Hop on bus 175 to experience art differently at this year's Singapore Art Week
There has been a change in the way we interact with art in recent times, and the ninth edition of Singapore Art Week shows exactly that. If you haven't already seen the signs around the city-state informing you about its kick-off from January 22 to January 30, this year's anchor visual arts festival takes on a slightly different format with both physical and digital offerings for audiences to enjoy—a nod to embracing change in the past unprecedented year and the possibilities of how technology can further our encounters with all things art-related.
(Related: Singapore Art Week 2021: 5 Digital Highlights)
For the uninitiated, there has been a long-standing discussion about how art can exist beyond the white cube gallery space and blend into the public sphere for it to be accessible to all. In Singapore, the Public Art Trust, an initiative by the National Arts Council, has been a great pillar of support in championing that cause since 2014. It mainly commissions Singapore-based and international artists to create public artworks for selected sites in Singapore and gives them a greater opportunity and public platform to showcase their craft. Most recently, the push for digitalisation has resulted in more possibilities with augmented reality and virtual reality, where alternate worlds and universes can be built from scratch to enhance the audience's experience with art.
For Singapore Art Week 2021, the folks behind innovative public art exhibition Bus.Stop.Art. share a similar perspective for art to exist beyond the white cube. Co-curated by Amelia Abdullahsani and Merryn Trevethan, art lovers can hop on the east-west route of bus 175 to witness artworks by 10 Singapore-based artists. The journey spans from Geylang Bahru to Gillman Barracks, where they can continue their experience at the arts cluster after. Here, we speak to Amelia Abdullahsani on the exhibition she co-curated and thoughts on public art:
(Related: Singapore Ceramics Now 2021: Don't Miss These 5 Contemporary Works)