Things To Do In Singapore: Nam June Paik Exhibition Opens At National Gallery Singapore
Our weekly edit of things to check out.
By Keng Yang Shuen,
This week, art lovers are in for a treat with the opening of the blockbuster Nam June Paik: The Future is Now exhibition – the first major retrospective in Southeast Asia dedicated to the artist known as the "pioneer of video art". There are plenty of Christmas markets worth checking out too – we tell you which are the best.
Often considered the pioneer of video art, Korean American art titan Nam June Paik first made a name for himself in the ’60s when video art was still in its infancy. He is lauded for his prescient vision, predicting the future of electronic communications and the Internet (fun fact: he coined the term ‘electronic superhighway’ in the ’70s) and well, he basically elevated moving images into an artist's medium.
Here's a rare chance to catch the late maestro's works in person. Nam June Paik: The Future Is Now is the latest blockbuster exhibition at National Gallery Singapore (NGS) – it's the first major retrospective of Nam June Paik in Southeast Asia and presents over five decades of his pioneering work in the use of television and video in art. This international exhibition has travelled to London's Tate Modern, San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art and Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum, and NGS represents its final stop.
“We can certainly look at the technologies and media of today – Youtube, TikTok, even music video aesthetics – in relation to Paik’s work and ideas," says exhibition curator June Yap in an exclusive interview with FEMALE last month. "Technological developments and innovations that he predicted are still continuing today. Not to mention, the pandemic has increased our technological reliance, with video at the centre of our interactions."
Book your tickets here.
December 10 to March 27, 2022, at National Gallery Singapore
Slick events organiser North East Social Club is back with another event that features some of the freshest emerging names in the local arts and creative scene. Titled Gifting Solutions, it's a partnership with Projector X: Riverside, and there'll be tattoo artists, illustrators, artists, vinyl purveyors, zine makers, cute tchotchke retailers, jewellery designers, tarot card readings and more.
Basically, this is the place to find cute gifts for the festive season, especially if your giftee runs in creative circles – and hey, support small and local! This is a fully vaccinated event and while pre-sale tickets have been sold out, walk-ins are accepted if capacity allows.
December 11 to December 12, 12pm-6pm, at Riverside Point, #04-13
Super Freak, the cult, exuberant multi-label boutique started by DJ and party/fashion queen Bobby Luo (pictured, in the middle) – has moved into its new digs over at Stamford Court and they're putting on their first in-store event. Called 2nd Life in a nod towards the theme of celebrating pre-loved designs, it's an opening party-slash-flea market packed with goodies by some of Singapore's most colourful personalities and dressers.
In other words, it's the perfect place to pick up truly one-of-a-kind pieces and ideal for those who wish to shop more sustainably during this festive period. Bonus: if you have a garment that needs repairing or mending, bring it along –fashion researcher Daniela Monasterios Tan will be operating a mending station on-site.
December 12, 11am-8pm, at Stamford Court, #01-02