4 Highlights of Singapore Art Week 2021 from 22 to 30 January

The annual event comes with hybrid offerings not to be missed.

Now in its 9th edition, Singapore Art Week (SAW) will make its run from 22 to 30th January 2021, presenting over 200 arts events across both physical and digital spaces in Singapore, from private galleries, independent artists and curators, to arts and cultural institutions.

Here are some notable highlights of the festival.

CosmicWander: Expedition

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Choy Ka Fai, 'Uncle Ho who can recall your future lives', 2021; image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum

Choy Ka Fai, 'Getai of Virtual Gods', 2021; image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum

Choy Ka Fai, The Wanderer, 2021. Image: Courtesy of Singapore Art Museum

Berlin-based Singaporean artist Choy Ka Fai met more than 50 shamans from different Asian cultures, from Lake Baikal in Siberia to a HDB estate in Yishun, Singapore, observing their dance cultures and rituals. The result is this work-in-progress presentation, set up as an experiential installation at Tanjong Pagar Distripark that intersects dance, media art and performance. Expect a getai of virtual gods, a supernatural dance experience in the form of a six-channel video installation, and more. Programmes include a lecture by the artist himself and a panel discussion that will be livestreamed on SAM’s Facebook and Youtube channels.

CosmicWander: Expedition runs from 16 January to 21 February, daily from 12pm-9pm, and 12pm-5pm on 22 January at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road, #01-02 to 04. Admission is free. Find out more here.

S.E.A. Focus

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Image: Toni Cuhadi, courtesy of S.E.A. Focus, Singapore

Returning for its third edition this year, S.E.A. Focus 2021 brings the best of Southeast Asian Art under one roof, with a progressive physical and online showcase - S.E.A. Focus Digital and S.E.A. Focus Curated online, and hyper-horizons, a major physical presentation at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, this year.

Led by STPI - Creative Workshop and Gallery and supported by the National Arts Council, this edition brings with it 27 leading local and international art galleries, including Lehmann Maupin and Edouard Malingue Gallery, which will be taking part for the first time. Look out for emerging local artists such as Jamie Teo, Ian Tee and Ashley Yeo, and highlights from established artists such as Thai artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul, local media artist Ho Tzu Nyen and local design collective PHUNK.

Public programmes include a series of talks and panel discussions by prominent art personalities, such as the Rubell family, ranked amongst the world’s Top 200 art collectors, on their art collecting practice, and intimate tours of artists’ studios and renowned arts spaces.

S.E.A. Focus 2021 runs from 22 January to 31 January at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road, #01-05. Tickets are available for purchase at $10 at sistic.com.sg/events/sea0121. Find out more here.

Light To Night Festival

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The Arts House - Art Skins on Monuments. Image: Courtesy of National Gallery

Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall - Art Skins on Monuments. Image: Courtesy of National Gallery

(Re)Rooting - Art Skins on Monuments. Image: Courtesy of National Gallery

The 2021 edition of Light to Night Festival is back to bring the Civic District to life with a slew of artworks and activities once more. This time, it will take on a hybrid experience - including physical, iconic monuments in the Civic District, there will be art workshops and live-streamed talks to enjoy from the comfort of your home.

This year’s theme “____-in-Progress” is inspired by current times and is set to contemplate our journeys of progress and change as we move forward in the face of uncertainty.

From 7.30pm to midnight everyday, light projections will take over the facade of various monuments like the National Gallery, The Arts House and the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall. Look out for open call selection (re)rooting, by local artist Joanne Ho, which was designed using machine learning frameworks that will adorn the entire facade of the Gallery. Other standout physical art installations includeThere in the Middleness, Nathan Yong’s work on the Padang grounds, which comprises 125 concrete I-beam blocks engraved with uplifting works gathered from the public.

Apart from that, if you’ve been missing gigs, there will be a series of online and onsite performances to look forward to, including dance duo Scratchmarcs, Yung Raja, and filmmaker Victric Thng in an online series, comedy sets by Fakkah Fuzz, and music performances by local musicians Shye and Tim De Cotta.

Light To Night Festival 2021 runs from 22 January to 31 January in the Civic District. Find out more here.

State of Motion 2021: [Alternate/Opt] Realities

With a title taking cue from the function of the “Alt/Option” key on our keyboards, the theme of the sixth edition of the multidisciplinary series organised by the Asian Film Archive (AFA) and presented as part of Singapore Art Week, State of Motion 2021, looks into new ways of living and thinking. The art exhibition is set amidst the futuristic architecture of Marina One and looks into elements of the science-fiction genre through audio-visual technologies, and a film programme that showcases a range of Singapore and Southeast Asian science-fiction titles from the past three decades, from Avatar (2004) by Kuo Jian Hong, to the most recent Tiong Bahru Social Club (2020) by Tan Bee Thiam.

State of Motion 2021: [Alternate/Opt] Realities will run from 20 January to 21 February 2021 at Marina One. Find out more here.

Find out more about Singapore Art Week here.