SINGAPORE.- Singapore Art Week, Singapore’s annual festival and the pinnacle of Asia’s visual arts calendar, is set to take over the island when it returns from 22 to 30 January 2021. A joint initiative by the National Arts Council (NAC), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), SAW 2021 will celebrate the coming together of our vibrant artist community once again, celebrating their resilience, innovation and solidarity as we have seen in these unprecedented times.
Staying true to SAW’s theme of “Art Takes Over”, SAW 2021 – the ninth edition of SAW – will be presented in a complementary blended format for the very first time, with over 100 programmes threading across both physical and digital platforms, allowing audiences from around the world to discover and experience Southeast Asian art. This year’s edition showcases the largest number of commissioned works to date, with over 40 outstanding Singapore-based projects reflecting the diverse capabilities of Singaporean artists and curators. Going beyond the confines of the physical into the digital space, SAW will bring the visual arts to everyone and everywhere - from arts and cultural institutions such as National Gallery Singapore and arts spaces within Gillman Barracks; to unconventional public spaces and neighbourhoods including Bras Basah Complex, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, national parks, bus stops and more. With over 300 artists from Singapore, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, The Netherlands, UK and USA involved this year, a plethora of exciting arts programmes await, with something suitable for arts enthusiasts of all ages.
“‘Art Takes Over’ takes on a whole new meaning this year, as SAW 2021 not only crosses the walls of galleries into streets and homes, but also transcends time and space in the digital realm. This is also a reflection of the larger evolving arts scene, where audiences are increasingly able to enjoy art anywhere and everywhere, and are no longer confined to a physical location or the conventional white cube,” said Tay Tong, Director of Sector Development (Visual Arts) at NAC.
“Navigating the uncertain waters of the pandemic has showcased the resilience of our artists, as they have quickly adapted to these extraordinary times, experimenting with new technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality so that they may continue presenting art and creations in a fresh and innovative manner. Beyond the works itself, what is essential for SAW 2021 is to ensure opportunities for our artists through our commissions. Additionally, we have seeded the possibilities to build new capabilities and encouraged new modes of creation through the digitalisation of the arts as an alternative platform not only to reach audiences but as a canvas for artworks. With that, we look forward to SAW’s ninth edition with great hope and anticipation,” Tay adds.
Familiar art programmes and unlikely collaborations
Signature SAW events and crowd favourites are set to return in January including the well-loved Light to Night Festival 2021 based on the new theme of “_____-In-Progress”; State of Motion 2021: [Alternate/Opt] Realities by Asian Film Archive; ARTWALK at Little India by LASALLE College of the Arts; and S.E.A. Focus 2021 by STPI Creative Workshop & Gallery.
Alongside familiar programmes, festival goers may look forward to new offerings that present a refreshed look at the visual arts, such as Singapore’s very first mall-wide art activation Creative Unions by Neighborhood - an art-meets-retail programme that brings unexpected crossovers by pairing local artists with fashion, food and lifestyle tenants at Funan. They may also dive into experimental art presentations with The Hours After by Ren Zi and Eugene TYZ, an international collaboration across five time zones culminating in an after-hours gallery experience turned art treasure hunt beyond Gillman Barracks; or immerse themselves in Inner Like The OutAR by Reza Hasni and curated by Tulika Ahuja, a first-of-its-kind large scale interdisciplinary installation to use Web AR, or augmented reality via smartphone browsers, to re-create an audio-visual simulation of our natural world.
Exploring the dichotomy between physical and digital mediums
With the entanglement between online and offline platforms this year as a result of the pandemic, SAW 2021 invites audiences to explore and dissect the impact of digital mediums on human connection through the visual arts. For instance, Networked Bodies by Supernormal is an exhibition that investigates communication and intimacy through the internet, with digital works, media installations and works housed on social media. Shifting Between by Our Softest Hour plays on the seams of the digital and physical realms, inviting audiences to explore the shifts in how they engage with and experience intimacy and vulnerability; and Otherworlds: Non/digital realities by INSTINC invites artists in Singapore and Hong Kong to look into the issue of translating works from reality to virtual reality (VR), and vice versa.
Driving conversations and building connections in Southeast Asia
Each year, SAW also welcomes an international audience, drawing in art collectors, enthusiasts and artists from around the world. As the peak visual arts event in Asia, SAW 2021 will continue to take the lead in bridging connections and conversations across Singapore and our global partners through SAW Art Symposium, featuring a series of curated talks, panel discussions and fireside chat topics. Join the conversation with SAW stakeholders at POWWOW organised in partnership with Art & Market to discuss new ideas and networks for the future of art and explore how exhibitions can comfortably inhabit both virtual and physical spaces. In the spirit of encouraging critical discourse on Asian art history and curating, art enthusiasts can also look forward to Asian Art in the 21st Century – Narratives of History and Curation by Sotheby’s, a panel discussion led by art historians and curators.
