A weekend with artists, authors and architects

BY day, Richard Hassell is the founding director of WOHA, very much a household name in the Singapore architecture scene with award-winning works in its portfolio including the Kampung Admiralty housing complex that was named World Building of the Year in 2018. But for all his acclaim, he will have you know that he got into the profession as an afterthought.

In Friday's issue of Weekend magazine, we look at Mr Hassell and three other established architects' first love - art, and how each has a prolific portfolio that shows off an impressive level of skill. Mr Hassell specialises in complicated geometries and tessellations, and his works have been exhibited and sold around the world. His intricate tiling has also found its way into his work, such as the facade of the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport. Likewise, architects Lee Hui Lian, Juliana Chan and Tay Yan Lin show off their works and how their passion for both architecture and art have made them better architects, and vice versa.

From artists we move to authors, namely the bestselling novelist Balli Kaur Jaswal, the most internationally well-known Singapore author after Crazy Rich Asians' Kevin Kwan. She talks about the success of her third novel, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows and her advice for aspiring writers.

If you're tired of rocking up to yet another hipster bar with its curated cocktails and manufactured ambience, check out some new watering holes that offer a little more personality in the form of classical music performances, natural wines and arts appreciation.

If the arts is more your thing, check out our report card for this year's Singapore International Festival of the Arts; visit a garden with a house in it; and suss out the Pre-Fall highlights for the sartorial man.

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