“The stories of Javanese cultural hero, Prince Panji Inu Kertapati, dating from the 13th century, mark the development of a truly Javanese literature that was no longer overshadowed by the great Indian epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Set among the eastern Javanese kingdoms, the stories tell of Panji’s search for his beloved Princess Candra Kirana, before the two […]
Tales of Panji [Indonesia] Read More »
“Sophal Neak was born in Takeo, a province in southern Cambodia, in 1989. Since 2011, her works—in particular her photographs—have been showcased across Asia, Europe and Australia. Her unique and uncompromising take on history and people, as well as her distinctive and powerful vision, has played an important role in contributing to the cultural re-awakening
Photographing the Soul of Cambodia: Interview with Sophal Neak [Cambodia] Read More »
Art that Moves is an occasional series where we ask artists and other creative workers to reflect on artworks, performances or events that were personally important to them. This article is also one of three pieces on ArtsEquator this week focusing on the people, plays and processes of The Necessary Stage, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Aside
Art That Moves: Embracing the Off Centre Read More »
“Ahead of Ilu Leto’s appearance at this month’s Rainforest World Music Festival, Southeast Asia Globe grabbed a quick word with co-founder Alena Murang. Tell us a little about your band… We formed in 2017, so we’re quite new. There are only a few professional female sape players around – three of us are based in Kuala Lumpur
The all-female band breaking taboos in Malaysian music [Malaysia] Read More »
This article is one of three pieces on ArtsEquator this week focusing on the people, plays and processes of The Necessary Stage, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Aside from Archive Fever, we also feature Felipe Cervera’s profile of Alvin Tan, and Akanksha Raja’s personal reflection on Off Centre. Shawn Chua and Edlyn Ng have been nose
The Necessary Stage’s Archive Fever Read More »
“The lights go down and the actors walk on stage, transforming into familiar figures – teachers, administrators, students – with mannerisms, cadence and a liberal use of ‘Singlish’ that offers a reflection of their audience. The first words that explode out of a teenage actor’s mouth is a string of Hokkien curses. “Work so hard! Rehearse
Taking to the stage with Singapore’s most fearless theatre company [Singapore] Read More »
“This year, the spaces that we have come to love as theatre studios, and theatre spaces have become much colder, and more hostile, yet at the same, they have come to encompass the change that has been impending. As a theatregoer, it is observable that somehow our community has fractured to those who can afford
untitled (performance) space [Singapore] Read More »
Duration: 16 min The SDEA (Singapore Drama Educators Association) Theatre Arts Conference took place at Goodman Arts Centre from 30 June to 1 July 2017. SDEA‘s mission is to advance the profession of the drama/theatre educator and advocating for the practice and value of drama and theatre. The conference comprises workshops, panel discussions, masterclasses and other
Podcast 18: Forum Theatre in Myanmar; SDEA Theatre Arts Conference Read More »
Duration: 13 min There’s fresh blood on the theatre scene! This time, get to know Wag the Dog, a new theatre company structured on the co-operative model – the first of its kind in Singapore. We chat with founding member and actress Krissy Jesudason, who shares with us more about how the team came together, what
Podcast 17: Wag the Dog; Co-op Theatre Read More »
Dutch researcher and lecturer in Indonesian Studies at the University of Melbourne, Edwin Jurriëns has just published a book with Routledge called “Visual Media in Indonesia”, where he analyses how in Indonesia, in the age of digital communication and global capitalism, people’s mental, social and natural environments are interconnected. Every new book of Edwin Jurriëns
By Kathy Rowland (2100 words, 20-minute read) ArtsEquator sat down for an in-depth interview with Noorlinah Mohamed about her role as the Director of the O.P.E.N, the challenges of programming for diverse publics, and her feelings about saying goodbye to the O.P.E.N community. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. ArtsEquator (AE): The
Full Circle: Interview with Noorlinah Mohamed Read More »
By Carmen Nge (1110 words, 10-minute read) The dust appears to have settled on the recent controversy surrounding the removal of Malaysian art collective Pangrok Sulap’s artwork Sabah Tanah Air-Ku from the art exhibition, “Escape from the SEA”. Organized by the Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur (JFKL), “Escape from the SEA” was a group exhibition featuring
No Escape from the C: Reflections on Censorship and Curation in the Pangrok Sulap case Read More »
“On June 15, Thai soldiers forced their way into two Bangkok galleries that were hosting exhibitions by two young Thai contemporary artists whose works reflect on their homeland’s political landscape. The military took down three collages by photographer Harit Srikhao that were part of the “Whitewash” exhibition at Gallery Ver. Next door in Cartel Artspace,
Thai Soldiers Censor Art Exhibition in Bangkok [Thailand] Read More »
It was a dull day in music class that ignited a rebellion in three Indonesian teenage girls. Poring over their school teacher’s music collection, the hijab-wearing schoolgirls from conservative West Java discovered a trove of heavy metal. “I just fell in love with metal since that first time I heard it. It felt so rebellious,”
The schoolgirl thrash metal band smashing stereotypes in Indonesia [Indonesia] Read More »
“The Philippines has demonstrated a robust cinema industry over the past seven decades, with a prolific commercial scene aimed at local audiences, and an internationally acclaimed social realist movement dating back to the 1970s. But few outside of the country are aware of the Philippines’ love of cinema, its diversity of film styles, and its
New golden age dawns in Philippine cinema [Philippines] Read More »
“By law, domestic workers in Singapore are entitled to one day off per week. Many spend it at church, or with friends. On Sundays East Coast Park, a long, narrow stretch of greenery by the Singapore Strait, is crowded with women laughing and picnicking together. But some forego the outdoors, and take a cramped, rickety
How Kurt Vonnegut is helping migrants find their voice [Singapore] Read More »
By Alan Oei and Lee Weng Choy (1330 words, 14-minute read) Lee Weng Choy (a former artistic co-director of The Substation) and Alan Oei (the current artistic director of The Substation and also director of OH! Open House) have known each other for about 20 years. They met in the late 1990s when Alan was
“Professional Obligations” in the Artworld Read More »
“Two unlikely hits this year have thrust independent Philippine cinema into the global spotlight and shown, filmmakers say, that freedom of expression remains in the country despite the shadow of martial law that’s currently hanging over it. Jun Robles Lana’s “dramedy” Die Beautiful was a surprise commercial success following its general release during the Metro
Filmmakers adamant free expression alive in Philippines [Philippines] Read More »
“A Cambodian Spring, a documentary that chronicles the lives of three activists as they fight evictions and rights abuses in the run-up to the 2013 national election, was awarded Best Feature Documentary at the Brooklyn Film Festival on Sunday. The two-hour documentary, which took Irish filmmaker Chris Kelly nine years to make, won the prestigious award
‘A Cambodian Spring’ Wins at Brooklyn Film Fest [Cambodia] Read More »
By Eva Wong Nava (1390 words, 14-minute read) Pumpkins, phalli, polka dots, stainless steel balls. These are the iconographies of YAYOI KUSAMA (b. 1929), the influential Japanese artist, who is equally famous for her commission by Louis Vuitton to imprint her [in]famous dots on their emblematic handbags and clothing line. Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition at the
YAYOI KUSAMA: Life is the Heart of the Rainbow, National Gallery Singapore Read More »
“As I step into the Jogja National Museum – ready to absorb the pieces on display, to analyze cultural and aesthetic values, maybe freshen up my Instagram feed – I’m greeted by a number of giant, psychedelic-looking eyeballs resting suspiciously in still pools. A grotesquely adorable eyeball-tree looms over me on three legs. I must be
ART JOG 2017 | Fresh Paradigms [Indonesia] Read More »
“She enters the space to sounds of beating Indonesian drums. Stepping on 20 slabs of butter positioned in the center of the floor, she starts to dance; the movements of her body become faster and faster as the beats accelerate. She slips and falls, hitting the floor, but rises and continues. As the butter melts,
Unspoken Language: Melati Suryodarmo [Indonesia] Read More »
“The city of Kuala Lumpur is set to join the cultural ranks of Shanghai, Busan, Taipei, Singapore and many more with the first-ever Kuala Lumpur Biennale (KLB) International Arts Exhibition. The National Visual Arts Gallery (NVAG) of Malaysia is organizing the event across multiple locations in the Malaysian capital, including the Kuala Lumpur City Centre
Inaugural Kuala Lumpur Biennale to launch in November [Malaysia] Read More »
AICA Singapore Biennale 2016 Roundtable 3: Maybe it’s better this way, We’d hurt each other with the things we want to say [1] “Tell me about the biennale you want to see”, was the question posed to the writers engaged in the third AICA roundtable on the Singapore Biennale, convened by Qinyi Lim. The result
“In an historical decision, Taiwan’s top court has ruled in favour of gay marriage. The May 26 verdict raised the hopes of many LGBT activists throughout the region, especially in China and Vietnam. As is all too common worldwide, homophobia causes suffering in Vietnam, where until 2000 it was illegal for gay couples to live
The pioneering queer artists who opened Vietnam to gay culture [Vietnam] Read More »
By Yen Nie Yong (870 words, 10-minute read) Zanele Muholi, recipient of the 2016 International Center of Photography’s Infinity Award for Documentaries and Photojournalism, had her piercing gaze fixed on one of Kyoto’s most well-known backstreets recently. She was looking at the cherry blossom trees that had shed all its pinkness and had turned
Queer. Black. African. Woman: Zanele Muholi at Forum Kyoto Read More »
Duration: 23 min Dr Stephanie Burridge is joined in the studio by choreographer and dancer Bernice Lee to discuss Flamenco Sin Fronteras‘ The Elements, an original flamenco dance production that blends the traditional Andalusian form with the ancient Chinese philosophy of the five elements. This experimental fusion is characteristic of the company’s “without borders” practice,
Podcast 16: “The Elements” by Flamenco Sin Fronteras Read More »
“When we talk about photography, oftentimes we talk about those in the frontlines, the photographers and artists, and forget the facilitators behind the scenes who are just as committed in their efforts and contributions. Here are some of our favourite advocates, all ten of whom are women…” See the entire list at Invisible Photographer Asia. Tags:
Ten Women Behind Photography in Asia Read More »
“Bangkok Theatre Festival Asia Focus 2017, one of four major events being organised in the field of digital, creative, culture and high-value services as part of the government’s plan to make Thailand into the international and mega-event hub in Asia, will be held at Thonglor Art Space from May 26 to June 4. One of
Love, life and theatre [Thailand] Read More »
“President Tran Dai Quang has asked artists and writers to show stronger performance in implementing the Party and State’s orientations in building literature and art in the new period as well as developing the culture and people of Vietnam to suit the requirements of the country’s sustainable development. The President made the request while addressing
Artists, writers urged to promote culture, people development [Vietnam] Read More »
