SINGAPORE — Singaporeans will be spoilt for choice next month as the local visual arts scene starts the year with a bang courtesy of the Singapore Art Week.

A joint initiative by the National Arts Council (NAC), Singapore Tourism Board and the Economic Development Board, the nine-day event will run from Jan 17 to 25 and will feature more than 100 events, including the annual Art Stage Singapore art fair, which opens on Jan 22.

This will be the biggest Singapore Art Week to date, with a slew of events and activities to target not only seasoned art lovers but the public at large.

“We wanted to make sure the entire week is an extended celebration and recognition of Singapore arts,” said Paul Tan, deputy chief executive of NAC, who added that the council hopes to increase “visual literacy and deepen the appreciation (for the visual arts) and especially for Singapore artists”.

Public and family-friendly events include a series of mini-festivals such as a sculpture carnival organised by the Sculpture Society at Fort Canning Park. Arts spaces like the Aliwal and Goodman Arts centres and Gillman Barracks will be holding their respective events. A new festival, the Utopia Interactive Arts Festival, will also focus on the interactive arts, including a re-creation of late artist Ng Eng Teng’s art studio.

Audiences will also have their pick of art tours, including one that showcases artworks found along the Circle Line train stations and around Little India. There is even an “art bus” to take visitors to venues in the Bras Basah district.

These events are set to complement a whole array of contemporary arts events, including Art Stage Singapore as well as two major international arts awards and exhibitions: The Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014 at the Singapore Art Museum and the Prudential Eye Awards at the ArtScience Museum. Mayo Martin

For more information on the Singapore Art Week, visit http://www.artweek.sg