“Are you experienced?” asked Jimi Hendrix.
Indeed I am, Mr. Hendrix. Although his phrase only refers to his music, it applies to feeling the vibe of an artwork. From the texture of paint to the life-likeness of a sculpture, you cannot turn yourself away from an object that’s begging you for completely undivided attention. As an art history major, I can tell you for sure that each object you are seeing (whether it be at an art gallery to a museum) has its own perspective of being seen on stage. Hence, it explains why one of Singapore’s own version of Art Basel is called “Art Stage” (get it?).
Annually, Art Stage opens a 4-day show from Thursday to Sunday every late January. But on the first day, it’s only open to VIP members of Chubb, an insurance company that sponsors the exhibit. Not to forget, they get an exclusive showing of all the artwork before it’s open to public – for free. (FYI, I just had to join my mom just to see this show!) Since it’s the first month of the new year, what’s better than being able to treat yourself to an art show?
Given that it’s running for three days, you can pop in there for two hours as the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center isn’t terribly big compared to other expo sites (e.g. Milan Food Expo). If you feel that brushing past a plethora of people at Art Stage is intimidating, don’t let yourself down. In fact, there is more that meets the eye.
When you first enter Art Stage, you can start out in any direction; however, I highly recommend that you start out at the center as it’s easy to walk around anywhere. While there are galleries from Tel Aviv to Seoul running the show with so many contemporary pieces, here are some hidden gems to look out for:
Lapis and Layers 