New Margins Exhibition Tour and Book Launch, DECK, 20 April 7pm
Art is often seen as intimidating and distant. What if you held art in your hands, like a book? Can books be seen as art medium, like a painting or a sculpture instead of an object to be purchased in a book shop? This fascinating exhibition by Thebookshow titled New Margins is both a group showcase and a book launch of new works that traverse the mediums of book and art, by three artists, Genevieve Leong, Loh Xiang Yun and Shyue Woon. It seeks to reinvent the way one experiences books, as art objects.
Find out more here.
The More We Get Together: Singapore’s Playgrounds 1930 – 2030, National Museum of Singapore, from 20 April
Developed by the National Museum of Singapore in collaboration with the Housing and Development Board, this exhibition allows visitors to explore what our historical and contemporary playgrounds are made out of and how they were made. Learn about not just their unique physical aspects but also their significance in society and history. Get a chance to discover different playground surfaces and examine the original blueprints of the iconic mosaic playgrounds, as well as hear from playground designers from the past and present! What’s more, you can get to design and contribute to the construction of the National Museum of Singapore’s very own playground.
Find out more about the opening weekend festivities (21 – 22 April) that are part of the Singapore Heritage Festival here.
How Did The Cat Get So Fat, Esplanade Theatre Studio, 18 – 22 April
12 years after it first premiered in the triple-bill Mentah 3: Barisan Puteri Puteri at the Substation, How Did The Cat Get So Fat? written by Zizi Azah Bte Abdul Majid is revived as part of the Esplanade’s Studios series. It’s a magical realist fable told through the eyes of Fatimah, a young girl from a single-parent family. Played by the inimitable Siti Khalijah Zainal, Fatimah journeys on her pet lion and meets people from various walks of Singapore society, e.g. the cabbie; the maid; the yuppie; the religious man. This time it’s directed by Tan Beng Tian and assistant-directed by Daniel Sim.
More information at Esplanade.
Trompe l’oeil, Sullivan+Strumpf Gallery, ongoing until 13 May
Trompe-l’oeil marks Sydney-based curator Dr. Mikala Tai’s first show in Southeast Asia. It brings together six artists from across Asia and Australia who seek to reimagine understandings and expectations. Trompe l’oeil meaning “trick of the eye” promises an exploration of the possibilities of new perspectives, alternative futures and subliminal realities, through art that presents holographic shifts, tessellated shadows and unexpected flickers. These works, although diverse, all use artistic techniques to recast our readings of the everyday. The comfort of expectation is lost, and what lies beyond is yet to be discovered. Find out more at Sullivan+Strumpf Gallery.
ArtScience Late: Minutes by Yarra Ileto & Zhuo Zihao, ArtScience Museum Expression Gallery, 19 April, 7pm
For your Thursday evening arts fix, head to the ArtsScience museum to catch a free, intimate dance performance by two dance luminaries: Zhuo Zihao, founding member of T.H.E. Dance Company and Yarra Ileto, T.H.E. dancer and 2017 Young Artist Award winner. This piece titled Minutes is an autobiographical work by the duo, seeking to express the poetics of everyday life events through multimedia and movement. Apparent mundanity, the familiarity of routine, and ordinary experiences are explored, considering how the home is lived and experienced by people as a place and an idea. More information.
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