The best things to do in Singapore this week (May 6-12)

Frida Kahlo, the world-renowned Mexican painter, needs no introduction. Regarded as one of the most influential female artists of the 20th century, she is celebrated for her self-portraits that delve into themes of identity and the human body.

There will be three different segments with nine spaces filled with 360-degree projections, interactive installations, photographs, and films. You’ll be able to trace her artistic journey, starting from her early years as a young girl. The show will also touch on her medical journey – one that isn’t widely discussed about. There’ll also be virtual reality experiences for you to truly step into her shoes and see the world from her point of view.

Stay tuned for the exact dates, and join the waitlist for ticket sales here.

Learn more about Chinese culture in Singapore’s local context with the two-month-long cultural festival, Cultural Extravaganza 2024. Presented by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, this festival is happening from May 8 to June 30 2024 and follows the theme of (Re)presenting Our SINGAPO人 Treasures. Highlights include the free art exhibitions showcasing works by local cartoonists and students, along with musical performances featuring childhood rhymes and folk songs that will take you down memory lane. Theatre buffs shouldn't miss Essentially Macbeth, a play following the lives of ex-drama club members as they put together a production of the Shakespearean classic in Mandarin, presented with English surtitles. Find out more and book your tickets here.

Enjoy the satisfaction of whipping up your own cakes at BELLS Baking Club, a sleek baking studio at Suntec City. Other than one-on-one sessions with professional chefs and masterclasses by culinary experts, the studio also offers free-and-easy ‘Bake-With-Tablet’ sessions, where you choose your preferred confection from their catalogue and follow step-by-step recipe instructions on a smart tablet – with pro chefs on standby should you need assistance along the way. Time Out readers can use the code ‘OPENING50’ from now till June 30, 2024 to get a $50 discount on baking sessions for selected cakes.

If you’ve been missing The Paper Bunny, fret not as its flagship store in Takashimaya has reopened, featuring a revamped interior and new additions to its product lineup. The store’s new interior draws inspiration from natural textures and warm tones while integrating hand-formed sculpted fabric and steel weave art to create a distinctive and immersive experience for visitors. Popular products by The Paper Bunny have also been refreshed, with updated designs and new colourways for the Commuter Phone Straps, Puffer Card Pouches, and popular bag series, The Arc. The brand has also released a limited edition candle collection in collaboration with Singaporean ceramic and floral artist Jenevieve, offering scents that bring a sense of comfort and relaxation.

Reward yourself for getting through the week with the flavour-packed Meat and Foie Gras Fest buffet at Ellenborough Market Café, available for a limited period of time from May 1 to June 30, 2024. The restaurant at Paradox Singapore Merchant Court will be serving up a meaty feast, along with decadent foie gras-infused items including mushroom velouté, crispy beancurd with minced beef sauce, and even crème brûlée. That aside, tuck into dishes from a range of cuisines such as Peranakan and more, along with seafood on ice and chicken shawarma hot off a live carving station. Enjoy this spread from Fridays to Sundays, from 6.30pm to 10pm – priced at $98 for adults and $42 for children. Find out more here.

As part of CreatorWeek 2024, Music Matters Live will be taking place at CQ @ Clarke Quay, featuring over 50 artists from 16 different countries. Look forward to four nights of infectious sound and groovy tunes from the likes of Adrian Dzvuke, BINI, and Nao Yoshioka. Japanese dance and vocal group PSYCHIC FEVER from the collective EXILE TRIBE will also be making their Singapore debut at the festival, where the seven members will be performing some of their chart-topping tracks like Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY and Love Fire.

Check out the full list of performances here.

The Singapore Cocktail Festival might be on a hiatus this year, but another mega cocktail fest is here in town. Celebrate the vibrant cocktail culture in Singapore at this year’s Singapore Cocktail Takeover, where some of the city’s most well-loved bars such as Mo Bar, White Shades, and Elephant Room will be offering signature cocktails at a special price of $18. There will also be a lineup of guest bar shifts and events held by experts in the bar industry, such as a special ‘Punch Brunch’ at Republic Bar, and Jigger & Pony hosting the Tokyo-based Bellwood Bar for one day.

Check out the full programme line-up here.

Singapore may be tiny, but we pack lots in terms of culture and history. To get brilliant insight into that, check out the many workshops, tours, trails, and exhibitions lined up for Singapore HeritageFest. This year’s theme focuses on ‘reliving the stories that connect us’, bringing you into the untold stories of our city’s oldest buildings and landmarks. Get your steps in on walking tours of iconic landmarks in Singapore’s downtown district and ‘abandoned’ buildings like 37 Emerald Hill. You can also hop on a bus tour through cultural neighbourhoods, or explore Peranakan shophouses and traditional businesses in Joo Chiat. There’s more, including access into restricted areas of the former Supreme Court, exploration tours of historical venues, and exhibitions dedicated to our national monuments and conserved buildings.

Check out the full list of programmes here.

Singapore’s largest independent craft sake festival returns for its eighth edition this year, and will feature rice wine from over 100 sake breweries and labels from all over Japan. Festival-goers will be treated to free-flow samples of sake and receive a complimentary Sake Matsuri wine glass by the Austrian glassware brand Riedel. The cherry on top is that you’ll also get to purchase bottles of your favourite sake and spirits at exclusive festival prices. Look out for rare sake made from traditional methods like Bodaimoto and Kimoto, warm sake, as well as a range of Japanese spirits at the festival.

Find out more about the event and purchase your tickets here.

Ex-One Direction member Niall Horan will be returning to Singapore after 5 years, as part of his THE SHOW LIVE ON TOUR 2024. He is set to perform on May 9 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The Irish singer-songwriter and former One Direction member has achieved remarkable success in his solo career, with two highly acclaimed solo albums, Flicker (2017) and Heartbreak Weather (2020), to his name. Some of his hit songs include Slow Hands, This Town, and Nice to Meet Ya. Tickets can be purchased here.

Taste The World is a month-long culinary festival organised by the travel brand Gourmet Trails to celebrate Singapore's culinary scene and all its international food offerings. From May 4 to 26 2024, seven restaurants will be participating in a series of events and offering special lunch and dinner sessions (from $180), where proceeds will go toward the United Nations World Food Programme. They are: Appetite, Hashida, Cure, Canchita, Esquina, Ummi Beirut, and Anju. For the opening day on May 4, epicureans can look forward to an intimate lunch experience and dialogue on world cuisines ($300 per person) presented by Michelin-starred chef Ivan Brehm of Nouri and Appetite.

Gather your music-loving friends and have a jamming session at the newly-opened Tumbleweed Studios, a music rehearsal facility dedicated to raising the bar for rehearsal studios across the city-state. Opened by local music recording company Snakeweed Studios, the studio boasts four acoustically treated rooms and takes pride in its top-of-the-line equipment from renowned music brands such as Pearl, Zildjian, and Marshall.

Here’s some effortlessly enjoyable art that’s gentle on the senses. Scottish textural painter Ronnie Ford is returning to Singapore after five years to showcase his new body of work: Shades of Grey. The exhibition, titled Meadows to Mountains, will feature said body of work of iconic paintings of vast landscapes, seen through his eyes. What makes this showcase exceptional is Ford’s debut of grayscale pieces, alongside his traditional colour series.

Ford’s art is distinguished by his signature technique called texturescaping. His canvases are rich with thick impasto layers, achieving a vividly lifelike quality and imbuing a sense of depth and dimension into the flat surface. Inspired greatly by Chinese masters, Ford embraces the philosophy that while many can reproduce a landscape, only a genuine master can truly capture its essence.

More info on the artist can be found here.

Singapore’s largest pop culture art convention and exhibition, Doujima, is back for its eighth edition. This year’s event will feature over 500 vendors, including fan made merchandise for popular games and anime like Haikyuu!, Genshin Impact, and One Piece. Expect to meet talented artists, designers, and illustrators from 15 different countries, including Japan, United States, and Canada. There will also be a game area where you can play the popular role playing game Dungeons & Dragons as well as other trading card games with like minded enthusiasts.

Find out more about Doujima and purchase tickets here.

One of Singapore’s theatrical powerhouses, Teater Ekamatra, is back with a reimagination of the Nusantara folktale Bawang Putih Bawang Merah. The story follows an unjust stepmother and her two daughters with completely different personalities – one who is good and kind, and the other cruel and vindictive. Directed by Mohd Fared Jainal, this darkly humorous production revamps the well-known folktale into a journey of self-discovery and liberation with unexpected twists of fate. While the play will be performed in Malay, English subtitles will be available.

Those who love tulips will be pleased to know that Gardens by the Bay’s Tulipmania will be returning to the Flower Dome this year. In honour of its 10th edition, the floral display pays homage to its inaugural showcase in 2013. The tulips will once again be planted in rows of singular colour, much like the iconic tulip farms in the Netherlands. Adding to the charm, the display will feature a blend of traditional Dutch landscapes with modern elements, including windmills and watermills, alongside innovative features highlighting urban farming and clean energy initiatives.

Find out more about Tulipmania here.

Discover your signature scent at Chanel Parfumeur: A Fragrance Experience, happening from April 26 to June 2 at CQ @ Clarke Quay. The fashion house is inviting members of the public to explore Les Exclusifs De Chanel, a fragrance collection that expresses chapters of Gabrielle Chanel's life. Dive into the inspiration behind the 19 individual scents and snag a preview of the range's newest fragrance. If you like, you can also take a personality test to discover your unique olfactory character or try the 15-minute Le Quart D'Huere Alchimique personalised fragrance experience to figure out your signature Chanel scent.

Chanel VIPs could also be invited to an exclusive Chanel Parfumeur Masterclass, which brings you deeper into Chanel's library of scents. Hear stories about Chanel's iconic fragrances and the ingredients that go into each bottle from fragrance experts from the house, or pick up styling tips from Chanel on how best to wear its fragrances. On the second floor of CQ @ Clarke Quay, you may also step into immersive experience spaces inspired by Chanel's iconic fragrance Chanel N°5. Walk-ins are welcome, but it's best to make a prior booking here. 

Celebrate the rich cultural tapestry of Europe at the annual European Film Festival. This year’s edition features 24 films from 24 countries, offering a variety of perspectives and insights into histories that are representative of Europe’s shared cultural heritage. Opening the festival is Here, directed by Belgian filmmaker Bas Devos, a film about the deep human desire for connection in a world of transience and movement. Other highlights include 125 Years Memory from Turkey, which won Best Art Direction at the 39th Japan Academy Film Prize, and Norway’s Dancing Queen, a coming-of-age film delving into themes of romance and girlhood.

Check out the full list of films and purchase tickets here. 

It’s time to zoom in and tickle your mind at Japanese artist Tatsuya Tanaka’s first ever exhibition in Singapore, small Muji exhibition – Enjoying Everyday Items, held at Muji’s flagship store in Plaza Singapura. For those that aren’t familiar with the artist, Tanaka-san is best known for his playful miniature works where he toys with everyday objects to create tiny elaborate everyday life scenes. 

In the artist’s works, an everyday vegetable such as broccoli can be creatively reimagined to become a tree, and an orange becomes a miniature sun. Keep this concept in mind as you check out his works where he'll ingeniously use Muji items to breathe life into familiar scenes, providing a unique take on the brand's classics. It’s honestly hard not to let out a chuckle when encountering his works. There will be 19 miniature works displayed in total, where some of the creations will take inspiration from Singapore’s landmarks. 

Experience the magic of the Northern Lights at Gardens by the Bay's Supertree Grove. From May 4 onwards, a spellbinding outdoor installation called Borealis will light up the Supertrees in a display reminiscent of the polar lights you'd normally have to travel to Iceland, Sweden, or other far-flung regions to witness. It's the work of Switzerland-based artist Dan Acher, who has ingeniously layered light beams and cloud particles to create a mesmerising dance of light and colour. Coupled with an atmospheric score by French composer Guillaume Desbois, Borealis promises to be an out-of-this-world experience. Admission is free – find out more here.

Get acquainted with French arts and culture right here in Asia at the vOilah! France Singapore Festival. This year’s edition undertakes the theme ‘Celebrating Passions’, and is supported by more than 50 local and international partners. Highlights include the readapted Molière play, Tartuffe: The Imposter, staged by Wild Rice, and a tribute to 1940s French musical icon Edith Piaf, aptly titled Piaf!. Fans of The Little Prince by French author Antoine de Saint Exupéry are sure to enjoy Saint Exupéry: A Legacy, an exhibition which retraces his journey with original artefacts, screenings, readings, and conferences.

You’ve heard the songs, you’ve seen a recording of the show on Disney+, and now the famous Broadway musical, Hamilton, is finally coming to Singapore. The musical is inspired by the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and examines themes of ambition, human relationships, and political power. Hamilton made its Broadway debut in 2015, and was awarded with 11 accolades, including the prestigious Best Musical award at the 70th Annual Tony Awards.

From April 12 to May 31, 2024, A Trail to Chase will feature 29 multidisciplinary functional art – think everyday furnitures with a twist – created by renowned artists like Fernando Mastrangelo, Charlotte Kingsnorth, and Vincent Pocsik. Visitors are invited to go on an introspective journey to uncover narratives and contemplate the interconnectedness of our world through extraordinary creations. As you traverse the gallery space, explore the beauty of shifted perspectives, where nature's allure meets modern innovation, while tracing the invisible routes of art's journey, uncovering stories of cultural heritage and art.

The Asian Civilisations Museum and the Peranakan Museum have joined hands to present Fukusa: Japanese Gift Covers from the Chris Hall Collection, an exhibition that features fukusa, which are beautifully embroidered luxurious Japanese silk gift covers. You can also find kimonos and other related textiles from renowned collector Chris Hall, who holds one of the most valuable collections of Asian textiles in the world. Uncovered varied ways of life that completely differ from ours, a variety of auspicious symbolic motifs such as lobsters and cranes, and how the politics of dress influenced fukusa design in the late Edo period. Don’t forget to stop by the interactive station where you’ll be able to virtually design your very own fukusa.

Explore the creations of Yanyun Chen, Hong Zhu An, and Prabhavathi Meppayil, produced during their artists’ residency as they venture beyond their typical practices to experiment with various print and paper mediums. At STPI’s Creative Workshop, these artists engaged with unfamiliar materials, techniques, and collaborators. The exhibition showcases the outcomes of their projects, highlighting the artistic breakthroughs that occur during the enriching period of an STPI residency.

If you’ve seen the widely-discussed artwork featuring a banana taped to a wall that sold for over a hundred thousand dollars, then you would know that there are no boundaries in modern art. This inevitably leads us to the pressing question: What exactly is art? With this question in mind, take a trip to the National Gallery’s latest show, Figuring A Scene.

The exhibition is divided into six segments: ‘Shadow’, 'Fruit’, ‘Fire’, ‘Air’, ‘Wax’ and ‘City’. These different points of focus hope to further aid our understanding of the displayed works beyond its historical or societal contexts. 

For example, in the segment ‘Fruit’, the show examines the diverse portrayals of the King of Fruits, Durian, throughout several mediums of art – from sculptures to paintings and photographs. With each medium offering its own unique point of view, visitors can reflect on its status during colonial times and uncover how this fruit has evolved into an iconic symbol of Singapore's national identity.

For more information, visit their website here.
Download the e-catalogue here.

Explore a curated selection of 30 paintings by artist Cheong Soo Pieng, completed from the 1950s to the 1980s. Visitors can venture through the space segmented into three sections that will answer the following questions: “What makes a painting?”, “When is a painting complete?”, and “What is painting?”.

This exhibition is a special one as it is the first in Southeast Asia to utilise material analysis such as x-ray scans and infrared photography to unveil fresh insights into Cheong’s artistic processes. Visitors will be able to dive into Cheong Soo Pieng’s art journey and learn more about the ins and outs of his practice such as materials used, art approaches, and untold stories and ideas.

Film fanatics, don’t miss out on ArtScience Museum’s upcoming exhibition Goddess: Brave. Bold. Beautiful. Curated by ACMI (Australia’s National Museum of Screen Culture), Goddess will uncover 120 years of moving image history featuring stories, costumes, sketches, interactive experiences, as well as the pillars behind these wonderful masterpieces. Indulge in a special collection of over 150 costumes, artefacts, and objects, curated to depict captivating visual stories of women in film. Dive into never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage, archival materials, projections, and authentic costumes to reveal the untold stories of these stars.

In celebration of beloved anime series Naruto’s 20th anniversary, Naruto: The Gallery will be making its global debut at Universal Studios Singapore. Expect to see a miniature recreation of Konohagakure, as well as exclusive video works of iconic scenes from Naruto. Official merchandise will be sold alongside the exhibition, and you can try dishes like Naruto’s favourite Ichiraku ramen at the special pop-up Naruto: The Gallery Café located at KT’s Grill.

Every day, we stroll through familiar streets without grasping the profound history they conceal. Join Oh! Open House for a curated art walk through the Kampong Gelam neighbourhood. Get your steps in as you uncover the history of this lively district. 

The guided tour will not only lead you through historical landmarks but also introduce you to local businesses, hidden gems, and 11 distinct art installations exclusive to the area. Beyond delving into the past, you'll gain insights into the present-day communities and individuals shaping the character of this vibrant neighbourhood.

Book your slot here.