Art beat: Indigenous weaves meet avant-garde, super cars on view

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MANILA, Philippines – Traditional weaving meets avant-garde design for the latest exhibition, “Karilagan: Mga Tradisyunal na Habi at Kasuotan sa Makabagong Panahon,” which opened at the Metropolitan Theater last November 9.

This special exhibition showcases the masterworks of Kasuotan, Kultura, Kasaysayan by acclaimed designer Norman P. Peñaflorida of The Closet Couture. Known for his traditional yet styling pieces, the runway and gallery presented an integration of different cultural identity to the garment and wardrobe of modern Filipinos. 

At the exhibit launch, the program featured musical numbers by guest artists Nazer Salcedo, Myramae Meneses, Anthony Castillo, and the iconic Bayang Barrios. These vocal performances were paired with choreography from Tanghalang Pilipino, underscored by selections from the Pinay-pop musical "Lakambini."

The designs were worn by longest-running improv comedy theater group, SPIT Manila. The ensemble demonstrates the versatility and timeless aesthetic of indigenous craftsmanship when integrated into contemporary theater and fashion.

Visit the Gallery 1 and 2 of MET to witness the stunning fashion couture featured in "Karilagan: Mga Tradisyunal na Habi at Kasuotan sa Makabagong Panahon.”

Edo-Tokyo Museum reopens

After four years of major renovations, the Edo-Tokyo Museum has reopened and already welcomed over 1 million visitors, allowing them to experience Tokyo’s evolution from Edo to the present through life-size recreations of some of the city’s most iconic spots along with fascinating peeks into daily life.

The recently reopened museuam features new and improved large-scale models, projections, sound, and interactive elements. Visitors can cross a life-size Nihonbashi Bridge and explore detailed recreations of the Nakamura-za kabuki theater, homes, food stalls, and everyday life from Tokyo’s past.

The central concept behind the renewal was to create a sense of immersion in historical spaces, rather than presenting history as a series of isolated objects. The Edo Zone and Tokyo Zone form the core of the experience, tracing the city from the Edo period — the age of the Tokugawa shogunate — through modernization, disaster, war and recovery to the city as it is now. The facility now offers smartphone-based audio guidance in 13 languages, along with multilingual touch panels.

Some of the museum’s most engaging displays focus on ordinary urban life, allowing visitors to explore compact homes, shared facilities, and close neighborhood relationships. Other exhibits introduce Edo’s water infrastructure, and a new interactive model traces how food and everyday goods came into the city.

The museum has also added a tempura stall to its existing sushi and soba stalls, showing how foods now loved around the world started out as casual Edo street food.

Super cars exhibit in Macau

Macau is best known as the Las Vegas of the East. It is home to mega casinos, luxury resorts, and entertainment complexes way beyond what you can imagine. And since it breathes life into luxury lifestyles, it is also now the home of an annual super luxury car exhibit that has been drawing in its own big crowds for the past four years.

Called “Wynn Signature – 2026 Hypercar Exhibition,” this year’s edition officially opened last September 23 and is ongoing at Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace until November 22. Presented by Wynn Signature, which is the exclusive lifestyle brand of the Wynn brand, it reveals a curated collection of over 20 legendary hypercars that retrace the evolution of iconic masterpieces over the past 60 years.

Since 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, this year’s edition of the hypercar exhibition pays special tribute to the untamed spirit of the “Fire Horse,” which is a symbol of innovation, bold breakthroughs and unstoppable energy. The meticulously curated showcase of 20 iconic hypercars represent the world’s leading automotive powerhouses, such as Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Pagani, and Aston Martin.    

Headline features of this year’s lineup include the ultimate flagship heritage of two legendary titans: Ferrari and Porsche. 

As for Ferrari, three generations of the brand’s ultimate flagship masterpieces converge at the venue and retrace the evolution of the Prancing Horse: There’s the Ferrari F40, which is the final masterpiece personally approved by founder Enzo Ferrari, created to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Ferrari. There’s also the Ferrari F50, a series that has been limited to 349 units worldwide, a legendary masterpiece that brings Formula 1 technology directly to the road. Then there’s the LaFerrari, limited to 499 units worldwide, a definitive flagship that ushered in a bold new era of hybrid performance for the brand.  

Porsche also played a significant role in the hypercar exhibition. Four era-defining Porsche masterpieces has taken center stage at Wynn Macau. It begins with the 959, the ultimate realization of 1980s pioneering technology that introduced electronically controlled all-wheel drive, twin-turbocharging and adjustable suspension to the road.

The Carrera GT is also another awesome power machine. Powered by a race-derived V10 engine paired with a pure manual transmission, it is revered as the definitive icon of the analog supercar era.  There is also the 935, limited to just 77 units worldwide, a track-only thoroughbred built in homage to the legendary “Moby Dick” race car. Then there is the 911 GT3 RS 4.0, which is the absolute pinnacle of naturally aspirated engines, highly coveted by elite collectors across the globe. 

The current lineup of hypercars on display at the exhibition includes Ferrari 812 Competizione Aperta, Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale, Ferrari Dino 246 GT 7, Ferrari 488 Pista, Ferrari F8 Tributo, Porsche Carrera GT 12, Lamborghini Miura, Lamborghini Centenario Roadster 15, Lamborghini Countach, Lamborghini Huracán STO 17, Lamborghini Murciélago LP640, Pagani Huayra Oro Giallo, Pagani Zonda F Absolute, and Aston Martin Valhalla. More ultra-rare hypercars will be revealed during the course of the exhibition. 

Singapore Art Week 2027

ART SG, presented by founding and lead partner UBS, will stage its fifth edition at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention, Singapore, from January 22 to 24, 2027, with a VIP Preview and Vernissage on 21 January.

S.E.A. Focus will return for its ninth edition alongside ART SG for a second year of collaboration with a curated selection of galleries from across Southeast Asia. Featuring over 110 galleries from more than 30 countries and territories, ART SG and S.E.A. Focus connect Southeast Asia with the international art world, fostering cross-cultural dialogue while showcasing the diversity of contemporary artistic practices from the region. 

The UBS Art Collection has commissioned French- Indonesian artist Ines Katamso to create presentations for the UBS Art Studio and the UBS Lounge, while our Art for All community initiative with Pathlight School at the UBS Art Studio will provide students from its Artist Development Programme (ADP) with a new platform to showcase their artistic talents and share their works with a wider audience. 

For the first time, film will take place within the fair, presented on a large-format, double-sided 4 by 4-meter LED screen. The program brings together a compelling selection of moving-image works with the presentation of a major screen as a public art installation, animating a prominent public space and inviting visitors to experience film on an immersive scale.

The world premiere of Dawn Ng’s "The Last Sunset" will be presented as a one-night-only, live cinema performance on Friday 22 January 2027 at Filmhouse. The 30-minute event is a pairing of Ng’s monumental moving-image work with an original score by Welsh composer Alex Mills, and accompanied by a live choir within the audience. With the support of the National Arts Council and Sullivan+Strumpf, the premiere presents four of 10 chapters from The Last Sunset, a 100-minute anthology about endings past, present and future. A global cast, including Tilda Swinton, voice characters sharing stories ranging from an old woman sheltering on Ann Siang Hill to lovers in the year 3000, passengers aboard a post-apocalyptic Noah’s Ark and a man walking into the sea at dusk.

Commissioned by the National Arts Council, S.E.A. Focus returns to Marina Bay Sands alongside and co-presented by ART SG for a second year, offering visitors seamless access to both events. S.E.A. Focus will continue to retain its distinctive curatorial identity and format, spotlighting the best of contemporary art in Southeast Asia.

The 2027 edition, curated by John Z.W. Tung with artistic consultation from Emi Eu, Executive Director of STPI, takes Better Worlds as its theme. It invites audiences to reflect on how technology, exchange and human connection are transforming contemporary life — and to imagine more meaningful ways of living together.

Visitors can dive into the dynamic programming of the 15th edition of Singapore Art Week, presented by the city’s leading visual art museums, private collections, and cultural partners. Tickets to ART SG also include access to S.E.A. Focus, and are on sale now.

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