Local creatives to showcase works in Tokyo and Sydney editions of Singapore: Inside Out

SINGAPORE – Tokyo and Sydney will get to see a slice of Singapore’s creative talent later this year.

Building on the success of the 2015 edition of Singapore: Inside Out, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is bringing this year’s edition to Tokyo from August 25 to 27 and to Sydney from November 3 to 5.

The showcase for each city is specially curated in collaboration with the host city, and for the local audience there.

One of the highlights at the Singapore: Inside Out Tokyo edition is the collaboration between Singapore Chef, Malcolm Lee of Candlenut and Chef Dominique Ansel at the latter’s eponymous bakery at Omotesando, Tokyo. The chef-owner of the only Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant in the world will collaborate with the World’s Best Pastry Chef 2017 to create a delectable dessert, taking inspiration from iconic dishes in Singapore’s culinary history.

The Tokyo edition will also feature works from 13 Singaporeans and Japanese creative talents from disciplines such as design, music, fashion, sound, performing and visual arts. Their works will be on show at BANK Gallery, an architectural space situated within the city’s Omotesando district.

Curated by Clara Yee, multi-disciplinary designer and co-founder of nomadic creative studio, in the wild, the exhibition explores the cultural trends arising from the shift towards a digital urban age.

Ms Yee said: “We are driven by the possibilities of new expressions in creative culture and the fluid nature of art. It is with this that we hope Singapore: Inside Out Tokyo will be an opportunity for us to create a new relationship with the world, one focused on living together in this global age.”

Works include a sound and visual installation created by the award winning Singapore artist Zul Mahmod who also recently presented his work at a Southeast Asian Art survey in Mori Art Museum.

The installation features compositional sounds with interplay by floral interpretations by plantica, a Japanese creative studio that uses the aesthetic of ikebana (floral art) in the fields of art, fashion, textile, product and installation design.

Other local artists include Josiah Chua, whose avant-garde fashion designs have caught the attention of US pop-star Lady Gaga, former Associate Artistic Director of Malay theatre company Teater Ekamatra Irfan Kasban and Supermama, a home-grown souvenir label known for its strong line-up of Singapore-inspired souvenirs.

Edwin Low, founder of Supermama, known for products created from collaboration between Singapore designers and Japanese craft facilities, will be serving as advisor to the creative team.

The Sydney edition is helmed by creative director Randy Chan, the Principal Architect at Zarch Collaboratives who is best known as curator for iLight Marina Bay, while Vertical Submarine, popular local art collective, will take on the role as art director.

Mr Chan, who is no stranger to Singapore: Inside Out having curated the first edition, said: “With Singapore: Inside out Sydney, visitors will be able to get to know and experience Singapore’s creative culture, one that is in a state of flux while finding her voice and impulse.”

The Sydney showcase includes a line-up of distinguished talents such as former Singapore’s National Arts Council Young Artist Award winners Donna Ong and Ezzam Rahman, award winning poet and co-founder of literary non-profit Sing Lit Station, Joshua Ip and first Singaporean filmmaker to win at the Sundance Film Festival, Kirsten Tan.

Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive of STB, said: “We are excited to celebrate the passions and stories of Singapore’s creative talents in more overseas markets. With significant outcomes achieved in the 2015 edition, Singapore: Inside Out has become a key platform for us to share the narrative of our fast-growing creative scene, and to catalyse collaborations and opportunities for our talents.”

For more information, visit www.visitsingapore.com/ja_jp/singapore-inside-out.html