There's been such a feast of art exhibitions and design events lately that what's coming up might initially appear pale in comparison. But don't be fooled, you shouldn't miss:

The Arts Open House 28 March from 10am to 9pm www.theartshouse.sg

Mad Museum of Art & Design at 10 Tanglin Road has suddenly appeared on the scene it seems and is making a BIG  impression. There's a lot on show including work by Japanese street artist Madsaki until 26 April. www.madmuseumsingapore.com

Body art has its place - on the body of course - but you can see it at its best along with holistic, wellness and alternative health exhibits with Sonia Ong's Evolve Festival Asia at the F1 Pit Building 3-5 April. www.evolveasiafestival.sg

Designs Grow on You

The London based Heatherwick Studio epitomises the spirit of invention of a new wave of British designers. Featuring drawings, models, films and test pieces generated by speculative and built projects from the past 20 years, the exhibition is a window into the studio which has become renowned for projects such as the UK Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010 (pictured). 

On until 12 April 2015 at the National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road, 9 am - 9 pm daily. www.britishcouncil.sg/events/new-british-inventors

There's no stopping Kumar as he takes to the stage with his stylistic show "Kumar stands up for Singapore". At the Esplanade 22-26 April. www.esplanade.com

"Return to Sender" is an appropriately named exhibition about the man who put his stamp on Rock 'n' roll and musical movie-making in the 1960s and for many years since. See stamps, posters and albums of the "King" at Singapore Philatelic Museum on until 1 July. www.spm.org.sg

Be quick or you'll miss this. In celebration of SG50, OCBC Art Space is pleased to present the first of three exhibitions in 2015, a solo entitled Ghost and the Shell by Singaporean artist Safaruddin Abdul Hamid (Dyn) in collaboration with Chan Hampe Galleries. Known for his nostalgic depictions of Singapore's iconic buildings and classic characters, Dyn's latest body of work is a departure from his previous monocular focus as he pushes further into issues of identity, memory, and connection. In doing so, this body of work asks, "Do places define people or do people define place?" On until Friday 27 March at the Raffles Hotel gallery.

 WRITE ON.....Literary Arts Events 

SMU's Wee Kim Wee Centre will be hosting what sounds like an

unmissable literary evening on the 31 March at 5.30pm. Writers Alvin Pang and Josephine Chia will discuss their work and the writing process in what promises to be a lively debate. www.active.com/singapore-singapore/writers-talking-with-special-guests-josephine-chia-and-daren-shiau-2015?cmp=39-28<clickid=03_94343029_52ce46

 

A digital platform where writers can read, write, discuss and connect.   Created by the British Council and focusing on writing inspired by city life, this project supports a community of new, emerging and established writers who share their work, give and receive feedback and have access to opportunities to take their writing forward. Established in 2011 by the British Council, Writing the City is supported by the National Arts Council and The Arts House as the official venue partner. www.writingthecity.sg

 

The National Book Development Council tells us about a Workshop by writer/director Verena Tay on how to create "characters through action" at the Seminar Room, Heritage Place, 21 Tan Quee Lan Street 11 April from 9.30 to 4.30. www.alap.bookcouncil.sg/courses/detail/characters-through-action

    

There's a writers festival on somewhere in the world practically every week:

• The internationally famous Hay Literary Festival in the UK is on 21 - 31 May 2015 www.hayfestival.com
• Vancouver Writers Fest is not until October 20 - 25 this year. www.writersfest.bc.ca
• Byron Bay Writers Festival in Northern New South Wales Australia is scheduled for 7-9 August 2015 www.byronbaywritersfestival.com.au
• Sydney Writers Festival is 18-24 May www.swf.org.au
• Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival is 29-31 May. www.artsmargaretriver.com
• Bali's Ubud Writers Festival is 28 October to 1 November www.ubudwritersfestival.com

• If you make it to Europe in October you should plan to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair, with plenty in store for writers and publishers. In 2015, it will run from 14 to 18 October. The Guest Country of Honour will be Indonesia. www.en.book-fair.com

• But make sure you don't miss the Singapore Writers Festival this year when it returns to The Arts House (old Parliament Buildings) and holds its activities in the Empress Place Civic District. The new director will be poet and former Straits Times journalist Yeow Kai Chai. It's scheduled for 30 October to 8 November. www.singaporewritersfestival.com
• Difficult for Asian writers to be in two places at once as the Hong Kong International Literary Festival takes place at the same time as Singapore's: 30 October to 8 November. www.festival.org.hk
• Another treat for those with a literary bent is the Asia Pacific Writers and Translators Conference, with the theme 'Against the Grain', takes place in Manila, 22-25 October 2015, after making a big impression in Singapore last year. www.apwriters.org  If you happen to want more of interest in Asia , take a LEAP+ - Literary Events Asia Pacific, Plus  www.leap-plus.com