How do you represent an intangible concept like time? That is the question at the heart of a new exhibition, A Year Made Object. The project was conceptualised las year by curator Yvonne Tham, who was experiencing a sense of disorientation, due to the isolation brought on by the pandemic.

Tham reached out to 18 Singapore-based artists and designers to create objects that would act as “time capsules” to mark the year that has passed. Many of these creative talents are known to be singular artisans in their respective disciplines, such as woodworker Kim Choy of Shibui Furniture Collective, ceramic artist Daisy Toh and rattan specialist Ng Si Ying. The beautiful results of their efforts will be unveiled this month at Objectifs, alongside a limited-edition art book that captures the entire effort by designer Jerry Goh and photographer Jovian Lim.

Dec 2 to Dec 18 at Objectifs, 155 Middle Road

Photography has historically been shunned by the fine arts world but today’s most accessible of mediums is finally getting its due with National Gallery Singapore’s year-end special exhibition – Living Pictures: Photography in Southeast Asia. The show focuses on highlighting photography’s role in shaping Southeast Asia’s historical narratives and worldviews and will present over 300 works from the mid-19th century until the present, captured by photographers from across the region.

The show is presented in a chronological format, so it starts with images with a heavy Euro-centric bent– think images of Southeast Asian culture captured by European photographers for their home audiences. As time goes on and cameras became more accessible worldwide, photographic production shifted to studios run by Southeast Asian, Chinese, Japanese, South Asian and other photographers, marking an important shift toward natives taking more agency over the creation and distribution of images.

It’s not all historical content; the exhibition also presents the works of contemporary practitioners, as shown here with this image by Thai artist Miti Ruangkritya, whose practice is known to satirise the unknown whereabouts of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Dec 2 to Aug 20, 2023 at National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Road

Street culture’s tentpole event is back after taking a hiatus last year – we’re talking about Culture Cartel of course. The convention has always been a highlight on the calendar for its sprawling showcase of street culture’s various facets – think tattooing, toys, music, sneakers, streetwear and NFTs. Nearly 200 local and international brands, creatives, designers and personalities are congregating to showcase their latest works, as well as live DJ sets by some of the coolest names in the party scene at the moment.

If you’re a K-pop stan, you can’t miss out on the set of Korean pop punk songwriter and producer Loren (pictured on the right) which takes place on Dec 2 (7:30 pm-10pm at *Scape Ground Theatre. Regarded as one of the country’s fastest-rising stars, he’s known for being a regular collaborator with Blackpink, having contributed lyrics to their debut album The Album. Loren, alongside virtual influencer Rae, will be performing his hit singles ‘All My Friends Are Turning Blue’ and ‘NEED (ooo-eee)’, as well as five other unreleased tracks at Culture Cartel – his first show outside of Seoul.

Get your tickets to Culture Cartel here.

Dec 1 to Dec 4 at *Scape Singapore, 2 Orchard Link