Arts guide: May 10 to 18

NO COUNTRY. Guggenheim UBS MAP’s much-awaited exhibition of contemporary art from South and South-east Asia, which was curated by Singaporean June Yap, is in Singapore. The show features 16 artists and collectives from all around the region including our very own Tang Da Wu. May 10 to July 20, noon to 7pm, Centre For Contemporary Art, Gillman Barracks, 43 Malan Road. Free admission. Closed on Mondays and public holidays.

PALIMPSEST. Recent Singapore Biennale artist Phi Phi Oanh from Vietnam presents a series of projected lacquer “skins” in this show. May 10 to June 29, 11am to 7pm, FOST Gallery, Gillman Barracks, 1 Lock Road, #01-02. Free admission. Closed on Mondays and public holidays.

MODE CHANGE. Singaporean artist Jeremy Sharma’s latest solo show features two series of works in dialogue with each other: One of gray paintings and another of foam works from his Terra Sensa series. May 10 to June 13, noon to 7pm, Michael Janssen Gallery, Gillman Barracks, 9 Lock Road, #02-21. Free admission. Closed on Mondays and public holidays.

SENANG. Drama Box presents a play by Jean Tay about Pulau Senang in the `60s where prison inmates set about transforming the island into a jail without bars—until things go horribly wrong and a riot took place. Directed by Kok Heng Leun. May 15 to 25, 8pm, SOTA Studio Theatre. With 2.30pm weekend matinees. Tickets at S$45 from SISTIC. In English, Chinese, Hokkien and Cantonese with English and Chinese subtitles.

LIKE! MUSICAL — A FUNDRAISER. Toy Factory Productions’ inaugural fundraising dinner concert-cum-talk show that celebrates the company’s foray into musicals since 1990, with performances by Constance Song, Karen Tan, Judee Tan, and others. May 16, 7.15, Singapore Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom. In English and Mandarin. Priced at S$400 for a single seat or S$4,000 for a table for ten.

LAUT LEBIH INDAH DARI BULAN. Malaysia’s Rumah Anak Teater presents The Charming Ocean & The Poor Moon under The Esplanade’s Pentas. It’s a trilogy of plays by Nam Ron that explores themes of desire and addiction, starring Malaysian top performers Sofia Jane, Sharifah Amani, Vanidah Imran and Benjy. May 16 and 17, 8pm, Esplanade Theatre Studio. With a 3pm Saturday matinee. In Malay with English surtitles. Tickets at S$35 from SISTIC.

VASANTHAM LIVE @ ESPLANADE — ORU ISAI PAYANAM. Special performances of evergreen songs and latest hits from India’s film industry. Supported by an orchestra, performers include veteran singers and today’s young and budding ones. May 18, 7pm, Esplanade Concert Hall. Tickets at S$20 from SISTIC.

THE LOGIC OF FAILURE. Co-organised by NTU’s School of Art, Design and Media, this exhibition presents the two winners of the Kwek Leng Joo Prize for Excellence in Still Photography 2013: Sarah Choo and Jonathan Tan. Both artists reflect on the idea of The Spectacle. May 12 to 25, noon to 7pm, 2902 Gallery, 222 Queen Street. Free admission.

THE GREAT SINGAPORE DEBATE: AN ADVOCATE IS AS USEFUL AS AN AVOCADO. A debate on whether advocacy is as important as nutrient-rich avocado. Personalities include, among others, The Teenage Textbook’s Adrian Tan, film-maker Colin Goh, critic and poet Gwee Li Sui, Checkpoint Theatre’s Huzir Sulaiman, and Dim Sum Dolly Pam Oei. May 18, 4pm to 5.30pm, The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane. Tickets at S$20 and S$50 from https://www.eventbrite.sg. JUNK ANTHROPOLOGIES. In this solo show by Bali-based American artist Ashley Bickerton, he restablishes himself as a master painter in the grand tradition, presenting large paintings of vignettes from a tropical apocalypse of sorts. Until May 25 at Gajah Gallery, #01-08, Old Hill Street Police Station, 140 Hill Street. Free admission.

FERMENTED IN INDONESIA. A group show featuring the works of Heri Dono, Nasirun, Entang Wiharso, Angki Purbandono, Indieguerillas and more. Until June 22, 11am to 7pm, Mizuma Gallery, Gillman Barracks, 22 Lock Road, #01-34. Free admission. Closed on Mondays and public holidays.

99%. Filipino artist Gary-Ross Pastrana’s first solo show in Singapore. The central element is the artist’s old automobile—which will be “subjected to a series of physical transformations and in the process entering the varied realms of contemporary art, industrial recycling and fine jewellery making”. Until July 15, noon to 7pm, Silverlens, Gillman Barracks, 47 Malan Road, #01-25. Free admission. Closed on Mondays and public holidays.

POVERTY PORN BUBBLE GANG. Manila-based Australian artist David Griggs offers a carnivalesque look at the artist’s take on contemporary popular culture, here seen in the various genres he works in: Painting, photography, installation and video. Until June 23, noon to 7pm, Future Perfect, Gillman Barracks, 47 Malan Road, #01-22. Free admission. Closed on Mondays and public holidays.

BY NUMBER SERIES. An exhibition by Hyungmin Moon that is based on a set of rules he created based on statistics, which started from scanning magazines like Art In America, New Yorker, Playboy or Vogue. Until June 22, noon to 7pm, Space Cottonseed, Gillman Barracks, #01-24. Free admission. Closed on Mondays and public holidays.

NORTHERN POSTCARDS. Self-taught Filipino artist John Frank Sabado, who is known for his tapestry-like landscapes in biro-point, presents works done in a delicate manner akin to weaving the filament of fibre of a textile. Until June 8 at The Drawing Room, Gillman Barracks, 5 Lock Road, #01-06. Free admission.