PUBLISHED January 9th, 2022 05:00 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 03:54 pm
Waving au revoir to the turmoil of 2020 and 2021, it’s time to tune in to the exciting potential of 2022. Singapore’s art scene is splashing into the new year with a creative wave of festivals, plays, and exhibitions, and we’re ready to dive right in. Paint the town red with this week’s line-up of Singapore’s buzziest events, from drag balls to art tours.
Get Lit at The Light to Night Festival 2022
An annual crowd-puller in the Civic District, the Light to Night Festival 2022 is back again with over 60 engaging cultural installations and multi-sensory experiences. This year’s theme ‘New Ways of Seeing, Thinking and Being’ aims to better understand how our community has evolved in a ‘new normal’ and provoke fresh perspectives on the world. Take Insta-worthy photos with Flight by LiteWerkz, inspired by the movement of flocks of birds during their migration, then bask in awe with cutting-edge augmented reality artworks by renowned artists like KAWS.
Light to Night 2022 runs from 14 January to 3 February 2022 at National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Rd, #01 – 01, Singapore 178957, p. +65 6271 7000.
Pay Homage To Everyday Heroes with The Second Breakfast Company
From cleaners, hawkers, and food delivery riders, to medical staff, the pandemic would not have been survivable without any of these unsung heroes. As part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, millennial comedy group The Second Breakfast Company takes on the unfiltered stories of the under-appreciated and overlooked jobs of essential workers in Singapore. Dubbed The Essential Playlist, the group’s moving performance is set to challenge our willingness to step up and help essential workers, beyond a simple double tap on our social media pages.
The Essential Playlist opens 12-15 January 2022, 8pm at the Esplanade Theatre Studio, 1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore 038981. Tickets are priced at S$27 and S$19 (for students, NSF, senior citizens and PWD cardholders). Book your tickets here.
Check Out SAM’s New Space at Tanjong Pagar Distripark
Bringing art into unexpected spaces, the Singapore Art Museum has launched a bold new contemporary art space in the heart of Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Once an industrial warehouse, this sprawling, high-ceilinged space now houses an exciting clutch of galleries. The opening program spotlights immersive musical and video installations by international artists like Gan Siong King and local experimental band REFUSE. Not to be missed is an exhibition by Korakrit Arunanondchai, A Machine Boosting Energy into the Universe, which explores the symbiosis of humans and machines in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark opens on 14 January at 39 Keppel Rd, 01-02, Singapore 089065, p. +65 6697 9730.
Celebrate Drag Ballroom Couture and Culture at The Crystal Ball 2.0
Immerse in the glitz and glam of drag ball culture with Vogue In Progress Presents: The Crystal Ball 2.0 at the Wild Rice Theatre. Singapore’s very own full-blown Vogue Ball is set to dazzle with a triple threat programme spanning avant-garde fashion and beauty as well as Voguing and Waacking dance routines. Fashion categories to look forward to this year are Runway OTA “Jurong Bird Park Paradise”, Bizarre OTA “Makansutra Madness”, and Face with Drag Makeup OTA “Merlion: Reimagined”. Find out who reigns supreme as guest judges Andee Chua, Amazon Sun, Shiva Miyake Mugler, Vanda Miss Joaquim, Becca D’Bus, Bobby, and Ritz crown the champions!
Vogue In Progress Presents: The Crystal Ball 2.0 is happening on 15 January 2022, 5.30pm-7.30pm at Wild Rice Theatre, 107 North Bridge Rd, Level 4, Singapore 179105. Tickets are priced from S$22. Book your tickets here.
Immerse in the Forested Beauty of Gillman Barracks
Intertwining urban reality with nature, The Forest Institute invites guests to explore the nocturnal mysteries of the secondary forests surrounding Gillman Barracks. The brainchild of artist Robert Zhao in collaboration with artist-architect Randy Chan and curator John Tung, this large-scale architectural art installation is equipped for overnight research stays at the Forest Observation Room – the better to admire the forest’s unique flora and fauna up close. You can also take a jaunt out along the River Platform to explore an ancient tributary flowing into Berlayer Creek, a historic mangrove swamp that hosts numerous migratory bird species.
The Forest Institute runs from 14 January to 14 February 2022, 10am-6pm at Gillman Barracks (near Carpark B), 7 Lock Road, Singapore 108935. Tickets are available onsite at S$5.
Top image: Fragment of a Shoreline by Spatial Anatomy