OH! Kampong Gelam
OH! Open House marks its 10th anniversary with a revival of its popular Art Walk series, the last of which was held in 2018.
OH! has come a long way since executive director Alan Oei curated the first iteration in 2009. The 2024 theme of Palimpsest ties in with the deep and forgotten histories of the Kampong Gelam district.
As Oei says in a recent media preview, the map of the Kampong Gelam neighbourhood has been erased and redrawn multiple times over the centuries, and the 12 artists who have created works for this edition engage with “how these bureaucratic intrusions have shaped this neighbourhood”.
Hence works like Isabella Ong’s series of “algorithmic drawings” of the gelam tree that gives the district its name. She has foraged materials from the tree which, ironically, has mostly disappeared from Kampong Gelam, where non-native palms line Bussorah Street.
From these materials, Ong has made paper and ink for her prints, which hang in Wardah Books.
The bookshop’s window also features a potted gelam tree, which has medicinal uses and is a traditional boat-building material.
Wardah Books is an apt host for this work as the bookshop is a testament to the area’s rich history as an intellectual hub for the Malay-Muslim community, something almost forgotten in today’s tourism board-approved, hipster, Instagram-friendly iteration of Kampong Glam.
Another must see is Jane Lee’s site-specific installation Ma, in MX’s Studio.
The artist, famed for layering paint in textured works, has excavated instead for this piece. Taking inspiration from a tree growing out of the shophouse, she has dug a rectangular window into a wall. Lit in orange, the warmly inviting rectangle suggests a burning heart buried beneath the cold concrete of contemporary Kampong Gelam.
Watch out, too, for Ezzam Rahman’s keropok explosion installation in popular heritage eatery Sabar Menanti and Thai artist Ruangsak Anuwatwimon’s weretiger-themed sculpture at Sifr Aromatics, which draws connections between Thailand and Singapore via the classic Tiger Balm remedy.
The walk concludes with a performance piece by nor, a multidisciplinary artist who was part of OH!’s inaugural associate artist programme in 2022/23. The interactive work takes place at Jalan Kubor, in the open field next to the historic cemetery which contains royal Malay tombs.
It is a meditative way to end the tour, absorbing the smells and sounds of a historic district, and sparks questions about how much Singaporeans really know and understand about this little red dot.
Where: Various locations in Kampong Gelam
MRT: Bugis
When: March 30 to May 12, closed on April 13 and 14 for Hari Raya
Admission: $35 from Klook (str.sg/bVaN)
Info: ohopenhouse.org/OH-Kampong-Gelam
Drama Mama
Trust the performing arts community to strike photogenic poses.
This aptly named exhibition features photography by veteran arts photographer Tan Ngiap Heng. More than 80 profile shots in black and white line the tunnel connecting Funan mall with Capitol Singapore, and they are vividly engaging snapshots of familiar faces from theatre as well as the dance and music scenes.
The images were snapped by Tan during what he calls “shooting parties” at his studio, where artists were invited to a party and posed only after they relaxed.
The resulting portraits run the gamut from the thoughtful – cellist Leslie Low leans on his cello and looks directly, a tad melancholically, at the camera – to the mischievous – actress Jalyn Shese sports multiple spectacles stacked on her head and around her neck.
There is a lovely portrait of the late dancer-choreographer Santha Bhaskar, her hand raised eloquently, elegantly in a speaking gesture. Co-founder of Singapore Ballet Goh Soo Khim displays a ballerina’s trained grace, gnarled bare feet posed perfectly and dress billowing in mid-twirl.
A smaller selection of fine art print versions of the same portraits lines the lobby of Wild Rice’s Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre on the fourth floor.
These intimate profiles are a beautiful introduction to some of Singapore’s best performers.
Where: B2 underground pedestrian link and Wild Rice Theatre Foyer, Level 4, Funan, 107 North Bridge Road
MRT: City Hall
When: Till April 7, 10am to 10pm daily
Admission: Free
Info: str.sg/JGUMo
National Collection x Museum Martket capsule collection
As an avid museumgoer, I have often lamented the limited museum merchandise at Singapore institutions compared with the creative product ranges in overseas venues such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and London’s Victoria & Albert.
The range has slowly been expanding, with home-grown brands such as Banyan Tree and Supermama making some pretty things over the years, but the expansion has been painfully slow.
The newest member of this shortlist is Abry, which got off to a good start at the National Gallery Singapore in 2022 with some nice merchandise, including beautiful tiffins emblazoned with works by Singapore painters Georgette Chen and Chua Mia Tee.
The company has now produced a new capsule collection based on fabrics in the National Collection, available at its outlet at the gallery and online.
My favourite pick is the oversized shopper ($79.90), measuring 62cm by 35cm, which comes in three variations inspired by a sari, a batik fabric and a sarong. The sturdy bag is perfect for hauling around bulky drycleaning and groceries or gym gear and picnic supplies.
There is also a series of three tea towels ($38.90 each) and a set of eight red packets ($59.90) which come packaged in an elegant oversized envelope. New items such as rectangle trays and coasters will be added to the range in April.
Where: The Gallery Store by Abry, 1 St Andrew’s Road
MRT: City Hall
When: 10am to 7pm daily
Admission: Free
Info: str.sg/ufWQ
Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we said the capsule collection is National Heritage Board x Museum Martket. It should be National Collection x Museum Martket. This has been corrected.
