PUBLISHED September 22nd, 2017 03:36 pm
As one of our favourite arts clusters in Singapore turns the big five, find out what’s happening this Friday, 22 September 2017, all throughout the iconic Gillman Barracks. From exhibition launches and an artisanal lifestyle market to a super cool after-party presented by Super 0, is this one of the year’s most exciting arts events? Likely so.
Launch of Art-In-Sight Publication by Gillman Barracks and Ocula
A collaboration with leading contemporary art platform Ocula? Yes, please. Featuring interviews with key figures involved with Gillman Barracks – including artists, collectors, and gallerists – the special Art-In-Sight publication will also include wide-ranging essays on Singapore’s visual arts cluster. Find it at the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore space at Block 43.
Performances and Residencies: OPEN By NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore
Look out for Exhibition (de)Tour: Flowers from our Bloodlines, a fascinating lecture performance by arts academic and practitioner Zarina Muhammad in collaboration with choreographer Stefania Rossetti, as the duo explore therianthropy – the mythological ability of humans to metamorphose into other creatures and animals through shapeshifting.
Also opening up their studios are artist residents Chun Kaifeng, whose practice looks at mapping the day-to-day life of the city, Indian artist Kartik Sood, who employs various materials to create installations that explore tensions between handmade and the mechanical, and Vietnamese artist Richard Streitmatter-Tran, who investigates the physical properties of materials through figure sculptures, paintings, installation, and drawing.
VR Experience and Collector’s Show presented by The Ryan Foundation
Virtual reality experiences are all the rage now, and for good reason too. New York-based artist Ryder Ripps will be presenting his solo exhibition, Diventare Schiavo, a two-part multimedia installation piece that combines an interactive VR experience,“Virtual Reality Reality”, and a sound installation, “Voice of God”.
In addition, you’ll see the first-ever collector’s show at Gillman Barracks, supported by the ShangART Gallery and drawing from the private collections of Singapore-based collectors. Titled Re|Collecting Asia – Selections from Singapore Private Collections, explore the eclectic artworks from Southeast Asian and international artists that have never been exhibited together previously.
New Gallery Exhibitions and Performances
A whopping five galleries will be launching new exhibitions in conjunction with Gillman Barrack’s 5th-anniversary celebrations. There’s FOST Gallery, which will present a solo exhibition by Adeel Uz-Zafar titled Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, based on Dante’s The Divine Comedy; Mizuma Gallery with a solo exhibition by Indonesian artist Angki Purbandono titled If You Give Me Lemon, I’ll Make Lemonade, offering perspectives on the jungle and metropolitan city through multimedia installations. The other galleries involved are Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Element Art Space, and Chan + Hori Contemporary.
Supermama Showcases
Local stalwart Supermama will again be hosting its second Supermama Porcelain & Craft Festival, introducing visitors to the stories and craft that goes into everyday common materials – paper, furniture, wood, steel, and textiles – and demonstrating how quality workmanship elevates them beyond the common. This edition, in particular, will feature new designs and types of porcelain from Japan’s Arita region.
Incidentally, Supermama will also be presenting Through Furniture: The Furniture of Ishinomaki Laboratory, a furniture exhibition showcasing the stories behind Ishinomaki Laboratory’s inventive furniture designs at Block 7!
Lifestyle and F&B Happenings
Don’t worry about going hungry, the Maker’s Market at Car Park B will offer a spectrum of lifestyle and F&B offerings, including pop-ups by artisanal design brands as well as a whole array of established food names, including Bird Bird, The Lab, Soi 55, Super Loco, Summerlong, The Naked Finn, Neon Pigeon, and Handlebar – all at great prices and value.
Live Music Galore and Afterparty by Singapore’s Top Creatives
No celebration is complete without good music, and even better still when it’s performed right in front of you. Set to steal the stage at Block 9 are local musicians electro-pop band Disco Hue, eclectic quartet Strangerfox, and acclaimed indie-electronic singer-songwriter Linying. Then, get in the party mood with feel-good vibes from Singapore’s top DJs, including Cats on Crack, Funk Bast*rd, Zig Zach, and DJ KFC, who will be spinning at the afterparty by Super 0. And let’s not forget the free music workshops by Pioneer DJ, kaleidoscopic visual projection by motion design Reza Hasni and illustrator Juliana Ong.