Things To Do In Singapore: Blockbuster Exhibitions On Mars And Ho Tzu Nyen & More
Our weekly edit of things to check out.
By Keng Yang Shuen & Hidzir Junaini,
Art lovers have two big openings to check out at the tail end of November – the Singapore Art Museum's dedicated a solo show that examines the rich practice of iconic Singapore artist Ho Tzu Nyen, whose works deal with the passing of time and its effects on culture and people.
Over at the ArtScience Museum, things get decidedly more extraterrestrial with the opening of the exhibition Mars: The Red Mirror, which is said to be the most extensive show in Singapore on the fourth planet in our solar system. More details below.
With all the terrible things going on in the world lately, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Cartoons Underground, Southeast Asia's biggest independent animation festival, is hoping to provide a gentler way to explore important topics like our relationship with the Earth, the pressures of urban living, the challenge of Artificial Intelligence and a growing mental health emergency among people confronting war, poverty and the climate crisis.
“Animation is a brilliant way into difficult issues. It makes the scary feel safer and gives us the distance we need to reflect on the things that worry us without them overwhelming us," says Vicky Chen, co-founder of the festival.
This weekend. the festival is presenting 15 animated shorts, which have been picked from a record 1,582 submissions that represent more than 100 countries – which speaks to Cartoons Underground’s growing reputation and prestige amongst animators and audiences. Among the 15 selected shorts are three from Singapore – In His Mercy, Braided and Cloudy – the latter, a film by NTU students, has been described to be a story with the heart and quality to be on par with works by the legendary Pixar studio.
In other words, get your tickets here.
Nov 25, 7:30pm, at The Projector Golden Mile, #05-00 Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road
One of Singapore's most important contemporary artists is getting a major solo show at the Singapore Art Musuem. Titled Ho Tzu Nyen: Time & the Tiger, it's the first mid-career survey for Ho, whose practice over more than 20 years has become internationally recognised for challenging established narratives in our understanding of the past.
If you're wondering about the tiger motif, it's a nod to the primary source of the 47-year-old artist's work: the fascination with the dispersion of the tiger population across Asia over time. Glacial shifts and rising sea levels have re-shaped the tiger's presence in Asia, transforming its once widespread range to the brink of extinction today. And beyond its ecological significance, the tiger also holds potent symbolic value. During Japan's invasion of Southeast and East Asia, the tiger represented power and fear, while in the Malay world, tigers serve as a bridge connecting humans to their ancestral memory.
The textured show is made up of eight major installations, including a new commission titled T for Time – a two-channel video installation that engages with the cultural histories of time and time-keeping traditions across Asia. After the latter's premiere at SAM, the exhibition will travel to numerous international museums, including Art Sonje Center in Seoul, as well as the Hessel Museum of Art in New York.
Nov 24-Mar 3, 2024, 10am-7pm, at Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road
ArtScience Museum has been on a roll lately – aside from New Eden: Science Fiction Mythologies Transformed (the ongoing blockbuster show showcasing Asia and women's influence on the genre of science fiction), their next exhibition looks to be out of this world.
Titled Mars: The Red Mirror, it's billed as the most extensive exhibition on the Red Planet to be held in Singapore, featuring over 300 objects that span centuries of fascination with Mars. Visitors will have the opportunity to marvel at rare scientific manuscripts, view contemporary works of art, and even gaze upon an authentic Martian meteorite.
Singapore audiences also have other gems to look out for (this exhibition is a travelling one and was first presented in Spain and curated by Juan Insua of the Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona). The Asian premiere of this exhibition at ArtScience Museum explores the depiction of Mars from ancient times across different Asian cultures - and surprisingly, how the planet continues to be portrayed in contemporary Southeast Asian pop culture.
Get your tickets here.
Nov 25-Apr 7, 2024, 10am-7pm, at ArtScience Museum, 6 Bayfront Avenue
Yep, the Christmas markets are here and a good one to check out this weekend is local botanical studio Friday's Garden, which is known for its artful-meets-rustic arrangements. Alongside their own line of gifts, tree adornments and Christmas wreaths, the florist has also gathered a group of local labels such as Marymount Bakehouse (artisanal savoury bakes), Wormhole (the online bookstore with a small but lovingly curated literary selection), 7879 Gallery & Clayworks (handmade ceramics) and more. Yep, it's a pretty wholesome affair.
Nov 25 and 26, 11am-9pm, at #07-112 Midview City, 26 Sin Ming Lane
Although it was just launched this year, Sivilian Affairs’ party series Celestial Seasonings has already provided some very memorable nights built on cosmic house and spaced-out minimal techno. This month, its party will be headlined by none other than South Korean sensation Afrodite. Known for her dreamy and groovy rhythms, few can command a dance floor as fluidly as she can. Don’t believe us? Check out her YouTube channel Afro Therapy to see how she mixes her organic, curative tunes. She’ll be accompanied by Sivilian Affairs’ own Miss Lil and Pagoda Beats’ Jas.
Get your tickets here.
Nov 25, 10pm-4am, at #19-01 Oxley Tower, 138 Robinson Road