Where does good food, contemporary art, and play intersect? ARTBOX, the Instagram-friendly creative pop-up market that returns this year, is the answer.
After a three-year hiatus due to Covid-19, ARTBOX, the popular Thai food market, is finally coming back to Singapore this February and March. If you have not had the opportunity to travel to Thailand for whatever reason, this could be a sign for you to visit ARTBOX VISION 2023.
The fourth edition of ARTBOX is co-organised by the creative masterminds from INVADE and Singapore’s funniest bunch from SGAG. It will be held at Singapore Expo Hall 6 (close enough to Changi Airport for some overseas vibes), a fully air-conditioned space, for the very first time. So fret not for those who are afraid of the heat, or rain, and most importantly, Singapore’s humidity, because you will be able to immerse yourself fully with no discomfort.
This year, ARTBOX hopes that visitors will be able to go beyond reality and enjoy the experience with a spirit of playful cheekiness. Enter the space and you will forget that you even stepped into a Singapore Expo Hall. You will be greeted with art installations by JELILO artist Lester Lim and tokidoki, as well as a 3-level high Hero Structure (made up of 12 containers) with projection mapping by visual artist Aundraj Jude and motion designer Reynard Adrianto.
Unlike previous years, ARTBOX has many new and exciting activities to offer everyone this year. Ranging from Fortune Town that offers mystique and adventure, to SGAG activities that will guarantee non-stop laughter, to Web3 Showcase that exhibits the endless possibilities of the metaverse, visitors can expect to be full from not just food alone.
Keeping in line with this year’s theme of Vision, ARTBOX invites visitors to explore the enigmatic Fortune Town. For the adventurous and fortune-seeking, this would be the perfect area to explore. Accessible through the Fortune Tunnel, visitors are treated to various hands-on workshops and activities such as aura reading and trickeye illusion. If you prefer art on your body, there are options such as henna and Jagua body art to try out as well. There is even a chance to win prizes from on-demand delivery platform foodpanda by spinning the Wheel of Fortune.
Partnering with SGAG, ARTBOX VISION 2023 promises to bring out one’s mischievous sides as they explore the lifestyle event. With SGAG onboard, fun and absurdity comes naturally. And true enough, one can anticipate challenging their pain threshold level at the Beam of Pain. This is a mini obstacle course featuring a 15-metre balancing beam lined with – wait for it – acupuncture mats. That’s right, you didn’t read that wrong. Be the fastest and bravest challenger and you can actually get to walk away with $888 cash prize. That’s not all – SGAG has prepared a series of other activities that everyone can enjoy without experiencing pain!
In this day and age in which human connection is no longer limited to physical meetings, why not learn more about the metaverse to learn about the possibilities of connecting with others in virtual reality? Come dabble in the metaverse at the Web3.0 container. Lose yourself in the world of virtual and augmented reality and you might even be inspired to dig deeper into what it has to offer. At such an artsy event, you do not have to worry about being bored while learning about the metaverse, and before you know it, you would probably be wanting to learn more about it!
Of course, what is ARTBOX if not for the wide variety of delicacies and retail it has to offer, right? With almost 100 F&B popups, keep an eye out for homegrown brands such as Whiskdom, Motor Folks, Stinky, Homelypot. Visitors can also expect Thai food from Tung Jai Yang, Khanom Babin Maphrao On Gusto, and Noodleboatyutya to satiate your cravings! For those who are looking for some alcohol treats, look out for Prime Liquor, ARTBOX’s Official Liquor Partner, and run by The Daily Ketchup’s Daniel, or Clumzy Plumzy for some zest on your tongue!
With a satisfied stomach, why not satisfy your heart too as you stroll through retail shops such as Thecozycabin, Kibbles, Loma.whale, and Memiann.studio. Round it up with live music from Popular Cross Ratio Entertainment artistes such as Tay Kewei, Derrick Hoh, Alfred Sim, Akeem Jahat, and Calvert Tay, and singing sensation Zin from the Voice Thailand (Season 8) to complete your ARTBOX VISION 2023 experience!
ARTBOX VISION 2023 will take place at Singapore Expo Hall 6 over 2 weekends from 24th to 26th February and 3rd to 5th March, 12pm to 11pm (last entry at 9pm), and tickets have been released. Grab your tickets here.