ExxonMobil Campus Concerts – Alfaaz, NUS University Cultural Centre, 1 March, 8pm Alfaaz (n.): Urdu for spoken word; the distinguishing factor that makes us undeniably human. Words shape us, unite us and yet at the same time, divide us. Much like humanity, language constantly evolves. The complexity and sense of poetry of years past have […]
27 Feb – 5 Mar 2017: Singapore Read More »
By Kathy Rowland (930 words, 8-minute read) On Tuesday, 21 February, the Boston Globe published an article headlined “Ex-teacher molested pupils, Milton Academy says”, linking Rey Buono to sexual abuse of minors in the US in the 1980s. By the next day, the news had spread to Singapore and Malaysia, causing shock and alarm amongst
SEA-based Theatre Educator Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors in the US Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (1500 words, 15-minute read) There is a distinctive break made between the modern, sans-serif typeface of the word “Artist” and the classical serif typeface of the word “Empire” in the title/publicity material of the National Gallery Singapore’s reinterpretation of the 2015 Tate Modern’s exhibition “Artist and Empire”. The typographical split signifies a
Empire Strikes Back: “Artist and Empire: (En)countering Colonial Legacies” Read More »
In a heated political climate, art turns radical in order to address the struggles of a society always at the cusp of a social upheaval. Art Fair Philippines 2017 highlights the work of social realists, inviting audiences to reevaluate the role of art in their daily lives. Tags: Art Fair Philippines CNN Philippines Political Art Politics
The Case for Political Art in a Post-Truth Age Read More »
Poklong Anading is a 41-year-old Filipino artist with an unruly mop of hair and an extremely diffident manner. Featured in the “No Chaos, No Party: 28 Artists in Metro Manila” book (a project by Valeria Cavestany edited by Eva McGovern-Basa) and also participating in the ongoing 2017 Art Fair Philippines, Poklong has emerged as one the
Manila’s Poklong Anading: Chaos, Junk and Art Read More »
Indices of Vanishment by RAW Moves, 23 – 25 Feb, 8pm, Aliwal Arts Centre Choreographed by Edith Podesta, Lighting Design by Adrian Tan, Sound Design by Teo Wee Boon and performed by RAW Moves Company Dancers, Indices of Vanishment is the 2017 edition of RAW Moves’ annual Repertory Platform. Indices of Vanishment is a movement performance that examines
20 – 26 February 2017: Singapore Read More »
ExxonMobil Campus Conerts – Discovery: Stephycube, 16 Feb, 6pm, NUS Yusof Ishak House Singer-songwriter Steph likes to strum late into the night in the privacy of her room, where she mixes popular radio songs. Although her online repertoire consists mainly of acoustic tracks, her musical influences are mainly pop rock while her lyrics are inspired
13 – 19 February 2017: Singapore Read More »
I think if anyone is truly honest about any meaningful relationship, they will experience a certain ambiguity about it: no one can love totally without questioning that relationship from time to time, and if they did, it wouldn’t be real. It’s the same with relationships with your country: the deeper your attachment, the more you
Tash Aw & Tahmima Anam Discuss Home, Identity and the Changing Face of Asia Read More »
Dancer-choreographer Raka Maitra, 46, and dramaturg T. Sasitharan, 59, have been constant collaborators. He is the director of the Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI), while she is the founder of 10-year-old dance company Chowk, known for its contemporary expressions of the traditional Indian dance form of Odissi. When asked, the two recall a disagreement with some mirth, like
As a communist country, Vietnam isn’t always the easiest place to find publicly displayed art, especially modern or controversial work. However, the country seems to be changing – and Ho Chi Minh City is leading the way. Here are some of the best places to see public art in the city. Tags: Spaces The Culture Trip
Public Art in Ho Chi Minh City Read More »
Curator Helly Minarti opens her exhibition “Menatap Sang Liyan (Looking at the Other)” at Salihara in Jakarta. The exhibition’s title, “Menatap Sang Liyan”, was selected to represent how Western people looked at the four Javanese dancers, whom they called “the other” (liyan). The exhibition also displays the complexity of orientalism in the art of dance by showing various
‘Menatap Sang Liyan’: Orientalism in the history of dance Read More »
Cloud Gate 2 – A Triple Bill, 7-8 Feb, 8pm Cloud Gate 2, the sister company of internationally acclaimed Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan brings to Singapore’s Esplanade Theatre three dance works by groundbreaking Taiwanese choreographers Cheng Tsung-lung and Huang Yi: Wicked Fish, The Wall and Beckoning. More information. Watch Local 2017: Singapore Telemovies, 7-11
6 – 12 Feb 2017: Singapore Read More »
Dance is a visual and sensory medium. It is a close cousin of music. Dance is very ancient, and has been used to express our hopes and fears even before language existed. Hence, when in the theatre, let the dancers lead you to breathe, to move and to run, then to recall that there is
“Dance can break down walls”: Interview with Cloud Gate 2’s Cheng Tsung-lung Read More »
Six performance works stood out for their bold placement of the body center-stage: Softmachine Rianto, an Indonesian-Singaporean dance and video collaboration; Skin, a challenging work from Malaysia on human trafficking; Cambodia’s Phare Circus, in which performers perform the seemingly impossible; As If To Nothing, a Hong Kong dance piece on the mutability of memory; Twelfth
OzAsia Festival: Celebrating Asian Dance and Theatre Down Under Read More »
A pop-up market of contemporary luxury goods being sold to a wealthy elite doesn’t begin to encapsulate the diversity of languages, countries, and cultures of the region, not to mention the many kinds of artistic spaces and projects embedded therein, all of which are largely unseen at Art Stage. Like Singapore’s mega-city aspirations of being
Everything Points Inward: Capitalism and Its Discontents at an Art Fair in Singapore Read More »
Duration: 27 minutes Dance educator and writer Stephanie Burridge joins Matt Lyon in discussing Dance Nucleus‘ HATCH, a showcase of works-in-progress by the company’s artists-in-residence: Felicia Lim, Wayne Ong & Leia Ang and Yarra Ileto as well as Maya Dance Theatre’s Release 6.0. They share their thoughts on each of the works, also discussing the role
Podcast 10: HATCH 2017 and Release 6.0 Read More »
Can Tieu Hy is one of the most prominent young artists in the Vietnamese comic scene, known for her refined drawing techniques and stories with mysterious, supernatural elements. From nearly 300 submissions, hers was one of a total of 14 winners, including one Gold Award and three Silver Award winners, that were chosen following the selection
Supernatural Vietnamese Comic “Gateway to Underworld” Wins International Manga Award Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (1200 words, 20-minute read) There are so many performance modes packed into the approximately 70 minutes of FIGHT! PALAST #membersonly – confessional monologue, workshops, live fighting, interactive sketches – that it is difficult to classify. Performance makers have been using this form of super-hybridity for a while now, but it still takes
3 #Millennials Read “Fight Club”. You Won’t Believe What Happens Next! Read More »
…The North’s art scene is tightly controlled – there is no abstract art, which is regarded as anti-revolutionary – and even the top artists earn monthly salaries that bear little relation to the sale value of their work. “We produce pieces that are demanded by revolution, that move people to revolution,” says Hong Chun-Ong… Tags:
See what’s made to order at North Korea’s blacklisted art factory (The Nation) Read More »
Deruma by Azpirasi & Dian Dancers, 26 – 27 Jan at Esplanade Theatre Studio Presented as part of Esplanade Theatre’s Pentas series, which is its second annual programme of Malay arts, apart from Pesta Raya. Deruma follows the local folktale of Si Tanggang. It’s a story about filial piety and gratitude told through Malay dance and traditional
23 – 29 Jan 2017: Singapore Read More »
…dive into the making of Singapore’s first feature film selected for competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival with Director Kirsten Tan and Producer Weijie Lai. Tags: Kirsten Tan Pop Aye
Podcast interview with “Pop Aye” Director Kirsten Tan & Producer Weijie Lai Read More »
Gaslight Cafe presents Alena Murang, 17 Jan, 9pm Gaslight Cafe at Bukit Damansara shines the spotlight on young Bornean singer-songwriter Alena Murang, whose debut EP, Flight, was released last year. A graduate from the music programme at LASALLE College of the Arts, Alena play folk music of the Kelabit and Kenyah tribes, using the traditional lute instrument
16 – 22 Jan 2017: Malaysia Read More »
SWF POP #15: Screening of Between The Lines: Rant & Rave II, 18 Jan at The Projector This is a screening of a recorded theatre production, Between The Lines: Rant & Rave II, a 2012 play by award-winning playwright Chong Tze Chien. Restaged at the Singapore Writers Festival 2016 featuring actors Serene Chen and Jean Ng,
16 – 22 Jan 2017: Singapore Read More »
We’re barely into the new year, but the dedicated art lover is, no doubt, already exhausted from the recently concluded M1 Singapore Fringe Festival and Singapore Art Week. Pace yourselves, as there are more festivals across Southeast Asia over the next month. January M1 Fringe Festival: Art & Skin, Singapore : 4 – 15 January 2017
Southeast Asia in Arts Festivals: Jan – Feb 2017 Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (1800 words, 15-minute read) Continuing our look back on regional arts events in 2016, we consider what the buzz was on the main writers’ festivals held in Southeast Asia. Georgetown Literary Festival: 25 – 17 November 2016 The theme for this sixth edition of GTLF is the Welsh word “Hiraeth”, translating into
Writing the Region: SEA Literary Festivals in 2016 Read More »
Datang Untuk Kembali (Arriving to Return), 13 Jan, 6:30 PM The performance starts at The Exhibition Hall, Block 43 Malan Road. Part of CITIES FOR PEOPLE NTU CCA Ideas Fest 2016-2017, it is a collaboration between artist duo indieguerillas, fashion designer Lulu Lutfi Labibi, and music director Ari Wulu. The performance will move between different locations
9 – 15 January 2017: Singapore Read More »
Duration: 45 minutes Theatre practitioner, manager, educator Noorlinah Mohamed joins podcast co-hosts Kathy Rowland and Matthew Lyon in a discussion about their favourite shows of 2016. Listen in to find out which productions and performances caught their attention and why. Stream Podcast 9: Download Podcast 9 here. (right-click and select ‘Save Link As’ on Windows;
Podcast 9: 2016 in Theatre Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (1200 words, 12-minute read) 2016 has seen a few biennales taking place in Southeast Asia. While we didn’t manage to attend each and every one of them, we’ve been reading all we could find about them. Here is a round-up of what we’ve come across. 1. Visayas Island Visual Artists Exhibition and Conference
An Atlas of Biennales: International Art Festivals in Asia Pacific 2016 Read More »
By Wei Er Xun, Finalist, Best Essay by an Emerging Art Writer Competition* (2700 words, 30-minute read) Introduction The stakes of exhibitions have always been high. Before the advent of the cinema, television and other mass media, large-scale exhibitions and world expos were primary sites for cultural exchange. As Maria Lind explains in a text
Singapore Biennale 2016: A/political Performance – Atlas of Mirrors in Context Read More »
Duration: 50 minutes Podcast co-hosts Kathy Rowland and Matt Lyon are joined by LASALLE School of Dance programme leader Melissa Quek, dance critic and educator Stephanie Burridge, and alumni of LASALLE’s School of Dance, Meta Setiawan, as they recap the past year in dance productions: their favourite shows of 2016, how Singapore audiences have received them, the
Podcast 8: 2016 in Dance Read More »
