Singapore Art Week 2023 Round-Up
LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore Tourism Board, Supper House, starch, Of Limits Collective, DECK, Justin Loke, Sculpture Society, Sculpture 2052
By Alicia Ng and Vivyan Yeo
In a special edition of Art & Market’s monthly round-ups, we bring to you five Singapore Art Week (SAW) 2023 projects that have caught our eye that traverse the island city, and cross disciplines. Come check them out with us!
Kantaya New, ‘The Long Wait’, 2021, photograph, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the Of Limits Collective.
A Thousand Words: Photography in conTEXT
'A Thousand Words Photography in conTEXT' responds to books in the National Library's collection and revolves around the age-old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Curated by Ayano Sato, Beatrice Morel, Kerryn Salter, Lydia Chan and Lydia Wong, the exhibition blurs the lines between literature and photography. It showcases 40 pairs of photographs and texts by artists who have chosen an original work and an excerpt from a book that inspired them. They include Aik Beng Chia and Alecia Neo of Singapore, Graciela Magnoni of Uruguay and Kantaya New of Thailand.
‘A Thousand Words Photography in conTEXT’ runs from 1 December 2022 to 9 January 2023 at library@orchard. For more information, click here.
ARTWALK 2023. Image courtesy of ARTWALK 2023.
ARTWALK 2023
LASALLE College of the Arts and the Singapore Tourism Board jointly present this year's edition of ARTWALK, an annual multidisciplinary public arts festival. An immersive experience along the eclectic streets of Little India and Katong-Joo Chiat, ARTWALK explores how culture is much like an echo – in perpetual motion and reverberating in multiple directions. It features activities embodying the vibrancy of Singapore’s local heritage. They include workshops, food samplings, live performances and the unveiling of four new murals by Singapore-based artists Laurie Maravilla (SPAZ), Mural Lingo, Mohammed Zulkarnaen Othman (ZERO) and Soph O.
‘ARTWALK 2023’ runs from 6 to 15 January 2023 at Little India and Katong-Joo Chiat. For more information, click here.
Lai Yu Tong, ‘Five Cars In A Flood’, 2022, colour pencils on paper. Image courtesy of Supper House and starch.
after/party
‘after/party’ is a series of programme activations providing a space to appreciate and celebrate art. Anchored around two exhibitions running concurrently during SAW 2023 – ‘Nighthawks' at starch, curated by Jeremy Sharma, and ‘There are Flowers in the Morning Mist’ at Supper House, curated by Ashley Chiam, activities include performance tours, an artist market, and a late-night bookstore throughout SAW. The exhibitions present works by close to 30 artists including Adeline Kueh, Dylan Chan, Samuel Xun, and Lai Yu Tong.
‘after/party’ runs from 17 December 2022 to 28 January 2023 at Supper House and starch. The opening dates and hours vary for the activations. Please check the details here.
Daniela Monasterios Tan, ‘The Salesgirl Who Became Boss’, 2022, video still. © Daniela Monasterios Tan. Image courtesy of the artist and DECK.
Pictures in the Mind
For the last eight months, DECK has been conducting research and holding activations at Peace Centre, one of Singapore’s oldest shopping malls. The finale to this exploration is 'Pictures in the Mind', which includes five artworks by Ang Song Nian, Daniela Monasterios-Tan, Ernest Wu and Syahrul Anuar, Lim Zeharn and Lim Zeherng, and Song-Ming Ang. Paying homage to the mall’s history, they employ archival material and old interviews to investigate the relationships among space, time and place, and the role of photographs in unearthing memory. Visitors can also register for artist-led tours to learn more about Peace Centre’s history and future possibilities
‘Pictures in the Mind’ runs from 4 to 20 January 2023 at the Peace Centre, Singapore. For more information, click here.
BLOCK PARTY: Our Neighbourhood Furniture Tetris
‘BLOCK PARTY: Our Neighbourhood Furniture Tetris’ is an installation that celebrates the resilience and diversity of our community. This life-sized structure by local artist Justin Loke takes inspiration from the game Tetris, where players aim to fit oddly-shaped blocks together in straight lines. Reminiscent of a Tetris game screen, the artwork conveys how harmony can be created in spite of differences. The installation will be displayed outdoors at Pasir Ris East Community Club, in line with its pride in taking care of its surrounding community.
‘BLOCK PARTY: Our Neighbourhood Furniture Tetris’ will be presented from 6 to 26 January 2023 at Pasir Ris East Community Club, 440 Pasir Ris Drive 4. For more information, click here.
Zulkhairi Zulkiflee, ‘Bust (Kepala)’, 2020, custom-printed helmet drawstring bag on four-way stretch fabric, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of Sculpture 2052.
Shoebox Sculpture Biennale 2023 – Sightseeing Sculpture: The Sky, The Land, and The Sea
Sculpture 2052 and Sculpture Society offer novel ways of viewing sculpture through a holistic project with two main components. One is 'The Sky, The Land, and The Sea', the first ever Shoebox Sculpture Biennale in Singapore. It showcases works by 80 local artists that explore traditional techniques within an evolving contemporary scene. The second is ‘Sightseeing Sculpture’, which involves a larger-than-life installation led by Artist Caravan. Displayed at Sculpture 2052, the work features individual periscopes created by Yeo Chee Kiong, Xin Xiao Chang and Casey Chen. Guided tours are available for visitors keen on unravelling stories behind the artworks or gain a deeper appreciation of public sculptures in Singapore’s urban landscape.
‘Shoebox Sculpture Biennale 2023: Sightseeing Sculpture: The Sky, The Land, and The Sea’ runs from 6 January to 2 April 2023 at Sculpture 2052. For more information, click here.
To find out more about all that SAW 2023 has to offer, please click here.
