This month's chic list.
The venue also houses a fully-equipped bar and kitchen
WATCH THIS SPACE
If you’re looking for a stunning venue to hold a special event, you might want to consider hiring the dedicated event space at The Atelier & Co.’s sprawling new headquarters at Delta House. On top of running its two core businesses (The Wedding Atelier, an upscale wedding planning company; and The Floral Atelier, a luxury events and floral design business), The Atelier & Co. has set up an education division in the 7,000sqft venue that will hold floral masterclasses and experiential workshops open to the public. The open-concept space also boasts a striking glass-walled flower room known as The Crystal Cube, and a retail section carrying speciality products from around the world. Its first exclusive import is Korean fragrance brand Soohyang, which has emerged as one of Asia’s coolest brands with a cult following in the US and UK. In the pipeline is a collaboration with twice-crowned Asia’s Best Pastry Chef Janice Wong, who will create hand-painted flower bonbons with one-of-a-kind fl oral-inspired flavors. Visit thefloralatelier.co
FRIGHT NIGHT
Nina West
Fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race, rejoice—Nina West and Thorgy Thor will be bringing their most "horrifying" performances yet to Hallokween Drag Fest 2019 at the Shine Auditorium on 29 October. Singapore’s first-ever Halloween-themed drag extravaganza promises to be a night of absolute debauchery and side-splitting mayhem. Visit sistic.com.sg
FOR ART AFICIONADOS
Major art fairs worth travelling for
Frieze London: 3 to 6 October at The Regent’s Park, London
One of the world’s most influential contemporary art fairs will bring together over 160 contemporary art galleries from 36 countries this year, representing its most international edition to date. Notably, the largest growth comes from South East Asia, which includes first-time exhibitors like Singapore’s STPI-Creative Workshop & Gallery. A highlight is a new themed section called Woven, which focuses on contemporary textile practices incorporating traditional techniques.
Zak Ove, Autonomous Morris (2018)
Fiore Internationale d’Art Contemporain (FIAC): 17 to 20 October at Grand Palais, Paris
The 46th edition of FIAC will host a selection of major galleries around the world that specialise in modern and contemporary art and design. On top of its exceptional exhibition space, FIAC also offers a range of programmes including live performances, film screenings and talks. This includes FIAC Projects, which presents some 30 sculptures and installations within the grounds of the Petit Palais, Grand Palais and on the Avenue Winston Churchill. Yayoi Kusama fans will be happy to know that FIAC has given the influential artist carte blanche to realise her creative vision in the iconic Place Vendôme.
Martin Soto Climent, Rebis Siber (2019)
Fine Art Asia 2019 and Ink Asia 2019: 4 to 7 October at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Recognised by the international art world as the most distinguished annual fine art fair in the region, Fine Art Asia will showcase museum-quality Asian and Western antiques alongside Impressionist, modern and contemporary art spanning 5,000 years. Ink Asia, the world’s first art fair dedicated to modern ink art, will be held at the same time, featuring an array of works influenced by traditional ink painting, but following innovative artistic paths.
Egyptian bas-relief (circa 1300 BC)
FILM FEST EXTRAS
For those who can’t wait for the 30th edition of the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) from 21 November to 1 December, you can look forward to two upcoming free-admission programmes at Gardens by the Bay.
Nature’s Playground is a photography exhibition by SGIFF that invites visitors to follow 10 local storytellers—including musicians, writers and actors such as Fiona Xie, Anita Kapoor and Alfian Sa’at— on their creative narratives inspired by nature. Their portraits will be exhibited at the Supertree Grove Colonnade from 18 October to 1 December.
SGIFF will also host its sophomore edition of Moonlight Cinema at the same venue from 25 to 27 October. Movie lovers can enjoy free outdoor screenings of three films that spotlight youths and their fearless dreams: American dramedy Empire Records; French drama The Chorus, and award-winning Indian musical Secret Superstar.
Portraits featuring Fiona Xie and Anita Kapoor (right)
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MUST-READS
A Single Thread is the latest novel from Tracy Chevalier, the celebrated author of Girl With a Pearl Earring. Set in the early '30s, it centres on a young widower who finds solace in the art of needlepoint and the company of real-life embroidery pioneer Louisa Pesel.
Zadie Smith has established herself as one of the most respected writers of her generation. Grand Union is her first collection of short fiction that brings together 10 new pieces and another 10 written over the past two decades. Covering a gamut of subjects, from first loves to race, Smith combines her power of observation and inimitable voice to mine the fraught experience of life in the modern world.
From the National Book Award-winning author of Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer is a bold debut novel where the author imagines the covert war of an enslaved people in response to a generations-long war for the right to life, kin and freedom.
BY ALLYSON KLASS
