5 Reasons Why SIFA 2017 Is THE International Arts Event Of The Year

SIFA 2017 – Singapore’s Premier Arts Festival

Running out of ideas on what to do over the weekend is something we’ve all probably encountered. After all, there’s only so much you can do on this little red dot. Killing your boredom with a plethora of shows and exhibitions, Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) is back with a robust lineup of artists from all around the world.

Drama, dance, video installations, film, exhibitions – you name it, they’ve got it.

Here are 5 solid reasons why SIFA is an arts event not to be missed:        

1. Watch a Korean adaptation of the Trojan War

Source: Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA)

Percy Jackson fans will be familiar with Greek mythology – but a Korean adaptation of Greek mythology is something that’s probably new to most of us.

Directed by SIFA Founding Festival Director, Ong Keng Sen, Trojan Women by National Theater of Korea is a musical recounting the struggles that the women of the Trojan War faced.

Combining the 400-year old Korean genre of musical storytelling pansori with 21st century K-Pop to tell a Greek tale, Trojan Women is a cross-cultural testament to the unifying force of art.

Date/Time: 7th, 8th, 9th September | 8pm

Venue: Victoria Theatre

Price: $30 ASIA RUSH! 
(no further discount)
$85, $65, $45
25% SIFA FRIEND DISCOUNT
20% discount for students, NSFs and seniors.

2. Be in an immersive video installation with just you in the audience

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Seeing snippets of war-torn and poverty-stricken land in the news has become so unfortunately common, that a part of us may have even become immune to it. Guilty Landscapes III by Dries Verhoeven explores the possibility of confronting these horrific landscapes… face to face.

Verhoeven tears down the barrier of the screen through his immersive video installation, and makes it a two-way interaction, where the news watches you as you watch the news.

Confront your feelings of discomfort and guilt of privilege as you stand alone in an empty gallery staring straight at someone in an unsettling landscape – except, he’s staring right back at you.

Date/Time: 31st August – 9th September | 3pm – 11pm

Venue: 72-13

Price: $25 (Registration Required)*
25% SIFA FRIEND DISCOUNT
20% discount for students, NSFs and seniors.

Use ticket to also visit The Nature Museum at the same venue.

*An event for one audience member at a time.

3. See the whole world being constructed on a bare stage

Source: Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA)

“Let there be light” is how many of us perceive the very beginning of creation. Transcending time and space through the magic of theatre, Germinal by Halory Goerger and Antoine Defoort is a whimsical piece that traces human civilisation back to the start.

A must-watch for all psychology and sociology enthusiasts, Goerger and Defoort use humour and wit on stage, to convey a message about deconstructing to construct; destruction for creation.

Date/Time:: 31st August, 1st & 2nd September | 8pm

Venue: SOTA Drama Theatre

Price: $75, $60, $45
25% SIFA FRIEND DISCOUNT
20% discount for students, NSFs and seniors.

4. Catch the world renowned Kronos Quartet live on stage

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You know a strings quartet is magnificent if they are able to sound like an entire orchestra just with 4 people. At An Evening With Kronos Quartet, watch the Grammy-winning ensemble play a repertoire of their very own works.

Also featured in the commemorative music performance, My Lai (31 Aug – 1 Sep, 8pm, Drama Centre Theatre), the Kronos Quartet will be playing tunes that remind us of the horrors that took place at the battlefield of the 1968 Vietnam War.

This strings quartet isn’t like any other that will have you dozing off in your seat – Kronos Quartet is known for being furiously dynamic and tremendously compatible together. The last time they came to Singapore was 20 years ago and trust me, you would not want to wait another 20 years to hear them again!

Date/Time: 2nd September | 8pm

Venue: Drama Centre Theatre

Price: $110, $90, $70, $50
25% SIFA FRIEND DISCOUNT
20% discount for students, NSFs and seniors.

5. Experience clubbing through performance

Source: Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA)

If you look back on your first clubbing experience, you’ll notice that you probably don’t quite remember everything.

Echoing the frenetic energy of clubbers, Manchester band Joy Division creates an atmosphere of intoxication with Ian Curtis’ haunting vocals.

Anchored by 9 dancers, Le Syndrome Ian aptly captures the scene of a nightclub through movement and switching tempo. Club with your senses, this time sober, as Rizzo evokes memories of drunken nights out.

Date/Time: 24th, 25th, 26th August | 8pm

Venue: SOTA Drama Theatre

Price: $75, $60, $45
25% SIFA FRIEND DISCOUNT
20% discount for students, NSFs and seniors.

Make the 2nd half of 2017 better with SIFA

If 2017 so far has been boring for you, make the second half better by supporting the most happening arts event this year. This list is just a snippet of what SIFA has to offer – there are a lot more shows and exhibitions arranged as part of the festival, so do check out the rest.

Click here to find out more about SIFA!

 Don’t forget tickets are always cheaper when snagged early or bought in bundles!

Image credit: sifa.sg

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This post is brought to you by Singapore International Festival of Arts.