After months of anticipation, Singapore Art Week (SAW) 2025 is finally here!
You’ve probably heard about the major events on the calendar, so this week we’re shining a spotlight on the more hidden gems — the blink-and-you’ll-miss-them shows that hold their own against the big-name institutions, offering a fresh and accessible take on art appreciation.
Here are our top picks:
1. The Eye and The Tiger by OH! Open House
It’s no secret that the art walks and tours by OH! Open House are some of our favourite art events in Singapore. Its tours so far have taken us through the neighbourhoods of Joo Chiat, Kampong Gelam, Holland Village and Jalan Besar, just to name a few. Executive Director Alan Oei, Deputy Director Lim Su Pei, and their talented team have brilliantly tapped into one of Singaporeans’ greatest joys — the cheeky, kaypoh thrill of exploring others’ homes and businesses, all while indulging in captivating stories and unwinding with friends. Throw some art into the mix and you’ll have all the ingredients for a great day out.
This Singapore Art Week, the OH! team breathes new life into the storied black-and-white bungalows of Adam Road with its latest tour The Eye and The Tiger. Once the site of intense World War Two battles, these colonial bungalows now stand — ostensibly — as gentle reminders of a bygone era, with the sprawling residential properties housing (mostly) wealthy expat tenants. While the OH! team refused to be drawn into sharing ghost stories about the properties, we did manage to get some insight into one of the darker works that will be presented. Anthony Chin’s OKA9420 – Peach Blossom is an artwork that questions why Malaya and Singapore were chosen as the sites for the mass production of Uji bombs (also known as bubonic plague biological weapons) by Imperial Japan during the Japanese occupation.
Chin, who associates black-and-white bungalows with the “maximum extraction of natural resources (animate or inanimate) for the exclusive benefit of the colonial British Empire,” explains: “Uji bombs are filled with bubonic plague-infested fleas that had fed on contaminated rats.”
“The tropical climate of Malaya and Singapore, with its year-round high temperatures and humidity, offered consistently high yields for farming fleas. In other words, our local tropical weather was exploited as a natural resource and weaponised.”
With the OH! team’s signature flair, The Eye and The Tiger offers history, art, and a touch of intrigue. It’s not just a stroll through Adam Park’s colonial past — it’s an experience that will leave you sweating from both the tropical humidity and the intense historical interrogations at play.
Details: The Eye and the Tiger runs from 12–19 Jan 2025 at 7 Adam Park. Get tickets here.
2. The How to Damage Art series by BARC Labs
If you think art shows are just about admiring beautiful pieces, the team of art conservators at local studio BARC Labs is here to change your perspective. The maintenance and conservation of artworks often take a backseat amidst the excitement of a new purchase. However, in Singapore’s relentless humidity, neglecting proper care can quickly turn a prized piece into a regrettable mess. Through its activity booth located at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), which is totally free to access and filled with interactive hands-on games, BARC Labs will show you why art care and protection matters just as much as the art itself.
As BARC Founder and Principal Conservator Dr. Diana Tay tells us, “Conservation is often seen as reactive, but we aim to show that it begins long before damage occurs. Through our booth’s interactive activities, participants will learn how art can be damaged and, more importantly, how to prevent it — whether it’s preserving family heirlooms, art collections, or their own creations.”
Dr. Tay explains further: “Our booth is designed to engage everyone, from seasoned collectors to those simply curious about art. Established collectors will find value in learning about the nuances of preventive care for their collections, while emerging collectors can gain essential knowledge as they build their own. Artists, too, can discover insights into how conservation intersects with creative practices. Beyond these groups, we’re especially excited to reach the general public, showing that art — and its care — is approachable and relevant to all.”
Details: BARC Labs’ full suite of programmes, including the SAM activity booth as well as talks and open studio sessions, take place at the Tanjong Pagar Distripark on various days from 18–26 Jan 2025. Follow @barc.labs on Instagram and visit bio.site/barc.labs for updates and details.
3. FOOLS at Mr Lim’s Shop of Visual Treasures
There’s nothing quite like art that breaks free from the traditional confines of the white cube, and nothing more delightful in Singapore than its lively shopping streets filled with local gems and indie treats. The latter is perfectly embodied by Haji Lane in historic Kampong Gelam, while the former is delivered in spades this Singapore Art Week by the art gallery Mr Lim’s Shop of Visual Treasures.
The gallery’s annual show FOOLS features 35 artists. Here, you’ll see iconic names like Han Sai Por and Tang Da Wu presenting their work with younger emerging names, as this show brings together creators in a bold exploration of the thin line between foolishness and genius. From works that might seem pointless or childlike to ideas that challenge convention, the exhibition invites you to look closer, rethink what art can be, and champion the daring “fools” who first saw its potential.
As gallery owner Lim Chiao Woon rather dramatically tells us, “[There is a] shifting line between foolishness and genius — a line that art has danced across for centuries. From Van Gogh’s sunflowers to Catalan’s banana, all were foolish. Until they weren’t … An artist is a being. It’s not a job. You can stop being a lawyer after 5pm, but an artist — those I like anyway — can’t. It’s who they are. It’s not exactly a skill or an attitude. It’s a persistent and fierce spirit. It’s a common quality I find when hanging out with the big names.”
With his younger slate of artists, Lim looks for emerging practitioners that are “unique and quietly mad, with spirit in their work and in their struggles.”
Think you’re up to spotting the next Van Gogh? Mr Lim has thrown down the gauntlet — step into his exhibition and rise to the challenge.
Details: FOOLS runs at Mr Lim’s Shop of Visual Treasures (8 Haji Lane, #02-01, Singapore 189201, from 17–26 Jan 2025. Find out more at mrlimsshopofvisualtreasures.com.
4. The Pierre Lorinet Collection: Space by Art Outreach Singapore
From the cosiness of a corner seat in a cafe to the inspiring majesty of a concert hall, the ways we experience “space” constantly shape our lives. This concept thus makes a worthy theme for the third show from the collection of French-born collector and philanthropist Pierre Lorinet, following From Western Minimalism to Asian Political Abstraction (2023) and Rough (2024).
For the first time, the Lorinet exhibition occupies Factory, the warehouse space at the garment-factory-turned-lifestyle-hub New Bahru. Appropriately for its massive new setting, the show explores various interpretations of its theme — think physical, mental, and even outer space.
Built up over more than ten years, Lorinet’s personal collection focuses on sculptural and minimalist work, making Space a must-see for lovers of modern and contemporary art. Curated by art advisor Edward Mitterrand, it boasts never-before-seen works and a truly impressive roster of notable artists from around the world; art aficionados will recognise household names like Tracy Emin, Frank Stella, and Louise Bourgeois.
Exhibition highlights include Green Show Window (1965) by Christo, the environmental artist best known for the large-scale public installations created with his spouse Jeanne-Claude, and Gallery 4.1.1 by Liz Deschenes, who pushes the boundaries of photography by drawing attention to the chemical and physical processes of the medium itself.
Viewers can anticipate a truly splendid selection, in an immersive setting that complements the works as well as the show’s theme. Says Mitterrand: “I like that the environment participates in, or maybe enhances, the emotions brought [about] by the works. I feel it brings the visitor into a kind of augmented reality without any digital help.”
Details: The Pierre Lorinet Collection: Space takes place at Factory, New Bahru (58 Kim Yam Road, #01-00 from 10 Jan – 2 Feb 2025. Find out more here.
5. Singapore Glass Art Collective
Did you know that there are glass art practitioners in Singapore? Learn more about this time-honoured (but arguably underappreciated) art form through an exhibition and series of programmes by the Singapore Glass Art Collective (SGAC), a community of seven local glass artists.
This SAW, Elenora Koh Bee Liang, Felicia Yong Shiow Foong, Jolin Nai, Stephanie Kwok, Tan Sock Fong, Vee-J, and Woo Meng Fye will not only present their artworks, but also lead a slew of workshops, talks, and live demonstrations on topics including stained glass, lampworking, and glass carving. Visitors can also observe how glass offcuts can be repurposed in new projects to make the practice more budget- and planet-friendly.
What makes glass — which is, in Koh’s own words, an “unforgiving and expensive medium” — compelling to these artists? Koh explains that, to her, stained glass “has the unique ability to invoke a profound spiritual dimension.” Not only is it intrinsically tied to nature, shifting in appearance as light conditions change, but the difficult process of making it also helps instil discipline, patience, and resilience.
While SGAC members have received opportunities to show in places such as Bulgaria and Japan, Koh feels that the art form is undervalued locally. She hopes that the SAW programmes will help raise awareness in Singapore — where sunny skies year-round create an especially suitable environment for glass art — and encourage younger artists to pick up the art form, preserve its traditions, and take it towards the future.
Details: The Singapore Glass Art Collective exhibition takes place at 11 Upper Wilkie Road from 17–26 Jan 2025, with programmes on 18–19 and 24–26 Jan. Follow them on Instagram for more.
6. Phenomenology of Light and Rhythms of the Earth by Zen Teh and SueKi Yee
The slow creeping glow of sunrise, a cool quiet room at night — light and darkness are the conditions of our lives, but not ones to which we necessarily give much thought. One of three projects the Objectifs art space is presenting at SAW, Phenomenology of Light and Rhythms of the Earth is a collaboration between Singaporean artist and educator Zen Teh and the Malaysian-born, Berlin-based dancer choreographer SueKi Yee. The project emerges from Teh’s residency with the Berlin gallery Künstlerhaus Bethanien, where she embarked upon a study of light and darkness in European and Southeast Asian urban contexts.
For this show, the artists conducted a pre-exhibition workshop and walking tour of dark or dim sites in Singapore, collating reflections and photographs from the participants in a database. They then reinterpreted this data through various mediums such as coding and dance, creating for viewers a multisensory experience featuring light installation, soundscapes, and tactile elements. There will also be a performance by Yee at the exhibition opening on 15 January, and another performance, as well as an interactive movement workshop, during SAW.
For Teh and Yee, what seem like simple facts of physics actually relate to broader philosophical and political issues, from environmental change and urban development to memory and surveillance. Yee explains: “Being aware of light and darkness in our lives is important because they are elements that are ever-present in our lives, yet are seldom consciously perceived by us … Becoming aware enables us to decide how we want our lives and our world to be.”
Details: View Phenomenology of Light and Rhythms of the Earth at the Objectifs Lower Galleries (155 Middle Road) from 14 Jan – 2 Mar 2025, with public programmes on 18 Jan. Find out more here.
7. Singkarpor REMIXED by AikBeng Chia
We may live in Singapore, but do we actually take the time to look closely at our city? If your answer is no, maybe local photographer and artist AikBeng Chia’s rambunctious exhibition Singkarpor REMIXED can change that.
Over the past 15 years, Chia (also known as ABC) and his camera have gone everywhere from Little India to Sengkang, whimsically documenting blink-and-you-miss-it moments of urban life. Now, he’s transformed these images into large-scale photo collages and, together with independent curator John Tung, constructed an immersive installation at Art Outreach Singapore.
In Chia’s collages, anything is possible: a human-pigeon chimera alights upon the Cloud Forest dome at Gardens by the Bay, while a Star Wars stormtrooper stands at attention in a HDB corridor. Full of colourful characters, from a smoking opera performer to tattoo-sporting, graphic-tee-wearing seniors, the images rebut the frequent lament that Singapore’s a boring, cookie-cutter city whose denizens lack imagination. They might even puff you up with an eccentric sense of cultural pride!
Viewers are also encouraged to engage and take photographs with the installation, adding their own spin on Chia’s lovingly chaotic portrait of Singapore. In Chia’s words: “I hope audiences will explore the intricate details in each piece, reflect on their own experiences, and engage in conversations about how we connect with our city and its people.”
Details: Singkarpor REMIXED runs at Art Outreach Singapore (5 Lock Rd, #01-06 Gillman Barracks) from 11–26 Jan 2025. Learn more here.
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With over 130 events, Singapore Art Week runs from 17–26 January 2025. Find out more at artweek.sg.
Header image courtesy of AikBeng Chia.
