With Phase 2 finally seeing the re-opening of museums, art galleries and attractions, there is no better time than now to peruse these cultural treats, sans the crowds. This week, we spotlight shows going on at our most beloved cultural venues.
EXHIBITS
Streets of Hope
Now until Sept 1
Civic District
Missing the bustling streets of the city? As Singapore eases into recovery from the “circuit breaker”, the National Arts Council (NAC) brings the streets back to life with the best of arts and culture, literally.
Through Streets of Hope, the NAC bands together with more than 150 homegrown artists to take #SGCultureAnywhere with their unique works line Singapore’s streets along St Andrew’s Road, Fullerton Road, Esplanade Drive, Stamford Road and many more. The full Streets of Hope collection will also be made available online on the NAC Facebook page from June 4 onwards for Singaporeans to easily access and enjoy the art works from wherever they are.
This is the first and one of the largest presentations by Singaporean artists, raised high on street banners to lift spirits, and for all to appreciate the creativity of our nation. This integrated project commissioned by NAC brings together the visual arts community in full force, joining hands with artists across generations, backgrounds and mediums.
The project will see diverse offerings from Singapore’s unique and multicultural visual arts scene, from print illustrations and composites to mixed media, photography and performance art. View works by Singapore’s foremost artists such as Cultural Medallion recipients Chong Fah Cheong and Milenko Prvacki; recognised leaders of this generation including Young Artist Award recipients Heman Chong, Bani Haykal and Zul Othman as well as up-and-coming artists Khairullah Rahim and Zen Teh.
Those at home can also explore these works up-close and get to know Singapore’s visual artists as the full Streets of Hope collection will be available on the Gillman Barracks website by end of June.
Passengers by Faris Heizer
SPRMRKT at Cluny Court
Now till Oct 11
Up and coming Singaporean artist Faris Heizer will be showcasing his first solo exhibition, Passengers at SPRMRKT at Cluny Court.
An expressive and unique painter, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts graduate Faris has a process-driven and dispersed approach to his art, which naturally produces curious narratives. He has exhibited at three group exhibits last year and showed at the Coda Culture Opening Party Show at Coda Culture Singapore earlier this year.
His works are a form of social commentary on the regurgitative nature of society, transferred onto canvas. Each of his seven pieces in the exhibition feature caricatured figures that draw attention to the artificiality of his painting’s narratives, with the figures existing in an abject reality ruled by its own logic and boundaries. Their beauty and rawness can be appreciated by anyone — from enthusiasts to novices — lining up perfectly with SPRMRKT’s vision of making art accessible to all.
PARTICIPATE
Emily @ Home Digital Arts Project
emilyofemeraldhill.com
Orangedot Productions and Stella Kon Pte Ltd have launched the Emily@Home Digital Arts Project, which is an open call for video submissions from the public based on passages from Emily of Emerald Hill, the critically acclaimed monologue in Singapore since 1982.
Emily@ Home is supported by the National Arts Council’s Digital Presentation Grant for the Arts, as part of the #SGCultureAnywhere campaign to bring together the best of Singapore’s arts and culture digital offerings to be enjoyed and experienced, anytime and anywhere.
From now until August 31, submissions are welcome to all participants from the public (locally and globally) to channel their inner artist and express themselves freely by showcasing their own interpretation and portrayal of Emily with one or more recorded videos of their acting, based on five iconic passages from Emily of Emerald Hill.
Participants regardless of age, gender or race can take this opportunity to unleash their creativity with their most innovative and unique interpretation of Emily; tokens of appreciation will be given to the top three best submissions.
For information, check out the Emily of Emerald Hill social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or email: emilyathome.artandculture@gmail.com.
EXPERIENCE
The Year of No Return
From Aug 15
https://sifa.sg/all-access
Commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), Digital Traces presents various characters inhabiting the universe of The Year of No Return. Produced by The Necessary Stage, it is slated for its world premiere at the festival in 2021 alongside three other Singaporean theatre companies.
Written by Haresh Sharma and Rody Vera and directed by Alvin Tan, The Year of No Return features a diverse cast of Asian actors and artists in an international production that deals with climate change and its irrevocable impact on our lives.
Over a Zoom play-reading session and four vodcast episodes released on the 15th of each month, audiences can catch a glimpse of the production through the lens of its various characters. Through film, sound, movement and text presented digitally, these vignettes consider the implications of climate change from the perspective of an advocate to the environmental scientist and the regular man on the street. These facets are introduced in a virtual reading of the play that unpacks the themes and ideas within a key strand of the narrative.
These will merge in vodcasts that provide glimpses into episodes within the play, including one featuring some of the actors stepping out of their characters to contemplate their own relationship with the environment. Peeling back science and statistics, this intensely relevant offering underscores the role of the arts as a site for collaborative reckoning with critical social issues.
Together, Digital Traces poses the question: How far are you willing to go to save the planet? Accessible through the SIFA All-Access online platform, SIFA v2.020 features a series of curated virtual events including talks, workshops, performances and more from May 25 till December this year.
In addition to inspiring and entertaining audiences, the online iteration of Singapore’s pinnacle arts festival is also designed to create a space for artists to share their views on creating art in the new normal, for professional development, and as a platform to showcase work created for the digital sphere to engage audiences from here and abroad.
SIFA v2.020 is presented by Arts House Limited as part of the #SGCultureAnywhere campaign.Digital Traces: The Year of No Return will be made available through SIFA All-Access.
