Things To Do In Singapore This Weekend: 17 To 19 May
Take in the sights, and check out these events and experiences we've curated for you this weekend.
If you’re tired of being cooped up at home, and you’re looking for new activities to do during the weekend, look no further. From the Singapore International Festival of Arts opening today to the highly acclaimed Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson’s first major solo exhibition in Southeast Asia, we’ve rounded up some of the most exciting events you’ll want to check out for your next outing.
Checkmate at the Faubourg at Hermès Liat Towers
Drawing inspiration from the Hermès 2024 theme, The Spirit of the Faubourg, and the unique architecture of the fashion house’s Paris flagship store, Hermès has unveiled new artist windows designed by artist Matthieu Cossé. Named Checkmate at the Faubourg, the windows now decorate the front of its Liat Towers boutique, providing a splash of colour to the building’s sleek white frame. Cossé’s joyful installation reimagines Hermès’s historic flagship store and its Parisian surroundings as an intriguing game of chess, turning both architectural and decorative elements of the Faubourg into lively, hand-painted chess pieces against a sunny backdrop. The installation invites viewers to “go through the looking glass” and experience an iconic part of the maison’s history through a new, colourful lens. Swing by if you’re in town!
Checkmate at the Faubourg will be on display at Hermès Liat Towers until August 2024 for public viewing.
Open Studio Sunday at Thought Partner Studio
As part of their Mental Health Awareness Month initiatives, Thought Partner Studio—Singapore’s first mental health community and coworking space—will be holding an Open Studio and art therapy event on 19 May. Following the guidance of art therapist Hamidah Otheman, visitors will be able to experience first-hand the different forms of artmaking and its therapeutic benefits through engaging and expressive activities. For anyone looking to take some time off and unwind, connect with like-minded people or explore their own emotions, this is one event you can’t miss.
TPS Open Studio takes place on Sunday, 19 May, 11am – 3pm at 11 Keng Cheow Street, #04-09, The Riverside Piazza. Register here.
Singapore International Festival of Arts
This year’s Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) themed They Declare is back with its selection of highly acclaimed artists and innovative works from the forefront of contemporary art. Spanning almost three weeks of creative fun with an exciting lineup featuring works from mediums such as film, theatre, installation, and more, SIFA’s selection of curated pieces span both time and space, and offer an eye-catching, introspective selection of both freshly commissioned and older works from Singapore and the rest of the world. Children and youth are also welcome to further develop their budding interests in art through the specially curated Little SIFA programmes and activities, ensuring that there’s something for everyone.
SIFA runs from 17 May to 2 June at multiple locations across Singapore.
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Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey at Tanjong Pagar Distripark
Experience the world like never before in highly acclaimed Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson’s first major solo exhibition in Southeast Asia, titled Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey. From now till 22 September 2024 at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, immerse yourself in 17 captivating artworks that employ diverse media and discover major themes of Eliasson’s three-decade-long practice: embodiment, experience, perception, the urgency of climate action and more-than-human perspectives. Don’t miss never-before-seen works and exclusive installations available only at the Singapore leg of the travelling show.
Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey runs from 10 May to 22 September 2024 at SAM at Tanjong Distripark, 10am – 7pm daily.
A Quiet Room, A Place In Your Heart at WOAW Gallery
A Quiet Room, A Place in Your Heart is “an exploration of the intimate spaces that hold significance in our lives, whether they are real, materialised from memory, or imagined”. Through various stylistic approaches as well as different interpretations of the title of the show, the works are united by a shared sense of yearning and offer new ways of seeing and thinking about these comfort spaces. The group show at WOAW Gallery features 23 works by 9 international artists: Daniel Fleur, Duri Baek, Elena Rivera-Montanes, Karel Dicker, Marian Ang, Miho Ichise, Mizuki Nishiyama, Nina Silverberg and Novo.
A Quiet Room, A Place In Your Heart runs from 4 May to 1 June at WOAW Gallery.
Frida Forever at the ArtScience Museum
Presented by ArtScience Museum with help from professionals all over the world (including Frida’s own great niece, Cristina Kahlo Alcalá), Frida Forever is a three-part immersive biographical exhibition and experience detailing the remarkable journey and artistic visions of the revolutionary Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. Developed by Layers of Reality and Frida Kahlo Corporation, Frida Kahlo: The Life of an Icon is making its Southeast Asian premiere with eight thematic spaces featuring photographs, films, multi-layered technology, 360-degree projections and interactive spaces that bring Kahlo’s story to life; while Laid Bare: Frida‘s Inner World reveals a more intimate portrait of the artist during the final years of her life through her complex medical history. Don’t miss interactive activities and a virtual reality experience titled Exquisite Corpse that offers fresh perspectives on Kahlo’s artistic imagination.
Frida Forever runs from 4 May to 1 September at the ArtScience Museum, 10am – 7pm daily.
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Small MUJI exhibition at MUJI Plaza Singapura
In the heart of Singapore’s bustling city lies a one-of-a-kind temporary exhibition, located in MUJI Singapore’s newly renovated flagship store. Designed and brought to life by Japanese photographer and ‘mitate’ artist Tatsuya Tanaka, the exhibition centers itself around ‘Enjoying Everyday Items’, featuring 16 original miniature works alongside new pieces modelled after Singapore’s landmarks. By transforming MUJI items into representations of varied life scenes—from incorporating them into scenarios as unique and magical as an ice cream stand made from a makeup palette, to representing snow tracks with the holes in MUJI’s loose-leaf paper—the Small MUJI exhibition invites all visitors to experience their surroundings through new, unique perspectives.
Small MUJI exhibition runs from 26 April to 25 June at MUJI Plaza Singapura, Open MUJI.
Fukusa: Japanese Gift Covers from the Chris Hall Collection at the Peranakan Museum
For all keen appreciators of art and culture as well as those interested in the culture and history of gift-giving, Fukusa is an exhibition you simply can’t miss. With over 80 fukusa, kimonos and related textiles, the Peranakan Museum showcase explores craft, trade and exchange, chronicling the art of gifting within Japan and beyond. Visitors will not only be able to witness a delightfully vibrant visual feast of the finest Japanese artistry and art from the renowned collector Chris Hall, but also learn more about Singapore’s own links to the act of gifting by getting up close and personal with Peranakan textiles from the National Collection. Draw connections between gift customs of the past and present through an interactive digital programme, hands-on workshops, performances, and tours.
Fukusa: Japanese Gift Covers from the Chris Hall Collection runs from 19 April to 25 August at the Peranakan Museum, from 10am – 7pm daily (10am – 9pm on Fridays).
Singapore HeritageFest
Jam-packed with activities and experiences that are both educational and fun, the annual Singapore HeritageFest (SHF) organised by the National Heritage Board is back for its 21st edition. This year’s festival celebrates Singapore’s rich built heritage in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Total Defence, inviting viewers and participants to rediscover the tales of our buildings and landmarks through fresh, unique perspectives. With tours, trails, exhibitions and other exciting activities happening across the island, don’t miss SHF’s engaging exploration of Singapore’s unique architectural history through the Hop-on and Hop-off (HOHO) bus experience and the Homeground exhibition.
Singapore HeritageFest runs from 1 to 26 May.
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Art Programmes at Mandala Club
In a new partnership with Art Galleries Association Singapore (AGAS) dedicated to a continued effort to foster creativity and celebrate Singapore’s vibrant creative scene, Mandala Club has unveiled a series of curated takeovers and thought-provoking panel discussions at The Analogue Room—from a Mother’s Day special on 9 May to an artist talk with Vivian Eun Lee on 17 May. The gallery, which has always been firmly committed to being a hub of cultural conservation and enrichment, has also unveiled an art installation of our founding father and first Prime Minister, Lee Kwan Yew, which will be an indefinite fixture situated at Mandala Club’s historic premises on 31 Bukit Pasoh road. The installation, which comprises of two sculptures done by New York-based contemporary artist Daniel Arsham, aims to commemorate the life and legacy of Mr. Lee in a unique artistic form, inviting viewers to reconsider and ponder on their relationship and view of the historic figure and former politician.
The installation will be open to the public and guests of the Mandala Club at The Canvas from 8am – 5pm on weekdays, upon registration.
Cult classics or local delights at The Projector
Calling all amateur film buffs and experienced film aficionados... and everyone in between! If a 2-3 hour break from life is what you seek, The Projector, dedicated to bringing independent filmmakers and unconventional projects to the silver screen, has exactly what you need. In a recent effort to allow local audiences the chance to rediscover classic films in theatrical experiences, The Projector will be cycling through limited screenings of critically acclaimed films such as Vertigo and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, both of which you can catch in theatres this weekend. For cinema-goers looking for a more local touch, check out the Singapore Short Film Programme presented by *SCAPE as a part of the European Film Festival 2024.
Movie timings differ. More information here.