Akanksha Raja, Author at ArtsEquator

Budget leaves arts and culture out in the cold (via The Star)

THE fact that arts and culture has the lowest priority in government planning was borne out by Budget 2019. Except for the RM30mil allocation for the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, there is no specific allocation for the creative industries of arts and culture to revitalise traditional arts and […]

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Weekly Picks: Singapore (12 – 18 November 2018)

667, a Film Screening by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, 17 – 18 November 2018 Here’s your chance to catch 667 《回程667》 as the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre celebrates the latest win of local filmmaker, Jun Chong, whose debut short film Ke《客》, was awarded the Best Asian Short at the 13th Sapporo International Short Film Festival. The

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Vietnam’s Award-Winning Documentary About a Trans Woman (via Saigoneer)

A critically acclaimed documentary about a member of Vietnam’s trans community will finally see an official premiere in Vietnam next month. Finding Phong, or Di Tim Phong in Vietnamese, tells the story of the titular character, a trans woman named Le Anh Phong who documented the journey from when she decided to undergo sex reassignment surgery to

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Ombak Potehi: the Malaysian group reviving traditional Hokkien puppetry (via SEA Globe)

In the performance room of Penang House of Music, a museum dedicated to the musical history of this Unesco-listed Malaysian island, a crowd claps excitedly. They are cheering the group of young performers who get up from behind the stage, fatigued and sweaty, holding colourful puppets high above their heads. Their performance tells the story

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Weekly Picks: Singapore (5 – 11 November 2018)

Bras Basah.Bugis Art Sprawl, Handy Road Open Space, outside The Cathay, 9 – 10 November The Bras Basah.Bugis Arts Sprawl is a two-day event that offers an eclectic line-up of arts and heritage offerings for visitors young and old, held along Handy Road Open Space outside The Cathay. ‘Art sprawlers’ can indulge in some “me

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Dramaturgy Under Capitalism (via Exeunt)

At first encounter, it’s a terrifying word. The first time I came across the title I was still at school, and had just become angrily aware of the existence of Ben Power, a person who somehow had my ideal job. Now the first ever deputy artistic director at the National Theatre, at that point he

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26th ENCATC Congress: Beyond European Year of Cultural Heritage – Key Reflections (via culture360.ASEF.org)

The 26th ENCATC Congress on Cultural Management and Policy on “Beyond EYCH2018. What is the cultural horizon? Opening up perspectives to face ongoing transformations” concluded recently in Bucharest, Romania and looked to cultural priorities in Europe beyond EYCH or the European Year of Cultural Heritage in 2018. ENCATC is the European network on cultural management and policy. Maria Sharon Mapa Arriola tells us

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Weekly Picks: Singapore (29 October – 4 November 2018)

Southernmost: One Table Two Chairs Project 2018 by Emergency Stairs, Centre 42, 3 – 10 Nov Catch Southernmost: One Table Two Chairs Project 2018 from 3 to 11 Nov 2018 at Centre 42 – an arts festival for the future presented by experimental theatre company Emergency Stairs. Immerse yourself in a week of artistic experimentation and dialogue across art forms, cultures,

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Staring down the male gaze: Chuu Wai Nyein (via Frontier Myanmar)

A quick squeeze of a breast and the motorbike-riding groper was already vanishing into the Mandalay traffic. Ma Chuu Wai Nyein barely saw it happen. It would have been easy to forget and not make a scene, as usual, and perhaps that’s what she would have done if she were the victim. But the groper

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On the Indonesian Dance Festival with Maria Darmaningsih

As part of ArtsEquator’s series of interviews profiling festival directors in Southeast Asia, we get to learn more about Maria Darmaningsih, co-founder and current artistic director of the bi-annual Indonesian Dance Festival (IDF), which was launched in 1992. Its 14th edition this year runs from 6 – 10 November 2018 with pre-event programmes taking place before

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Some Southeast Asian picks from the Busan International Film Festival (via Bangkok Post)

How do Aceh and Japan, two places that seem unrelated, separated by a vast distance of land and sea, connect on the personal and historical level? For one, they both have been hit by a tsunami — Aceh in the massive tragedy that struck many parts of Southeast Asia in 2004 and Japan in 2011.

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Vietnam to Ban Gratuitous Smoking in Movies, Stage Productions (via Saigoneer)

Starting from November, filmmakers will need to carefully deliberate their decision to include smoking in their works or risk the ire of the culture ministry. As Tuoi Tre reports, from November 15 this year, Circular 25 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on smoking in theatrical works will officially take effect, tightening the ministry’s control

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Weekly Picks: Singapore (22 – 28 October 2018)

ETHNI-CITY III – Kali Yuga by SAtheCollective, LASALLE College of the Arts, Flexible Performance Space, 26 – 27 October Kali Yuga is the latest installment of ETHNI-CITY, and it’s slated to be held this October. It’s name is inspired by Sanskrit scripture and the Mahabharata. The multidisciplinary work is designed with the hope of raising awareness to

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[Podcast] Arts Apart: Where Are Sabah and Sarawak in the Malaysian Arts? (via BFM)

With Malaysia Day just around the corner, there is a lot of conversation happening about East Malaysia. But why do Sabah and Sarawak mostly come to our minds only when it is time to celebrate Malaysia Day? The arts and culture industries, too, are not exempt from being problematic with issues like inclusion and representation

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Weekly Picks: Singapore (15 – 21 September 2018)

Because it’s Fun by The Fool Theatre 愚者剧场, Drama Centre Black Box, 12 – 21 October The inaugural production for The Fool Theatre, Because it’s Fun shows how bullying is omnipresent in our society and how it affects our mental well-being. Don’t miss this mind-blowing new play by playwright Tung Ka Wai and artistic director Xavier Kang, founders

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Akanksha Raja

Coda Culture: A Space for Freedom

As told to Akanksha Raja In the latest instalment in our series covering independent art spaces in Southeast Asia, ArtsEquator.com spoke with artist Seelan Palay to learn about his practice, his inspirations, and his journey setting up the independent alternative art space Coda Culture, at 803 King George’s Avenue in Singapore. Here’s what he shared

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Yangon’s well loved Palace of Literature (via The Myanmar Times)

The four storey yellow painted building with big masonry work of books in black and white pages for its motif loomed high at the corner of Merchant Road and 37th street. Its architecture stands out from other commercial buildings in its environs. It is known as Sarpay Beikman Building or BTS (Burma Translation Society) Building,

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nor Reclaims the Transgender Experience from Mainstream Media (via Frieze)

The walls of nor’s exhibition, ‘In Love’, are painted millennial pink. Photographs are displayed on the walls, salon-style, in an assortment of frames donated by the artist’s friends. Fairy lights line the ceiling. A sizeable bed sits in the middle of the humble room. Located on the second floor of a housing block, Lea’s exhibition

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Vietnamese director’s debut feature The Third Wife wins award at Toronto Film Festival

The directorial debut from Nguyen Phuong Anh, also known as Ash Mayfair, won the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) award at last week’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The Third Wife tells the story of a 14-year-old girl in northern Vietnam who becomes the third wife of a wealthy 19th-century landowner and must learn the

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Tan Thian Chang

“The Misinterpreted Futures of George Town 2068”: Missing Futures

By Akanksha Raja (960 words, four-minute read) Prior to stepping into the mystifying world of The Misinterpreted Futures of George Town 2068, I was curious and fascinated by that science-fictioney title, coupled with the exciting premise of a performance with no performers: the technical elements of the show (lights, sound design, video projections) perform in

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Cartoonist Zunar on his sedition charges & fight for political reform (via Star2)

It’s a Saturday afternoon at a major bookstore in the Gardens Mall in Kuala Lumpur. A small crowd has gathered for a session with Malaysian cartoonist Zunar. Zunar, looking dapper in a black jacket, is candid as he speaks. His jokes elicit a lot of heavy laughter. “If you look at my books now, they

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Weekly Picks: Singapore (24 – 30 September 2018)

鞭爱 Oedipus by Toy Factory Productions Toy 肥料厂, NOWPlaying@17, 17A Smith Street, 21, 22, 28, 29 Sep 2018 鞭爱 Oedipus by Toy Factory Productions presents the case of a senseless murder where a severely disabled man Wang Jia Hao has whipped his 50 year old mother to death. An officer fights to uncover the truth

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MervEspina and the Green Papaya Art Projects (via The Myanmar Times)

With the support of Japan Foundation and collaboration of Myanm/Art, MervEspina, artist and researcher from Philippines talked about Green Papaya Art Projects whose essence can be rendered as ‘never ripe, never rotten’. The talk was moderated by Aung Myat Htay, artist and curator from Myanmar. Attended by about 30 people, including artists, curators, art students,

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The photographer capturing the eerie illustrations of Thai legend Hem Vejakorn (via SEA Globe)

Photographer Pattana Chuenmana has reimagined the illustrations of Hem Vejakorn, a well-known Thai artist and writer, in moving black-and-white still images. Chuenmana talks with Southeast Asia Globe about his latest project. After Hem Vejakorn pays homage to the revered illustrator who was famed for his ghost stories. Chuenmana stresses the importance of the era Vejakorn lived in, when

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AExGTF Chats: Charlie Lim and .gif in George Town

On the closing weekend of the George Town Festival, ArtsEquator interviewed Singaporean musician Charlie Lim and indie-electronic music duo .gif who were in Penang to perform at China House, along with other Singaporean musical acts including Tabitha Nauser and Yung Raja. The artistes were in George Town as part of Connexions: Passion Made Possible, a

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U Maung Maung’s blast from the past (via The Myanmar Times)

To some people, these maybe nothing more than trash, some useless pieces of equipment from a forgotten past, but to others these are rare gems that brought back some bittersweet memories from not so long ago, when strife of all kinds – from World War I, World War II, up to the cold war era

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“7Voices 2.0” by Yayasan Chow Kit and Dramalab at George Town Festival 2018

By Akanksha Raja (830 words, four minute read) Before entering the performance space on the first floor lobby of The Whiteaways Arcade where 7Voices 2.0 takes place, my friend Denise and I are approached by two young “inspectors” demanding documentary proof that we were children. After I display on my phone an old photograph of

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On The Level with Theatre Students of Taiwan and Thailand (via The Nation)

A new Taiwan-Thailand drama school collaboration is as delectable as pineapple tarts. One of the joys of attending a student theatre work – when it’s not the typical graduation project for which many of the aspiring artists have to do what their professors prescribe to get good grades –is that we can feel the energy,

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Biennale seen posing challenges for artists (via The Nation)

The Bangkok Art Biennale beginning on October 19 will have as its theme “Beyond Bliss”. The event puts the Thai capital along cities around the world, from Berlin to Beijing, that host biennials, bringing together creative minds to construct their own unique narratives. The themes are always thought provoking and past events have run the

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Those Long Haired Nights: Filipino film highlights struggle for transgender rights (via SEA Globe)

With its true-to-life representation of transgender sex workers in Manila, Gerardo Calagui’s 2017 film Those Long Haired Nights is not afraid to court controversy. Southeast Asia Globe spoke with the Filipino director about the film and the challenges facing the LGBT+ community in his homeland. Tell me a bit about the film… The story is about three transgender women

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Akanksha Raja