This week, catch the Oscar frontrunner film Nomadland over at The Projector, while Cuturi Gallery will be putting on four new shows by young, rising Singapore artists, all of whom are names to keep an eye on. Meanwhile, those who have a love for all things print should check out STPI’s annual open house at the Robertson Quay institution, where there’ll be plenty of workshops on various print and papermaking crafts.
STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery is hosting its annual open house titled Font Memories this weekend and there’s plenty to check out: there’ll be 12 talks and in-depth classes and workshops catered to folks of every stripe. The event is also a rare chance to check out the institution’s internal workings as it only opens up its famed in-house paper mill once a year to the public.
There’ll be workshops and demonstrations on various print and papermaking crafts, such as lino-cutting, book-binding, dip-dyeing and screen-printing. Those interested in the art of lithography (a printmaking process in which a design is drawn onto a flat stone or prepared metal plate and affixed by means of a chemical reaction) should also register for a free talk on the subject by Brian Garner, head of workshop and projects at STPI. Register here.
March 20 to March 21 at the STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, 41 Robertson Quay, from 11am–5pm
Cuturi Gallery is keeping up its blistering pace of exhibitions. This week sees its most ambitious project to date: the simultaneous opening of four solo exhibitions by Singaporean artists Faris Heizer (pictured), Marla Bendini, Vanessa Liem and Mujahid Jalil.
The three rooms on the ground floor will be dedicated to showcasing Another Round by Heizer, I Cried Bizarre by Liem and What a Pig! by Mujahid – all of whom are emerging artists to keep an eye on. This outing also marks Liem and Mujahid’s debut solo exhibitions, while it will be the second solo show for rising star Heizer.
When you’re done checking out their striking works, head upstairs to visit Bendini’s studio, where she’s putting on Fairy Conclave, a new series of oil paintings that offer an alternative take on popular objects and figures from fables and folklore, allowing viewers to re-examine their perspectives regarding the mutability of one’s body and identity.
The opening weekend will see all artists present in person to take your questions, which will make your visit there a bigger treat.
March 20 to April 4 at Cuturi Gallery, 61 Aliwal Street
Pictured: Bar Fight, 154 x 244 cm , oil on linen, 2021, Faris Heizer
We’re right in the midst of awards season and with the release of Oscars nominations this week, those who have been waiting for Chloe Zhao’s quiet burner Nomadland (pictured) have reason to cheer as the film will be opening this week in Singapore. The film picked up the Best Picture and Best Director awards at the recent Golden Globes and is a frontrunner for the upcoming Oscars.
It stars Frances McDormand in an impeccable performance as Fern, a 60-something widow who’s constantly drifting throughout small-town America as her own hometown of Empire, Nevada becomes a ghost town with the closure of the local gypsum mine (thanks to the global recession of ’08).
Here’s what The Projector’s film programmer Walter Navarro had to say about the film: “Frances McDormand doing laundry, Frances McDormand shovelling snow, Frances McDormand pooping in a bucket, Frances McDormand walking around the desert being an absolute badass, and effortlessly delivering another Oscar-winning performance while looking like she’s not even trying. Nomadland is the film equivalent of a warm blanket or an extra tight hug.”
He added: “A quiet homage to the outcasts and the people on the fringes that dare to live a life where personal freedom and independence are more valuable than a mortgage or a sports car – even when it comes at a hefty cost. A deceivingly simple film full of tenderness and empathy. Give director Chloe Zhao all the awards, although she probably doesn’t have space for them in her campervan.”
Nomadland opens March 18 at The Projector, #05-00 Golden Mile Tower. Get your tickets here