MEET THE STRAITS TIMES ARTISTS
Veteran Straits Times artists Lee Chee Chew and Miel Prudencio Rosales Jr, better known as "Miel", will be signing copies of their new notebooks, I'd Say! and Meow!, for fans. I'd Say! is illustrated with scenes from daily life in Singapore, such as MRT breakdowns and using tissue paper to "chope" seats at the hawker centre, while Meow! is filled with the antics of cats, dogs and mice.
WHERE: Times Bookstore, 02-19 Waterway Point, 83 Punggol Central MRT: Punggol WHEN: Tomorrow, 3 to 4pm ADMISSION: Free INFO: www.timesbookstores.com.sg/events
ART AFTER DARK
To close Singapore Art Week, art enclave Gillman Barracks is holding its signature after-dark party and launching new art trail Disini with site-specific sculptures, murals and performances. Among the exhibitions to look out for are Timoribus, a two-month-long solo exhibition by Indonesian multidisciplinary artist Melati Suryodarmo at ShanghART Singapore accompanied by her long durational performance piece Transaction Of Hollows; Perfect Stranger by local artist Dawn Ng, which uses paper sheets to transform Chan + Hori Contemporary's gallery into a soft, undulating sea of colour; and Singapore artist Charles Lim's Sea State 9: Proclamation (above), which looks at the relationship between sea and land in Singapore.
WHERE: Gillman Barracks, 9 Lock Road MRT: Labrador Park WHEN: Today, 7pm till late. Disini's launch party runs from 9pm to 6am; Disini runs till Sept 30 ADMISSION: Free; Disini's launch party is ticketed at $40, excluding booking fee from bit.ly/2F6dK54, $50 at the door INFO: gillmanbarracks.com
SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION
At the second edition of this international triennial competition, 32 young violinists from 11 countries will go toe to toe in nine live rounds for the grand prize of US$50,000 ($65,900), the chance to perform with orchestras around the world and access to a three-year instrument loan from the collection of the late Singaporean businessman Rin Kei Mei.
London-based Singaporean violinist Gabriel Ng (left), 23, is among those competing. It is the first time he has competed in Singapore since 2003. "It is very exciting to be able to play to a home crowd again," he says.
An exhibition of rare instruments from the Rin collection, which includes Stradivarius, Guarneri and Amati violins, will be on display at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. Violin virtuoso Shlomo Mintz, the competition's Distinguished Artist-In-Residence, will conduct the conservatory's orchestra at the final rounds, and also perform a solo recital of the sonatas of Eugene Ysaye on Jan 31.
WHERE: Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concert Hall, 3 Conservatory Drive; Victoria Concert Hall, 9 Empress Place; Esplanade Concert Hall, 1 Esplanade Drive MRT: Kent Ridge; City Hall, Raffles Place; City Hall, Esplanade WHEN: Sunday to Feb 8, various timings. ADMISSION: Free for first rounds, $9 for semi-finals, $14 for finals and $25 for grand final; $25 for Mintz's recital. Tickets from Sistic (call 6348-5555 or go to www.sistic.com.sg) INFO: www.singaporeviolin competition.com
ART STAGE SINGAPORE
The annual art fair returns. Its eighth edition shines the spotlight on Thai artists. Fans of Colombian artist Fernando Botero, known for his works featuring full-figured women and the bird sculpture outside Raffles Place MRT station, can look forward to an exhibition of his work for sale.
WHERE: Halls A to C, Level 1 Sands Expo & Convention Centre, 1 Bayfront Avenue MRT: Bayfront WHEN: Today, noon to 9pm; tomorrow, 11am to 7pm; Sunday, 11am to 6pm ADMISSION: $32 for one-day pass, $52 for three-day pass, from entertainment.marina baysands.com/ events/artstage0118 INFO: www.artstage.com