Art exhibitors have kicked into gear for the Formula One (F1) season here.
The Singapore Grand Prix will be held from Friday to Sunday.
From Thursday to Sunday, more than 50 photographs of Italy's Motor Valley - the Emilia Romagna region lined by factories of famous supercar brands Lamborghini, Maserati and Ferrari - will be on display at The Arts House.
The exhibition is helmed by the Dino Zoli Foundation, part of DZ Engineering, which is in charge of the race track lighting and race communications systems of the Singapore Grand Prix. The project is supported by the Italian Cultural Institute and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore.
Sponsors flew Singaporean photographers Wilfred Lim and Mindy Tan to the Motor Valley to capture shots of the region where major car and motorcycle brands are celebrated and their vehicles manufactured.
Mr Roberto Grilli, general manager of DZ Engineering, says the exhibition celebrates the Motor Valley and the 10th anniversary of the F1 night race here. "The Motor Valley is one of the most important cradles of motor sport. We belong to the same region, where the passion for speed is the most important driver of our business."
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BOOK IT / MANOLO VALDES IN SINGAPORE
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WHERE: Opera Gallery, 02-16 Ion Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn & along Orchard Road
WHEN: Indoor exhibition: Friday to Oct 15, 11am to 8pm (weekdays), 10am to 8pm (weekends). Outdoor exhibition: Thursday to Oct 15
ADMISSION: Free
INFO: www.operagallery.com
THE ARTLING POP-UP
WHERE: Artspace@Helutrans, 01-05, 39 Keppel Road
WHEN: Till Sunday, noon to 6pm (weekdays), 11am to 5pm (weekends)
ADMISSION: Free
INFO: www.theartling.com
MOTOR VALLEY, A TALE. AN ITALIAN PROJECT
WHERE: The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane
WHEN: Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 10pm
ADMISSION: Free
The local branch of French chain Opera Gallery also kicks into higher gear during the Singapore Grand Prix. Mr Stephane Le Pelletier, the Asia-Pacific director at Opera Gallery, says the branch here has held an annual showcase of works by master artists such as Salvador Dali since 2002. In 2008, the timing was shifted to September to coincide with the night race.
"The F1 season in Singapore always attracts people from all over the world to the country. Having the exhibition during the F1 season allows us to present the best modern and contemporary art not only to Singaporeans, but also to a global audience," he says.
This year, the focus is on Spanish artist Manolo Valdes, whose sculptures are priced in the high sixfigure range and above. The Singapore Tourism Board is supporting an outdoor exhibition of nine of his giant humanoid creations, which will line Orchard Road from Thursday to Oct 15. An indoor exhibition of Valdes' works opens at the gallery's space in Ion Orchard on Friday and runsuntil Oct 15.
Another art dealer hoping to cash in on the race buzz is online art store The Artling, which represents various galleries around the world.
It has set up a pop-up exhibition at Artspace@Helutrans in Tanjong Pagar Distripark. The exhibition runs until Sunday and features more than 80 works by artists under the age of 40, from established galleries such as Gajah Gallery, Chan + Hori Contemporary and STPI.
The Artling set up shop in 2014 and has held two pop-up exhibitions, in February 2015 and June last year, in office spaces in Amoy Street. Gallery manager Kim Tay says the timing was influenced by the availability of space. In previous pop- ups, the location in the Central Business District was key to driving up footfall. This year, she hopes the pop-up in a bustling warehouse area will attract visitors who fly in for the race.
She will not disclose numbers, but says pop-ups help generate traffic to The Artling website, some of which lead to sales. "It is a good platform for The Artling to reach out to a wider audience and get more people to familiarise themselves with what we do," she says.