Although we are already in the middle of the year, there are still a lot of things set up for art enthusiasts in Singapore, with lots to see and do all around the island. There are a variety of exhibitions to see, ranging from large-scale events to small, humble ones. With the heightened alert restriction getting less strict, why not widen your horizons and brush up on your art knowledge? Here are some exhibitions you shouldn’t miss.
Scores Of Landscapes
Spare a few hours for a visit to Mizuma Gallery, where Chinese artist Du Kun is displaying his solo exhibition Scores of Landscapes. While the landscape paintings on these scrolls appear to be calm and old, they are actually pieces of tense, sorrowful, and unorthodox music. Du Kun uses the logic of painting to write music, then transforms the different parts of the compositions into traditional Chinese landscape paintings, resulting in a new type of musical scores.
Exhibition Dates: 5th June – 18th July 2021
Location: 22 Lock Rd, #01-34 Gillman Barracks, Singapore 108939 (Mizuma Gallery)
Through The Eyes Of A Child: Art By Quek Hong Shin
No fancy time machine is need for the journey you are about to take. Prepare to travel back in time with the exhibition, Through the Eyes of a Child: Art by Quek Hong Shin at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. Witness the resurgence of long-forgotten communal memories — from a period when coconut palms towered above attap homes and children played in the bustling back lanes of old Chinatown.
The exhibition will incorporates 14 artworks from the artist’s acclaimed book series The Amazing Sarong, The Incredible Basket, The Brilliant Oil Lamp, and The Marvellous Sugee Cake, as well as new images made especially for this display.
Exhibition Dates: 2nd April – 31st August 2021
Location: Raffles Place 1 Straits Boulevard Singapore 018906 (Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre)
Something New Must Turn Up: Six Singaporean Artists After 1965
Catch the first-ever collaborative exhibition including six renowned Singaporean artists: Chng Seok Tin, Mohammad Din Mohammad, Jaafar Latiff, Goh Beng Kwan, Lin Hsin Hsin, and Eng Tow. Something New Must show up: Six Singaporean Artists after 1965 is the title of the exhibition. This installation, which showcases time periods from 1965 to the present, features six solo pieces each of which traces the artist’s activity across decades and their disciplines.
Over 300 artworks and over 100 historic materials and artefacts spanning decades, from collages, printing, to batik, fabric, and digital art will captivate you. You will leave the showcase with a better knowledge of how this group of artists aggressively pushed the frontiers of art in post-independence Singapore via creative artistic practices and approaches that contributed to the development of Singapore’s contemporary art scene through each of their presentations in the exhibits.
Exhibition Dates: 7th May – 22nd August 2021
Location: 1 St Andrew’s Rd, Singapore 178957 (National gallery Singapore)
Sikhs In Singapore – A Story Untold
The Indian Heritage Centre’s second community-created exhibition, Sikhs in Singapore, A Story Untold, will reveal lesser-known stories and highlight the Sikh community’s rich heritage and culture. It’s also the centre’s first-ever Sikh history display with over 450 items from over 50 local and foreign private collections, institutional collections, and Singapore’s National Collection.
Roots delves into the beginnings of Singapore’s Sikh community, stories of Sikh immigration and Modern Perspectives into the experiences of contemporary Sikhs, showcasing the group’s ever-evolving identity and contributions to the nation. Other highlights include local artist-photographer Afiq Omar’s photography project Through the Lens, which reimagines the modern Singaporean-Sikh identity with 50 young Sikh adults against the backdrop of iconic Singapore cityscapes.
Upneet Kaur Nagpal and Balli Kaur Jaswal, a local filmmaker and writer, have also created a specifically commissioned trilogy of videos named Being Sikh, which gives modern insights on three elements of Sikh history in Singapore which exclusively covers women’s roles, the tradition, and religion.
Exhibition Dates: 27th March – 30th September 2021
Location: 5 Campbell Ln, Singapore 209924 (Indian heritage centre)
Chinese Opera Roving Exhibition
In the heart of the Waterloo Arts Belt and Civic District, step into the world of Chinese opera. After a successful voyage throughout Singapore last year, the interactive Chinese Opera Roving Exhibition has set up shop at the Stamford Arts Centre, inviting everyone to learn more about the performing arts and the vast history behind it through a Virtual Reality (VR) 360-degree stage tour. During the performance, you may also get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes. This is perfect for helping families to reimagine the good old days.
Exhibition Dates: 3rd April – 31st August 2021
Location: 155 Waterloo St, Singapore 187962 Singapore (Stamford Arts Centre)
We can’t promise that you’ll be as talented as the professionals who set up these displays after attending them. However, you will indeed have your mind tickled with all the interesting things to learn about. If you are interested in more fun things to do in Singapore, do check out the other articles we have on our website.
