The best things to do in Singapore this weekend (Mar 14-17)

If last year’s art walkabout around Emerald Hill got you hungry for more untold tales and history, you’re in luck as OH! Open House returns with another exciting art-slash-heritage trail – Passport. Taking things indoors this time around, visitors are invited into the homes of strangers across the island. Each crib displays its unique interpretation of identity, citizenship and belonging. Six artists are paired with six residents to create six separate art experiences where guests are welcomed to interact with the artworks that decked the halls.

Step into the time machine for a throwback at the Substation. Live in a time of nostalgia with a series of multidisciplinary programmes deconstructing Singapore’s obsession to romanticise the past. Fill your arty schedule with some fun at an interactive playground, an art installation and a futuristic dining experience.

World-renowned London-based fine art photographer, David Yarrow, is thrilled to present 28 of his finest black and white shots including limited edition prints from his recently completed project in Montana with supermodel Cindy Crawford. Presented across two gallery floors, his monochrome images capture the elegance and uniqueness of the endangered wild animals in Borneo, Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Iceland, amongst other remote places featuring one of his most iconic images entitled Cara Cigar with Cara Delevingne. This gallery is located on level 4 of the APS building in the Miaja Contemporary Art Gallery. 

Marvel at a selection of impressive paintings by award-winning artist Joanne Pang. The solo exhibition showcases the artist's explorations on the relationship between the natural creases of cloth, paint, and state of mind. While Pang mainly uses Chinese ink as paint, she incorporates the use of lipstick, wax pencil and graphite to add depth and texture to her pieces.

Plastikophobia comprises of two key elements: an interactive 3D installation by Canadians Benjamin Von Wong and Laura Francois, as well as a photo exhibition featuring works of Von Wong from three of his past creations including Mermaids Hate Plastic, Truckload of Plastic, and Strawpocalypse. Made from thousands of used plastic cups collected from local food stalls in Singapore, the exhibition depicts the severe problem of human plastic pollution in the oceans and aims to evoke the feeling of 'Plastikophobia'.

Marvel at the stunning works by world-renowned avant-garde artist Hermann Nitsch dating from the 1990s to present. The Austrian painter is known to use unorthodox materials in his creations such as entrails, blood and more. In this exhibition, viewers are treated to 'Schuttbilder', referring to painting action by Nitch. Accompanied with music, dancing and active participants, these paintings were made spontaneously, resulting in highly gestural and visceral paintings.

Teaming up with Ikkan Art Gallery, Miaja Gallery is proud to present digital artworks by teamLab as part of its permanent installation. An art collective based in Tokyo, teamLab is widely known to create art that transcends boundaries. Feast your eyes on Waves of Light, a digital artwork consisting of computer-generated waves that are expressed as a continuous body of water, creating a new experience between humans, nature, and art. Inspired by nature, life cycles, and the infinite movement of particles, the artworks showcased in this gallery tell stories that resonate deep within the human essence.

The Human-Nature exhibition brings together innovative products, research concepts, communication works and art, the exhibition begins with an introspective probe on how humans perceive robots. This selection of works poses questions about being human and explores how humans excel beyond their natural abilities. To gain an insight into the nature of human beings and technology, the museum offers a bilingual Human-Nature catalogue which serves as a necessary exhibition accompaniment and provides an in-depth narration, parallel questioning, and full descriptions of the exhibiting design works.

Championing the art of 'less is more', National Gallery Singapore and ArtScience Museum team up to debut the biggest minimalism exhibition in Southeast Asia from November 16 2018 to April 14 2019. Held within the confines of the two iconic museums, the experiential exhibition gives visitors the freedom to view, interpret and experience the immersive displays in a variety of ways – allowing for different ways to appreciate the aesthetics of Asian and Western minimalist art. A far cry from the bold and eccentric showcases that usually dominate the galleries, the exhibition tones it down a notch by illustrating minimal art that emerged from its birthplace of New York and how it has developed in the US West Coast and Asia through to the rest of the world. This contemporary take on avant-garde art considers the spatial, social and political contexts of the subject matter, and has influenced some of the best unconventional creations in music, performances, fashion and design history – think musician Steve Reich, artist Tony Smith and fashion designer Jill Sander, among others.  Feed your curious mind with captivating paintings, impressive sculptures, spatial installations and other masterpieces by key artists such as Olafur Eliasson, Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, Robert Morris, Frank Stella, Kim Lim, Mona Hatoum, Anish Kapoor and Ai Wei Wei, as well as special commissions by Sopheap Pich and Jeremy Sharma.  The exhibition's special programmes also invite visitors to tap into the wo

The culture of now has never been so prevalent in this digital age of technology where instant services and smartphones are glorified. Tracing back to its roots in the late 1940s leads us to what was a breakthrough in the world of photography, the Polaroid camera. Inspiring artists and photographers alike, the exhibition offers insight into the story behind Polaroid photography and how the process of being able to memorial a special and specific moment in time has impacted the social phenomenon we have today.

Delve deeper into the world of Chinese cartoons in Singapore and discover the correlation it has with the 1911 Revolution in China. Early Chinese cartoonists captured China at one of its lowest points in the late 19th century through satirical sketches, which then served as an activist for the revolutionary political movement against the corrupt regime, ending imperial rule in China. This transpired into the first Chinese cartoons appearing in our local newspapers representing political and social commentary. With over 150 Chinese cartoons, artefacts and images, trace the history as you get warp into the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

Considered to be one of the city's finest watercolourists, see Singapore through Lim Cheng Hoe's lenses as he showcases 60 distinctive works of art which beautifully capture the evolving scenes from the 1930s to the 1970s. The artist's dedication towards plein-air painting influences the elements featured in his art, including the effects of light and weather on the landscapes of the city, as well as motifs such as kampongs, boat traffics, hilltop views and more that oozes a sense of local identity.      

To mark – not commemorate – the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, there'll be an exhibition set in the Old Ford Factory, which was where the British surrendered to the Japanese forces on February 15, 1942. Spread across four zones, take in the diary entries, identity cards and war campaign documentary paintings on display, then reflect on the solemn beginnings of our nationhood.