Much ink has already been spilled on how The Substation will be closing its doors for good this July. It’s a poignant moment for many in the local arts and creative scene; The Substation has been one of the most fundamental and nurturing players here since the independent arts centre was founded more than 30 years ago.

They’re putting on one last hurrah with SeptFest: In The Margins, their yearly arts festival designed to commemorate The Substation’s founding. The SeptFest has been on hiatus for the past six years but it’ll be returning from March 4 to March 28 to feature works by 35 artists across four weeks.

This year’s edition is curated to spotlight issues that are typically minimised or ignored by mainstream media. Among them include how the pandemic revealed discriminatory and xenophobic sentiments against migrant workers. For this, a group of migrant workers, alongside writer Alfian Sa’at, curator Zulkhairi Zulkiflee and anthropologist Vithya Subramaniam, have been invited to contribute artefacts towards the Migrant Workers Community Museum.

Explore the full offering of programs here.

The Substation, 45 Armenian Street

Art and design fans should make a beeline down to NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore at Gillman Barracks and T:>Works at Robertson Quay this weekend, where the popular Singapore Art Book Fair will be staged this year. An independent affair that celebrates contemporary art books and zines , you can expect to find a colourful gamut of works for sale that touch on every possible subject imaginable.

For example, there’s a zine room curated by Queer ZinefestSG that features works by voices from the LGBTQIA+ community. Those who prefer things hyper-feminine should check out the fashion and art collection A Stubborn Bloom’s booth (at Gillman Barracks), where the duo behind it will be showcasing an anthology of feminine objects and femininity, inspired by the dictionary chart of the alphabet.

While registration is now closed, the organisers say walk-ins are accepted only on a first-come-first-served basis and not guaranteed, due to crowd control safety measures.

For more information, tune in to their Instagram page.

March 5 to March 7 at the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore, Malan Rd, Gillman Barracks, Block 43 and T:>Works, 72 Mohamed Sultan Rd

Rising Malaysian artist Justin Lim will be presenting his solo exhibition here with gallery Richard Koh Fine Art. Titled Sanctuary, Lim presents strange scenarios (such as a giant maneki-neko) juxtaposed with everyday scenes. Known for his vivid use of colours, Lim has placed human figures, painted from his personal photographs of friends and acquaintances, in imaginary landscapes created using cut-and-paste techniques. If it feels a tad surreal, the pieces in the Sanctuary series were created as a response to being trapped during the pandemic – a sentiment shared by most people, to be sure.

On now till March 20 at Richard Koh Fine Art, Blk 47 Malan Rd, #01-26 Gillman Barracks