The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) may be well-known for its displays of historical artefacts but its latest exhibition, titled #SGFASHIONNOW, is an unusual departure from its usual fare.

For one, it’s the ACM’s debut exhibition focusing on contemporary Singapore fashion and two, the exhibition is the result of a multi-party partnership that sees the museum sharing curatorial direction with Lasalle College of the Arts and the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF).

“As an exhibition, #SGFASHIONNOW is a first for us in many ways. It is our first display of contemporary Singapore fashion, and in typical ACM fashion, we explore creative practice in Singapore within the context of Asia’s cultural heritage,” says Kennie Ting, director of ACM and the Peranakan Museum. “It is also the first time ever that the central task of curating an exhibition has been ceded by ACM curators – in this case to the students (from Lasalle), with ACM staff and Lasalle faculty providing mentorship.”

“I hope #SGFASHIONNOW encourages new ways of thinking about the question: ‘What is Singapore fashion?’from the perspective of Singapore’s essence as a multi-cultural, cosmopolitan port city.”

Intrigued? Head here for our interview with ACM’s Fashion and Textiles curator Jackie Yoong, who shared more on how the exhibition came together and why it shouldn’t be read as an end-all, be-all retrospective of Singapore’s fashion history.

Opens June 25 at 1 Empress Place

If you’re itching to get out of the house, Artspace at Helutrans could be a good option.

The independent art space is playing host to artworks by three influential women artists – Jane Lee (pictured here is her work Life Series – One Ocean #ii, 2020); Pinaree Sanpitak; and Shirazeh Houshiary – in a new show called In material, immaterial.

All three artists’ works look to nature and their surroundings for inspiration, seeking to reinforce the neglected connection people have always had with the land. Organised by STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, the show itself is the first part of a trio of online and physical viewing rooms titled Re_.

The other two rooms will take place next month, with the second (titled Close to Home) focusing on internationally acclaimed pioneers  (Heri Dono, Agus Suwage, Entang Wiharso, and Melati Suryodarmo) in the Indonesian contemporary art scene.

The final show (titled Neurotic Metropolis) gathers three Indian artists (Hema Upadhyay, Shambhavi Singh, Thukral and Tagra) whose works examine the complicated effects globalisation has had on their home country.

In material, immaterial is on now till June 30; Close to Home is on July 2 to July 14; Neurotic Metropolis is on July 16 to July 26 at 01-05 Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road

While we are not (yet) be able to freely travel, here’s the next best option: experience it through film.

Non-profit organisation Asian Film Archive has put together a compact festival of six works aptly titled Seasons in the Sun that’s meant to temporarily satiate our collective cabin fever. Head down to independent cinema Oldham Theatre to relax on an idyllic beach on the coasts of Japan (Megane, 2007), or take an awkward trip through the south of France (Before Summer Ends, 2017).

There’s also the quirky Tourism (2018, pictured), which sees Japanese friends Nina and Su picking Singapore as their destination after winning some lottery tickets because it’s “safe, like Disneyland”.

A series of unfortunate events sees Nina stumbling upon new experiences not included in your typical Expedia itinerary and definitely not “Instagrammable”. What happens when one deviates from the “Disneyland” routine? Get your ticket to find out.

Check out the full line-up here.

On now till July 10, various times

1 Canning Rise