.
From rocks, animal traps to the tricycle of a missing explorer, book a “private appointment” with these artefacts, and piece together history from 1800 to the 1960s while discovering how Singapore’s landscape has changed over the years in this bizarre exhibition of art and history.
The Bizarre Honour
When: 14 – 26 Mar 2017 | Various Timings
Where: Chip Bee Gardens
Admission: $48.50 inclusive of ticketing fee
Website
5. Get chauffeured to indie film locations on a roving bus tour
If you thought tours of famous film sets could only be done in LA, get in on this guided bus tour by State of Motion, a roving 3-hour visual art tour of Singapore’s film history, taking you to filming locales across the island.
In tours available Day ($15) or Night ($18), watch special screenings of feature films, before setting off to five different film locations, where each site has on display an art piece inspired by the particular film and locale, by artists like Jeremy Sharma, Joo Choon Lin, Hilmi Johandi, The Observatory and Ujikaji Records.
Watch old-school movies like “In Search of the Unreturned Soldiers in Malaysia” at the Plaza of the National Library Building. Source
Catch films from the 60s to 80s at State of Motion’s temporary cinema pavilion, which also happens to be an artwork entitled ‘Palimpsest’ by artist and architect Randy Chan. Located at the open plaza of the National Library, the pavilion also features exhibitions explaining the locations, histories and contexts of these feature films.
And to completely sate your artistic curiosity about Singapore film history, talks and panel discussions held in conjunction with the exhibition will be free for you to attend!
State of Motion:Through Stranger Eyes
When: 6 Jan – 5 Feb 2017 | Various Timings
Where: The Plaza, National Library Building, 100 Victoria Street, Singapore 188064
Price: $15 (day) or $18 (night) for guided bus tours* | Exhibition is free of charge
Website
*18 years and up only
For film screenings, please check film ratings before registration here.
6. Stumble upon art gems at an art flea market
As if we need another reason to shop on the weekend, the Tanjong Goodman Weekend Market is back, with more nifty collectibles and pre-loved arts and crafts for you to take home. And this will not just be a feast for the eyes, but for your tummy too, because a wide range of yummy food, including BBQ roasts, will be available!
Interactive installation “Happy and Free Karaoke” by Boo Junfeng, where you can sing along to a reimagined scenario set in 1963, starring Yeo Yann Yann and Hirzi Zulkiflie. Source
Beyond just the Weekend Market, the Tanjong Goodman Open House 2017 is bringing to you almost every imaginable art form from batik printing, contemporary dance and Beijing Opera to interactive installations, live music performances and workshops.
Try your hand at Wheel Throwing ($10) – Throw a lump of clay on an electric wheel and see what art comes out of it. Source
And if you’ve always wanted to meet the resident artists of Goodman Arts Centre to find out what goes on behind their creative processes, hear it straight from them at the exclusive Open Studio sessions at this Open House.
Tanjong Goodman Open House 2017
When: 21 Jan | 10am – 6pm
Where: Goodman Arts Centre, 90 Goodman Road, Singapore 439053
Price: Free
Website
7. Try your hand at printmaking in City Hall
Did you know Picasso popularised Linoleum cutting? Source: Image courtesy of Aaron Chan
At the Contemporary Printmaking Festival, you’ll discover there are many hands-on ways to turn creative designs into palpable art, though an exhibition of 20 limited-edition hand-printed artists’ books.
Over the weekends, the open plaza of the Capitol Piazza will turn into an outdoor creative space where you can watch live demos of various printmaking techniques, and be treated to a multi-sensory performance.
You can even print your own ‘selfie’ with special stamps created by artist Jackson Tan, which will be displayed on the ‘Selfie Wall of Fame’!
Contemporary Printmaking Festival 2017
When: 11 – 22 Jan 2017 | 10.30AM – 10.30PM
Where: Capitol Piazza Open Plaza
Price: Free
Website
Singapore Art Week 2017: Art for everyone
Batik printing for kids and adults Source
You might consider yourself “artistically challenged” – where your greatest contribution to the creative world was the potato stamp art you made in kindergarten. But it doesn’t matter, because Singapore Art Week will awaken the Picasso in you, with over 100 arts events happening over 12 days.
From 11 – 22 Jan 2017, see the best of Singaporean, regional and international art not just through conventional platforms like museums and galleries, but also through outdoor tours, workshops in public spaces and even film screenings.
If you need help charting out your art journey, head to isaw.sg to generate your personalised itinerary for the Singapore Art Week 2017. Answer simple questions on your favourite visual art elements and there you have it, your very own customised plan for Singapore Art Week 2017!
Click here for more things to see and do at Singapore Art Week 2017
This post was brought to you by the National Arts Council.