Arts

Feast your eyes on eight dramatic, larger-than-life inflatables – among 40 unique artworks – at the Floating Utopias exhibition, hosted at the ArtScience Museum. Held from Saturday, 25 May to Sunday, 29 September 2019, the exhibition takes a playful and poetic look at inflatable objects, showing how they have been used in art, architecture and social activism over the decades. Floating Utopias is a visual spectacle grounded by a strong political narrative that reveals how inflatable objects were used for ideological propaganda in the 20th century, and how artists countered these tendencies by using them as playful tools of social…

Blending stage and cinema, Geki×CINE’s Shiren & Ragi brought the popular stage performance of the same name to Golden Village’s (GV) silver screens in Singapore – GV’s first foray into such alternative content. The play stars Tatsuya Fujiwara – best-known for his leading role in the Death Note series – as well as other recognizable stars from the Japanese entertainment industry. Synopsis The fictional play is set in the Nanboku-chō period, when Japan was divided between the North and the South. Shiren (Hiromi Nagasaku), a legendary Northern Assassin, was sent to the South as a spy to assassinate Godai (Katsumi…

Extravagantly told by one of UK’s most respected directors Simon McBurney – accompanied by actors from the famed Schaubühne Berlin – Beware of Pity is a critically-acclaimed stage adaptation that opened this year’s edition of Singapore International Festival of Arts at the Esplanade Theatre on Thursday, 16 May 2019. Adapted from the only novel by Austrian writer Stefan Zweig – one of the world’s most famous writers in the early 20th century – Beware of Pity tells an emotionally-gripping story about the treacherous nature of pity. The accomplished actors of the Schaubühne Berlin create a nuanced, vivid account of Anton…

The Gallery Children’s Biennale – organised by National Gallery Singapore – is back for its second edition from Saturday, 25 May, to Sunday, 29 December 2019. Held in alternate years to each other, the Gallery Children’s Biennale complements the Children’s Festival, which was first launched by National Gallery Singapore in 2018. This year’s exhibition is themed ‘Embracing Wonder’ and will feature 11 interactive and multi-dimensional artworks committed to inspiring young, curious minds through art. Inspired by a child’s unfettered imagination and ability to embrace all things new, the works activate the senses of children while reigniting their sense of curiosity,…

The highly-anticipated John Wick: Chapter 3 hit the big screens on Thursday, 16 May 2019, and it did not disappoint. Subtitled “Parabellum” – Latin for “prepare for war” – the third instalment of the franchise delivered the promised action sequences in the same flawless, unrelenting style built upon its predecessors. Similar to Chapter 2, Chapter 3 – Parabellum – picks up immediately after the ending to the previous instalment. John Wick (Keanu Reeves), having broken its rules in the previous movie by offing a member of the High Table in the criminal sanctuary known as the Continental Hotel, now has…

On Tuesday, 15 January 2019, Salt Media & Entertainment hosted the red carpet premiere of the iconic Australian film, Storm Boy, in conjunction with the launch of Big Picture theatre – Singapore’s first cinema in the financial district. Asian-Australian director Shawn Seet, producer Matthew Street and breakout young star Finn Little graced their presence at the Storm Boy Red Carpet Premiere; held at Salt Media @ Capital Tower. Synopsis A retelling of the 1964 book by Colin Thiele stars Geoffrey Rush, Jai Courtney, as well as young co-actor Finn Little. The film starts with retired businessman Michael Kingley (Geoffrey Rush)…

As part of the Singapore Bicentennial Commemoration, the National Heritage Board and the National Parks Board launched BALIKSG, an augmented reality (AR) trail that will bring visitors on an immersive journey along the Singapore River and around Fort Canning. Visitors can download the free BALIKSG smartphone app, and rediscover and experience significant events and places in Singapore’s history for themselves. These include witnessing the signing of the 1819 treaty at the Padang, listening into a probable conversation between Sir Stamford Raffles and Major William Farquhar when they set foot on the shores of Singapore, and revisiting Fort Canning back when…

Unabashedly bold and brutally honest, Director Tracie Pang and Playwright Ken Kwek present This Is What Happens To Pretty Girls, held at the Drama Centre Theatre till Sunday, 26 May 2019. Provocative and polarizing, Ken Kwek’s original work draws inspiration from the #MeToo movement. Flitting back and forth between storylines, the play follows four different pairs of characters whose lives intertwine and converge with one another at some point during the play: Undergrad Sean (Thomas Pang) and lecturer Amanda (Oon Shu An) embark in a risky relationship; Natasha (Tess Pang), a new hire at a company, and her team leader…

One of the most successful musicals in entertainment history, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera has played to over 145 million people in 150 cities across 30 countries thus far. It is also the longest-running show on Broadway – having celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018 – and has won more than 70 major theatre awards, including seven Tony Awards and four Olivier Awards. Your Phantom of the Opera experience starts from the moment you step into the theatre. The Sands Theatre is transformed into the Paris Opera House. Viewers are greeted with a grandiose proscenium arch, adorned…

Back in January, the Asian Film Archive (AFA) announced the return of the Oldham Theatre, newly revamped and equipped with 4K digital and 35mm film format projection capabilities alongside its 132-seater hall. Alongside its slated April 7 opening, several films were teased to be shown upon its return, including Oily Maniac (1976), a Hong Kong film based on the Orang Minyak legend, Raffles Hotel (1989), directed by Ryu Murakami (of Audition fame), and Medium Rare (1991), Singapore own entry loosely based on the Adrian Lim ritual murders. Recently, we were invited to preview the upcoming programs that the AFA has…