ART & ABOUT

This month’s chic list.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

This month’s chic list.

Clockwise from left: Givenchy spring/summer 2019. Marc Jacobs spring/summer 2019. Prada spring/summer 2019. A swatch featuring Pantone’s 2019 Colour of the Year, Living Coral. iPhone XR in Coral, Apple

VITAMIN SEA

Move over, millennial pink. Goodbye, Gen-Z yellow. Pantone has released its Colour of the Year for 2019: Living Coral, described by the brand as “an animating and life-affirming shade of orange with a golden undertone”. Just as coral reefs provide shelter to sea creatures, the vibrant-yet-mellow colour is meant to provide comfort in today’s world. Time to deck yourself, your accessories (Apple’s iPhone XR includes a coral version) and your home in the hue. 

My Reading Room

A still from Between Earth and Sky by Alecia Neo

BACK FOR GOOD

Eight alumni from the Affordable Art Fair and ION Art’s Young Talent Programme come together for the “REUNITE 2019” exhibition at ION Art from 18 to 27 January. We shine the spotlight on three of them

My Reading Room

ALECIA NEO

A visual artist, Alecia Neo was part of the inaugural Young Talent Programme (YTP) 2012/2013. Working mostly with the mediums of photography, video and participatory performances, Neo aims to explore the relationship between overlooked communities (be it the visually impaired, caregivers, or the elderly), their contexts and their spaces. She is also the Co-founder and Artist Lead of Brack, a trans-border arts platform for socially engaged artists.

My Reading Room

LAVENDER CHANG

Another alumni from YTP 2012/2013, Lavender Chang is a Singapore-based artist and photographer from Taiwan. Chang focuses on the subtle nuances of her surroundings, expressed through experimentations with digital and analogue photography. For “REUNITE”, Chang presents “I Walked, and Laid Down on This Warm, Bare Earth” (2016), a photography series (right) that saw her sowing seeds in public spaces and documenting their progress to relay her thoughts on migration, adaptation and survival. Chang also worked on John Clang’s debut feature film, Their Remaining Journey, which premiered at the 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam.

My Reading Room

Up, 2016, by Zhang Fuming

ZHANG FUMING 

With a diploma in Fine Arts (printmaking) from LASALLE College of the Arts, Zhang Fuming hails from YTP 2014/15. His winning entry, “The Quest: The Exquisite Rice Bowl”, was representative of his style of work, combining traditional mediums with black-and-white narratives to deliver critical social messages. The 29-year-old held a solo woodcut exhibition, “Poised for Success” in 2016, and has participated in group exhibitions in Singapore, China and Indonesia. 

My Reading Room

Clockwise from top: Game of Life by Justin Lee, part of the “Bridging Realms” exhibition at Singapore Art Week. “This is Where”, a photography exhibition at M1 Singapore Fringe Festival. A Fortunate Man. The Regency Made Me Blind, an installation for Light to Night Festival at National Gallery Singapore.

Art Skins on Monuments: The Odyssey, part of Light to Night Festival. Superorganism. Shades of Temporality at i Light Singapore. Lighthouse of Time at i Light Singapore

BAZAAR DIARY

11 January

Get ready for a night of quirky indie pop as transatlantic eight-piece collective, Superorganism takes to the stage at The Pavilion at Far East Square for its “World Wide Trip Cont... ” tour.

16 to 27 January Returning 

for its 15th run, the Necessary Stage’s M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019 is curated around the theme of Still Waters. As always, audiences can expect thought-provoking works across the realms of theatre, dance, music, visual arts and mixed media. Check out "This is Where” by Sean Tham, which shines the spotlight on migrant workers; and A Fortunate Jean Mohr’s seminal book about the life of a doctor. Visit singaporefringe.com

18 to 27 January

Art takes over the city at Singapore Art Week, as galleries, museums and even the most unexpected of spaces-Taman Jurong and Sim Lim Square, anyone?-come alive with festivals, painting and sculptural installations, walking tours, and so much more. Visit artweek.sg

18 January to 24 Febuary

This year's bumper edition of Light to Night Festival is split into two parts: The Art Week Edition (18 to 27 January) presents works inspired by stories and memories related to the Civic District; including a Sensorial Trail, a series of interactive installations using the senses of smell, sound and touch. The Bicentennial Edition (28 January to 24 February) introduces site-specific responses and reflections that reimagine Singapore’s journey over the past 700 years. Visit lighttonight.sg

25 to 27 January

Art Stage is back at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, this time with a new direction: “I am art. Art reflects life. Life is mine, yours, ours." Look out for the reveal of the private collections of the 20 top art collectors from Singapore and the region. Visit artstage.com 28 January to 24 February Spend a leisurely night exploring i Light Singapore’s trail of 32 artworks—31 sustainable light art installations and multimedia show-centred around the theme of Bridges of Time. Go back in time with structures inspired by bamboo fish traps (Time Traveller at Clifford Square) or “paint” videos onto walls with an interactive graffiti installation (Shades of Temporality at the entrance of Marina Bay Link Mall). Visit ilightsingapore.

PHOTOGRAPHY: SHOWBIT; COURTESY OF JUSTIN LEE, NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE