The Singapore Biennale 2013: If the World Changed

Being an artist is not easy. Otherwise, the expression "like an art form" would be very commonly used. The Singapore Biennale 2013 has announced its commencement with the theme "If the World Changed" on 7 September 2012. Revolving around our ever-changing environment, If the World Changed has been proposed to foster understanding the many changes that we as people of the environment undergo, and how environmental change is related to human change. Promising to be an event better than last year, The Biennale 2013 will see over 20 regional curators with extensive knowledge on art around the Asia Pacific vicinity gracing this event as part of the festivities. The annual event will also contribute in adding to the rich cultural heritage of the Bras Basah-Bugis Precinct.

Elaborating on this year’s title and focus, Mr. Tan Boon Hui, Director of Singapore Art Museum (SAM) said, “The Singapore Biennale is dedicated to contemporary art’s propositions for our changing worlds. With this edition we hope to encourage artists and audiences to respond to their lived experiences and explore what kind of worlds they want to live in. We seek to explore these questions through the work of Southeast Asian and Asian artists; a majority of artists presented at SB 2013 will be from this most dynamic of regions, reflecting, mediating, and envisioning responses to their changing worlds, whatever it may mean to them!” 

SB 2013 is inviting artists to submit their proposals for consideration. All material will be reviewed by members of the curatorial team and shortlisted artists may be invited for further discussion with the curators and possible inclusion in the Biennale. The open is now open and call will close on 21 December 2012. 

The Story Behind Wedding Dresses

Weddings have always been that one day that most girls look forward. Even during the wedding, the bride receives more attention than the groom, what with the hair, the make-up, the flower girls, and bridesmaids, and of course, the Wedding Gown. One quintessential garment that holds almost as much significance as the wedding itself. 

The National Museum of Singapore

The National Museum of Singapore shows us just how very well aware it is of this particular significance, with its latest exhibition: 200 years of Wedding Fashion. This exhibition, originally from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is on Display for the first time in Asia at the National Museum of Singapore. 

Viewers will be treated to a visual feast that will have most women, and some men even, exclaiming in flabbergasted delight at the sheer beauty of construction behind some of these rare creations. The dresses don't only present a beautiful ensemble for onlookers, but also a piece of history for the curious. Each dress speaks volumes of the era in which is was born, and the various constraints or abundance in that era that the dress saw. From period of extreme corsets, to the Great Depression (where a gorgeous wedding dress made entirely out of curtains was born, due to the lack of money to buy and sew an actual gown), down to the latest creations by Christian Dior. Marvel at the story behind each dress, and learn a little about the brides themselves. 

Embroidered silk satin wedding dress designed by Norman Hartnell, London, 1933

Shot taffeta wedding dress, Vivienne Westwood Couture, London, 2005

Silk brocade shoes purchased from Peter Robinson, London, 1914

Silk faille wedding dress and silk vet neil, John Galliano for Dior, Paris, 2002

Silk gauze dress, 1938. Worn by Monica Maurice

Silk wedding dress, British, 1857. Worn by Margaret Scott Lang

Wedding dress and coat designed by John Bates for his Jean Varon label, London, 1966

Each wedding gown display is accompanied by a short write-up on its origins.

Exhibition is up until 31st October, from 10am to 6pm daily. Tickets are priced at $11.

The Night Festival

It has been a tradition that has now become truly Singaporean: The Night Festival @ the Museum. Though this event needs no introduction, here is a snippet reminder for those who have forgotten, or a tell-all for those who have no idea what this is. The Singapore Night Festival involves 3 main museums in the Bras Basah.Bugis area. It entails museums to be opened up until 2am in the morning, with a string of various entertaining acts for viewers to enjoy. The highlight of this event is the transformation of the facade of the National Museum into a giant projector screen, upon which mini movies are displayed for eager spectators to enjoy from in front of, across and around the vicinity (its a very VERY big screen). Other events include acrobatic performances and free museum passes, along with live music and a throng of eager Singaporeans and tourists seeking joy in being a part of a national event. 

Circus Swingapore

National Day at SAM

Celebrate National Day with the Singapore Arts Museum. Enjoy free entry for all Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residence for the entire month of August! Celebrate our freedom in artistic style!

Lyrical Abstraction at the Singapore Arts Museum

Celebrate the National Day with the Singapore Arts Museum. Lyrical Abstractions is an exhibition if artworks by popular local artist Yeo Shih Yun and Jeremy Sharma called Conversations with Trees and Kurosawa respectively. 

Yeo Shih Yun

Conversations with Trees

2011-12

Video, digital photographs, sketches & silk-screen painting on canvas

Variable dimensions

Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal

Singapore's exquisite one of a kind exhibition on the American Artist is still going strong at the Arts Science Museum, Singapore. The museum has really managed to put together a presentation that Andy Warhol himself would be proud of. The exhibition covers his the artistic works of Andy Warhol during his inspiring career, from the 1940s to his final works in the 1980s. Over 260 artworks have been displayed in rooms that echo the artist's idea behind having created the art piece, including a room covered in aluminum. This is one exhibition that any art enthusiast must catch, as it features the works of a legendary icon whose trace on the world of art will never fade.

Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup I Tomato, 1968, ©AWF

Seek Hope with Jia Aili

The Singapore Art Museum has collaborated with talents to expound the beauty of art to the generally artistic public, or those with a slight inclination towards art. 

Seeker of Hope: Works By Jia Aili 

Always By My Side

Jia Aili is an accomplished chinese painter who has embarked on a collaboration with the Singapore Arts Museum to come up with a collection of artworks that reflect changes in the Chinese Society since the year 2000. His works are a true story about the reality of life, reflected in the advancement of technology and the increase or modern appeal. All emotions from life to death are expressed in his strong artistic explorations, with different representations that have come together.