I’m feeling so refreshed after my trip back to Singapore! I have to say, everything in Singapore looks technicolored while Hong Kong just looks… gray.

I got to see the Artist and Empire: (En)countering Colonial Legacies at National Gallery Singapore and Journey to Infinity: Escher’s World of Wonder at ArtScience Museum, and they are both great exhibitions to see! So excited to see how Singapore is growing its arts and culture scene. I’m going to have miss the January lineup in Singapore, but I’m back in Hong Kong to view other exhibitions!

SINGAPORE

Singapore’s busiest art month would be January, with two art fairs Art Stage Singapore 2017 (12 – 15 Jan) and Singapore Contemporary (19 – 22 Jan) and a slew of events, talks, and exhibitions making up Singapore Art Week (11 – 22 Jan).

The ongoing Journey to Infinity: Escher’s World of Wonder at ArtScience Museum (which I’ll be sharing about later) and Singapore Biennale 2016: An Atlas of Mirrors at Singapore Art Museum are also included in Singapore Art Week. I very highly recommend Journey to Infinity – a very comprehensive show of Escher’s works. I was waffling over whether or not to go to Singapore Biennale but I decided to pass on it this time.

A few more events part of Singapore Art Week that I wanted to highlight:

• Welcome to Birdhead World Again – Singapore 2016

Birdhead (鸟头) is a Chinese photographer duo and I’ve found their works to be pretty interesting. They are involved in ShanghART’s Southeast Asia residency program and traveled across various countries in SEA and are now exhibiting their photographs taken during their travels in Singapore.

9 December 2016 – 26 February 2017, ShanghART Singapore, 9 Lock Road, #02-22 Gillman Barracks, more info here.

• Public Art at Parkview Square

More public art in Singapore! This exhibition of public art includes a Botero sculpture as well as selected works from the exhibition On Sharks and Humanity organized by Parkview Arts Action which is dedicated to building environmental awareness through art (interesting!). On Sharks and Humanity is said to be forthcoming in Parkview Group’s upcoming private museum in Singapore.

Also, I did not know that Parkview Square was designed in the style of Art Deco! Honestly, I have never stopped by long enough to even look at it properly. I have a thing for Art Deco, so I should probably stop by and take a good look at the building next time.

11 – 31 January 2017, Parkview Square, 600 North Bridge Rd, Singapore, more info here.

• Glass Rotunda: Story of the Forest and Singapore, Very Old Tree

A digital art installation and photography installation that explores Singapore’s history at National Museum of Singapore, Singapore’s history museum. My sister visited the museum and said Story of the Forest was really impressive!

10 December 2016 – 22 January 2017, National Museum of Singapore, 93 Stamford Road, more info here.

HONG KONG

• The World of Tim Burton

I was so so excited to hear that this exhibition was coming to Hong Kong, but my excitement totally deflated when I realized that tickets were going at HKD$180 (student tickets: $144)!!! That is way too much for me, especially when I’m used to going to most exhibitions in Hong Kong for free. For hardcore Tim Burton fans, this would be an amazing exhibition to see.

Note: Photography and video taking are not allowed in this exhibition (why…!!).

5 November 2016 – 23 January 2017, ArtisTree, 1/F Cornwall House, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong, more info here.

• Ceremony and Celebration – The Grand Weddings of the Qing Emperors

I’m really interested to see this one! It would be fun to immerse in some Chinese traditional culture by looking at this collection of Qing wedding artifacts. Interestingly, in the long history of the Qing dynasty, only four emperors married an empress during their reign and had wedding ceremonies held in the Forbidden Palace. Also, this exhibition has a much more reasonable admission price.

30 November 2016 – 27 February 2017, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 1/F Thematic Galleries 1, 2, 5 & Function Place, 1 Man Lam Rd, Sha Tin, more info here.

• Lost Treasures of the Shiqu Baoji in Hong Kong

A fitting accompanying exhibition to Ceremony and Celebration featuring Chinese paintings and calligraphy works of the Shiqu Baoji (石渠寶笈), an imperial collection of Chinese artworks during the Qianlong period. The exhibits belong to the Xubaizhai collection of Hong Kong Museum of Art, which is now closed for renovation until 2018. I finally get to see a bit of Hong Kong Museum of Art’s Chinese art collection!

30 November 2016 – 20 March 2017, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 1/F Chao Shao-an Gallery, 1 Man Lam Rd, Sha Tin, more info here.