1. Order this experimental food art dish

F&B maestro SPRMRKT’s latest project, To Your Tart’s Desire, is an interesting one – both to the taste buds and imagination. Conceptualised by artists Divaagar and Sonia Kwek, To Your Tart’s Desire is billed as a “take-home, self-care experience like no other”. In a nutshell, it’s an audio-visual and edible experience that consists of a curation of aphrodisiacs (a decadent chocolate-chilli tart, an assortment of fresh fruits and a cocktail of your choice) accompanied by an audio guide that reportedly guides the audience towards re-seeing food in a new and sensual light (we’re imagining it as a gastronomical 50 Shades of Grey). Intrigued? Place an order ASAP for this limited treat before it disappears off the menu.

Ongoing

2. Support an independent local label

Local artisan label FIN Crafted Goods has carved out an unusual space for itself – they’re known for incorporating the Japanese art of boro (patchworking) to repair or makeover (by hand) existing clothes and accessories “with the aim of prolonging its use and reducing waste.” In other words, they’re early adopters of the upcycling and slow fashion movement and ruggedly stylish ones at that.

If you’re into Japanese-influenced aesthetics and sensibilities, pop by their store – they’re celebrating their eighth anniversary this weekend (no small feat for an independent label) and they’re inviting everyone to join the festivities. There’ll be art (a collaboration with local illustrator Alex Lim, inspired by the label’s cool clientele), food and great company. Just make sure to register before going down.

August 28- August 30, 10am-6pm; #03-03A 39A Jalan Pemimpin

3. Visit this art show

View this post on Instagram

In her series The Marriage, Malaysia-born artist Noreen Loh pays homage to flowers and her years as a florist, where she believes her artistic training began. The floral industry opened her up to a whole world of exquisite flowers and foliage that she never knew existed. Drawn to more avant-garde forms, she would disassemble and reassemble parts of different flowers together—juxtaposing textures of bitter gourd and tanacetum, replacing petals of sunflowers with petals of ginger, for instance—to create her own unique, eccentric species. Capturing the sublime tension in ‘marrying’ contrasting qualities—natural and artificial, real and imaginary—eventually became quintessential to her art-making. Through an exquisite series of fantastic flora, Noreen contrasts the firm and rigid synthetic laminate material with the soft, fragile forms of flowers and plants. Plantae II and Plantae VII reveal the artist’s painstaking mastery of her medium and craft, in which finely cut laminate transform into intricate scales on these oddly shaped creatures of nature. Mini Plantae IV and Mini Plantae IX more closely resemble flowers, made up of simpler shapes and the geometric patterns of petals. Mini Plantae IX’s perfectly zigzag branch and Mini Plantae IV’s silver-coated, metallic-like leaf and petals radiate a playful charm, as if straight out of a whimsical storybook. Though visibly composed of artificial and inorganic objects, the plants trigger a conversation on the wider—and wilder—world of nature; on creatures left undiscovered and unappreciated. While the marrying of natural forms and manmade materials provide captivating frictions, a deeper tension lies in the way each plant or flower is enclosed in these glass bell jars: emphasising their uniqueness, as if demanding to be cherished and protected. Artwork Details: 1. MINI PLANTAE X.XIV, 2015, Laminate, Natural Materials and Bell Jar. 2. PLANTAE II, 2015, Laminate, Natural Materials and Bell Jar. 3. MINI PLANTAE IX, 2015, Laminate, Natural Materials and Bell Jar. 4. MINI PLANTAE IV, 2015, Laminate, Natural Materials and Bell Jar.

A post shared by Gajah Gallery (@gajahgallery) on

Gajah Gallery puts on an annual show called New Now that spotlights young or up-and-coming artists. This year’s edition, titled The New Now IV: Tension/Creation, showcases works by Noreen Loh, Kass Koh, Luh Gede Gita Sangita Yasa and Koh Kai Ting. The show aims to explore how each artist grapples with trials and tribulations in their respective practices – a look into the unique pressures that young and emerging artists face.

Till Sept 6; #03-04 39 Keppel Road

4. Head down to The Substation

Legendary record store Straits Records is one of the longest running players in the indie music scene, having been established since 1995. After moving out of their long-time location over at Bali Lane, Straits Records is now back (temporarily) at The Substation for three months only, as part of The Substation’s new Front of House program, which aims to support small local businesses by having them operate pop-up stores out of the space’s box office. There’ll also be coffee available while you browse through vinyl gold. Sounds good, no?

Ongoing; 45 Armenian Street 

5. Catch this long overdue film

After more than two years of waiting, you’ll finally be able to catch The New Mutants in theatres this weekend. For the uninitiated, The New Mutants focuses on a sub-set of younger X-Men-in-training, and boasts a pretty starry ensemble cast including Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Anya Taylor-Joy, and Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things). Fans will know of the multiple delays (due to various factors, including Fox’s sale to Disney), so here’s hoping the wait was worth it.

P.S. Look out for one of the cast members in Female‘s upcoming Sept 2020 issue, which hits newsstands next week.

Main Photo To Your Tart’s Desire, Divaagar and Sonia Kwek/Courtesy of Divaagar