Make a date with Dick Lee, then check out the highlights from this year’s Singapore Fringe Festival and Singapore Art Week
Tatler Asia
Above Film still from Nervous Translation (Image: NTU CCA)

1. Trinh. T. Minh-ha. Films.

What The NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore has something for everyone this month. As part of the centre's ongoing exhibition Trinh. T. Minh-ha. Films., January's line-up kicks off with an online screening of Nervous Translation by filmmaker Shireen Seno. The 90-minute film traces the life of an eight-year-old girl, where audiences get to witness first hand the perception of the child through various day-to-day sounds, during the time of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines.

The screening is followed by a reading and artist conversation with novelist and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo. The event, titled Exhibition (de)Tour: The Life of Memory: Xiaolu Guo on her writing and filmmaking, sees Guo reading an excerpt from her memoir Nine Continents: A Memoir In and Out of China, included in Trinh T. Minh-ha's newest work,What About China? 

Lastly, Trinh T. Minh-ha's film Reassemblage will be screened as part of the festival. It explores how documentary and ethnographic tradition can manipulate the ways of which audiences perceive different cultures, and hence, their active role in watching a film. 

When January 6 to 19 | January 12 | January 20 to 31

Tatler Asia
Above (Image: SRT)

2. The More Further Adventures of Dick Lee

What Singer-songwriter Dick Lee performs songs from his earlier productions such as The Adventures of the Mad Chinaman, along with unreleased tunes from his private songbooks, in this 90-minute solo recital in aid of the Singapore Repertory Theatre.

When January 19 to 24

(Related: Meet The Real Crazy Rich Asians: Dick Lee)

Tatler Asia
Above (Image: M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: Quiet Riot)

3. M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2021: Quiet Riot

What The 17th edition of this annual festival features nine works inspired by revolutionary change and protest, including Havoc Girls & Kamikaze Boys (pictured) by Brian Gothong Tan and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Presented in a hybrid format, the line-up is curated by The Necessary Stage artistic director Alvin Tan, who returns to the role of festival director.

When January 20 to 31

Tatler Asia
Above After the Flood #29 by Genevieve Chua (Image: STPI)

4. S.E.A. Focus 2021

What Discover art from Southeast Asia’s finest contemporary artists at the third edition of this fair organised by STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery and presented as a hybrid exhibition. Head to Tanjong Pagar Distripark to check out works from participating galleries in person or visit the online S.E.A. Focus Digital platform for a seamless discovery-to-purchase experience.

When January 20 to 31 

Tatler Asia
Above Impressions by Tan ShaoQi (Image: Courtesy of the artist)

5. Singapore Ceramics Now 2021

What The contemporary ceramics of Singapore-based artists take centre stage as part of one of the largest surveys of ceramics art here since the 1990s. Organised by Singaporean artist Jason Lim and curated by Seed Art Space, the showcase aims to deepen the understanding of the clay medium beyond the realm of pottery. Don’t miss the artist talks, live demonstrations and clay installations.

When January 20 to February 13

Tatler Asia
Above Codswallop & Doggerel by Ashley Bickerton (Image: Gajah Gallery)
Tatler Asia
Above We Always Go Back by Ashley Bickerton (Image: Gajah Gallery)

6. Heresy or Codswallop

What Contemporary mixed media artist Ashley Bickerton will be hosting his second solo exhibition in Singapore this month, featuring 16 works spread across six of his most celebrated series from the last decade under one roof. Held at the Gajah Gallery, the show will also present an essay by arts writer Gregory Galligan, where it situates Bickerton within the canon of Southeast Asian contemporary art history having spent the last five years working in the Indonesian art capitals of Jakarta and Yogjakarta. 

When January 20 to February 14

7. Singapore Art Week

What The ninth edition of Singapore's anchor visual arts festival kicks off in a hybrid format with over 100 programme and brings together more than 300 artists and members of the vibrant arts community in a bid to celebrate their resilience and innovation since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Among the exciting line-up, this year's festival features the largest number of commissioned works to date with over 40 outstanding Singapore-based projects as well. 

When January 22 to 30  

Tatler Asia
Above Photography Lenne Chai from the series: Boys I Trust
Tatler Asia
Above The Spirit of Ecstacy by Ruben Pang

8. The Body as A Dream: A Singapore Art Story

What Singapore-based arts advisory firm Art Agenda S.E.A. hosts its exhibition in conjunction with the city's anchor arts week this January. Featuring the works of nine Singaporean artists, including the likes of Cheong Soo Pieng, Lenne Chai and Ruben Pang, it welcomes audiences to contemplate how the portrayal of the human body serves as a visual marker of perceived identity through time. Held at The Modern Space at Tan Boon Liat building, contact Nurhanan Farid or +65 9777 1730 to schedule your private viewing. 

When January 22 to March 27 

9. Heroes Fund

What In an effort to continue its research and provide new models of care in the field of ophthalmology, the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) and Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) launched its' Heroes Fund last year with the aim of raising S$1 million to meet the evolving needs of its patients and healthcare workforce, with the latter being particularly overwhelmed in the time of the pandemic. Adjunct associate professor and director of philanthropy of SNEC Ho Ching Lin shares: "While Covid-19 remains, there are many patients who are also suffering from eye diseases that may lead to vision loss. This is why it is critical that we focus on new ways to approach the crisis with better preparedness. The funds will greatly enable us to improve on our clinical care processes and to develop cutting-edge research as we move forward."

The funds will then go towards multiple factions of need within the centre.To curb the rising demand for frontline workers and medical facilities, SNEC has embraced the use of technology to provide tele-consultations for patients who suffer from glaucoma, as well as implemented a special at-home monitoring service for blindness prevention in hopes of reducing non-essential visits. Healthcare workers will also be able to upgrade themselves through e-learning programmes during the time of the pandemic, as well as to allow breakthrough research to be conducted to better understand the Covid-19 virus. 

Members of the public can choose to donate and find out more on their campaign platform here

When Till January 31 

Topics