Preview: The Substation’s Gathering Ground 2024 uses pop-ups to bring the arts to the community

Even without a permanent home, The Substation continues to produce and present initiatives that promote the arts, and platforms new talents. In its latest initiative, The Substation presents Gathering Ground, a fresh series of community pop-ups that invites the public to immerse themselves in the arts alongside them. Embodying their long-standing commitment to nurturing independent voices and fostering unexpected collaborations, Gathering Ground will comprise 3 … Continue reading Preview: The Substation’s Gathering Ground 2024 uses pop-ups to bring the arts to the community

Activating spaces, making places, and finding community at The Substation’s ‘Re-Connect/Centre/Converge: The Arts Festival’

It’s not every day you end up spending your birthday in a carpark, but that’s exactly what Singapore’s first contemporary arts centre did, as The Substation celebrated its 33rd anniversary last Saturday on the 8th floor carpark of Parklane Shopping Mall. This wasn’t just a random celebration with cake and drinks however, and very intentionally coincided with a milestone event – opening night of The … Continue reading Activating spaces, making places, and finding community at The Substation’s ‘Re-Connect/Centre/Converge: The Arts Festival’

The Substation’s ‘Re-Connect/Centre/Converge: The Arts Festival’ opens this weekend

The Substation, Singapore’s pioneering independent arts centre, will launch Re-connect/Centre/Converge: The Arts Festival on the 16th September 2023 at 6:30pm at Lvl 8 Parklane Shopping Centre Led by Festival Director John Tung, The Arts Festival features 15 Singapore artists presenting an array of artworks and programmes, and reflects on the circumstances of arts presentation, place-making, and fostering community between artists and audiences. As John Tung … Continue reading The Substation’s ‘Re-Connect/Centre/Converge: The Arts Festival’ opens this weekend

An Interview with John Tung, Festival Director of The Substation’s ‘Re-Connect/Centre/Converge: The Arts Festival’

The Substation may have faced a tumultuous few years, with the venue itself losing its space, but with last year’s successful return of their beloved SeptFest, the organisation looks to be coming back stronger than ever, with a new direction and new branding, with the announcement of independent curator and exhibition-maker John Tung as their brand new Festival Director. Taking place in September 2023, John … Continue reading An Interview with John Tung, Festival Director of The Substation’s ‘Re-Connect/Centre/Converge: The Arts Festival’

★★★★★ Review: The Death of Singapore Theatre as Scripted By the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore by Alfian Sa’at

Confronting the toxic relationship between state and artist. In the past, Alfian Sa’at was known as Singapore’s enfant terrible, one of only a few who dared to bring up hard truths and criticism of society, often directed at the authorities. But as time went by, with the proliferation of social media giving almost everyone a voice, and years of raging against the machine, Alfian’s work … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: The Death of Singapore Theatre as Scripted By the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore by Alfian Sa’at

Review: Declutter Me! by Grace Kalaiselvi

Letting go and moving on, one object at a time. According to Japanese decluttering consultant Marie Kondo, the key question one must first ask before deciding to keep or toss a physical object is “Does it spark joy?” But often, that is a query that leads to even further doubts – how do we know if it sparks joy or not? That is the question … Continue reading Review: Declutter Me! by Grace Kalaiselvi

uproot | rootless: An Interview with The Substation Artistic Director Ezzam Rahman, and artists of SeptFest 2022

There was a time when arts venue The Substation had a massive Malayan Banyan Tree growing along the walls of Timbre. Considered an iconic part of The Substation, the tree had been there even before the founding of the venue in 1990, and became the site for countless events, gigs and performances, representing the ongoing connection between art and nature. But come 2015, the Banyan … Continue reading uproot | rootless: An Interview with The Substation Artistic Director Ezzam Rahman, and artists of SeptFest 2022

Preview: The Substation, in collaboration with Visual Arts Centre, presents REDACTION

The Substation presents, in collaboration with Visual Arts Centre, a group exhibition on abstraction. REDACTION showcases works of abstract art that investigate and interrogate various conceptions and modes of abstraction. The exhibition’s thematic concerns relate to the restriction of access and loss of transparency in the acts of creation and construction, as well as issues of legibility and obscurity in relation to the recollection and … Continue reading Preview: The Substation, in collaboration with Visual Arts Centre, presents REDACTION

Preview: you are obviously in the right place – An Artist’s Journey at The Substation

The Substation has announced their first artist walk of the year – you are obviously in the right place – An Artist’s Journey, happening weekly from 25th March 2022 to 17th April 2022. The guided walk is an intimate experience with a small group of audience, where the artist gets to share their art practice and how this city inspires them as art makers for … Continue reading Preview: you are obviously in the right place – An Artist’s Journey at The Substation

Preview: SeptFest 2021 – Alternative Voices by The Substation

After saving themselves from permanent closure back in July, local arts venue The Substation is celebrating their 31st anniversary in the scene with a brand new edition of their signature arts festival SeptFest. A fully digital programme running from 16th September to 24th October 2021 online, this edition’s theme centres on Alternative Voice(s), platforming artists both veteran and young as they showcase their unique points … Continue reading Preview: SeptFest 2021 – Alternative Voices by The Substation