Akanksha Raja, Author at ArtsEquator

#therageisreal: tackling gender inequality, one play at a time (via Esplanade Singapore)

In the wake of sexual harassment scandals that dominated news headlines in the latter part of 2017, gender-based violence and discrimination have become a hot topic—and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop soon. Women (and some men) around the world are coming together to speak out against abuse (or lend support to those […]

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The Pangalay Dance in the Construction of Filipino Heritage (via Philippine Performance Archive)

This is an excerpt from “The Pangalay Dance in the Construction of Filipino Heritage” by Joelle Florence Patrice Jacinto. The research discusses how the Pangalay dance of the Tausug people was used as a heritage tool to support the construction of a Philippine culture. The paper was published on the Journal for the Anthropological Study of

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Podcast 32: ArtWalk Little India

Duration: 19 mins We’ve just begun 2018 and already our arts calendar is bursting with events, especially with the sixth edition of the annual Singapore Art Week around the corner. Among the slew of Art Week programmes is ArtWalk Little India, a multidisciplinary festival spanning the precinct of Little India. The ArtWalk, in its fourth

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Ghost Stories (via Mekong Review)

In her article, “The Persistent Presence of Cambodian Spirits: Contemporary Knowledge production in Cambodia”*, Courtney Work argues that the presence of spirits in Cambodian culture has been made a subjacent subject in the dialogue of empire, but that the human culture of this complex nation cannot be properly explained without reference to the “other-than-human world”.

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Filipino Sculptor Ben-Hur Villanueva (via Murphy Report)

Ben-Hur Villanueva is a sculptor who is not native to Baguio but has made his studio and home there. He says something about the place that drew him there, and continues to nourish the passion he has for his life’s work. His most recognized sculptures can be viewed at Bonifacioo Global City, Caleruega, and Baguio

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Yellow Music (via Mekong Review)

“We arrive at Dan Sinh market in Ho Chi Minh City on a sweltering afternoon. The monsoon season is just starting. After parking our scooters, we dive into the stands, which sell everything from army apparel to fruit and vegetables. A middle-aged man directs us to an antique stall. Immediately I spot discs inside a

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15 – 21 January 2018: Singapore

Acts of Voicing Artist Panel, Parkview Museum Singapore, 19 Jan, 3pm Moderated by Dr. Michelle Lim, Acts of Voicing is a dialogue session which presents the experiences of Singapore artists negotiating fields of artistic production and concept of the ‘international’. The practices and approaches of the shortlisted artists focus on revealing perspectives about society, narratives

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In Singapore, Buildings Made To Die (via the New York Times Style Magazine Singapore)

“Almost a decade ago, professor Jane M Jacobs burrowed herself in research. She was investigating how high-rise buildings were a solution to housing issues. There, she came across Glasgow’s Red Road Estate. The eight towers of apartments arrived at their end and were due to be razed to the ground. “Effectively, we watched a building ‘die’,”

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Southeast Asia Stakes Its Claim in the Art World (via the New York Times)

“Until recently — the 1990s, let’s say — an American critic keeping tabs on new art would concentrate on New York’s museums and galleries; cast an occasional, often dismissive eye on Western Europe; and perhaps try to visit Los Angeles now and again. No longer. By the ’90s the idea of a single avant-garde was

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Oscar predictions: Cambodia frontrunner in best foreign language film category

“The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is an annual awards show celebrating achievements in cinema across a number of categories from the past year. “First They Killed My Father” is among the 92 films on the Academy’s initial long list, which will be shot down to a handful before the final nominees are

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The City and the Writer: In Singapore with Amanda Lee Koe (via Words Without Borders)

Can you describe the mood of Singapore as you feel/see it? Singapore is how your favorite prawn noodle hawker auntie still remembers you take your meal with extra chili even after you’ve been out of town for six months; Singapore is the scrawny kid in the playground whose name no one can remember—until with showy

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What Else is Disappearing With Southeast Asia’s Mangrove Forests? (via the Nib)

“There’s no other place on Earth where such a variety of flora and fauna can flourish together. And it’s in danger.” View Kazimir Lee’s infographic-comic on Southeast Asia’s endangered mangrove forests on The Nib. Tags: comics infographic nature

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Singapore bans film focused on indicted Palestinian teen

“Singapore has banned a film festival from screening a documentary later this week that features a teenage Palestinian female activist whose arrest last month has made her a symbol of resistance to Israeli military occupation in the West Bank. Justifying the ban, authorities in the Southeast Asian city state said the film “Radiance of Resistance” was

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Teater Ekamatra’s “Angkat”: Uncarried Baggage

By Akanksha Raja (575 words, 5-minute read) Nabilah Said’s last staged play, Drip, had a wisecracking and irreverent script which, at its heart, was a story about family. The play looked at the struggle of finding a sense of belonging within one’s family when the wide rifts in beliefs and behaviours seem impossible to bridge.

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The Museum Will Not Be Decolonised [UK]

“The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us to temporarily beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.” Audre Lorde, 1978 Earlier this year, I was part of a group of co-curators invited to set up an exhibition at Birmingham Museum and

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8 – 14 January 2018: Singapore

Thought Lines – An exhibition by Berny Tan, at Supernormal, 333 Kreta Ayer Road, 11 – 28 Jan In her first solo exhibition, Berny Tan presents a new series of twenty abstract embroideries, reflecting on the medium’s obsessive nature through the repetitive motion of stitching. Each study is created by adhering to sets of written

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An interview with Indonesian filmmaker Mouly Surya [Sindie]

“Mouly Surya’s latest genre smash hit, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, was screened last month in Singapore as part of the 28th edition of the Singapore International Film Festival. A work that resists easy classification, SINdie had the privilege to catch Mouly and her effusive full-bodied laughter outside of her busy schedule for a

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Laos film festival nurtures big screen dreams

“Boating along a serene stretch of the Mekong River near the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, some passengers were overcome with emotion. “I screamed,” said Xaisongkham Induangchanty. “We all screamed.” Tears poured down Siege Ledesma’s face. “I cried ugly,” she confided. “Really ugly.” Their tears were an expression of joy, unrelated to the

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1 – 7 January 2018: Singapore

Missing: The City Of Lost Things 不见: 失物之城 by 戏剧盒 Drama Box, starting 6 Jan MISSING: The City of Lost Things is a participatory experience that sets up a personal and intimate journey for the audience to re-encounter a lost connection in their lives. It calls for you to step out of your comfort zone

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Celebrating Indonesian Modern Art: the Painting Collection of the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Indonesia – Senandang Ibu Pertiwi

“The 2016 inaugural presentation of the Painting Collection of the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Indonesia, 17/71, Goresan Juang Kemerdekaan (The Brushstrokes of the Independence Struggle), 2-30 August at the National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta, highlighted the relevance of art and culture to the nation. Officially opened on 17th August by the current Indonesian President Joko Widodo, on

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Myanmar artist wins at 2017 American Arts Awards

“U HLA TUN, a Myanmar fine artist, ranked first in Category 36 of 2017 American Arts Awards among international artists from more than 50 countries, including some ASEAN member countries, Asian countries and western states. Under the title of “Landscape with life”, his artwork “Going to the field” was selected as the world’s best landscape

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Same same but different: ASEAN 50 at the Singapore Writers Festival 2017

By Akanksha Raja (840 words, 8-minute read) “Language is born from imagination, and imagination is what makes language real. Without language, we have no memory: therefore, literacy (the mastery of language) is important. Our sense of language is the most intimate access to what is real, and our literature is our people’s memory; through language,

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4 – 10 December 2017: Singapore

Three Kin by T.H.E Dance Company, Esplanade Theatre Studio, 7 – 9 Dec Three Kin is leading contemporary dance group T.H.E Dance Company’s closing production for the 2017 season and part of the company’s annual headlining showcase of creations by acclaimed Singaporean and international guest choreographers. Performed by T.H.E’s full-time principal dancers, the triple bill

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Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara Opens in Jakarta [Indonesia]

“JAKARTA, Indonesia — For a city of its huge size — 10 million people — and economic heft, Jakarta lacked many things one might expect of a thriving Asian metropolis: a metro system, for one, as well as a major international modern and contemporary art museum. The metro system will be operational in 2019, but

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Artists must challenge censorship [Malaysia]

“Artists in Malaysia must speak out and challenge any effort by the authorities to control and dictate the direction of their work, said arts activist Raja Ahmad Aminullah. Raja Ahmad said the recent seizure of works during the Biennale Kuala Lumpur (KLB) 2017 exhibition shocked him, adding that he was disappointed at the lack of

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Regional Forum on Creative Hubs: Connecting Creative Communities

By Akanksha Raja (900 words, 8-minute read) The Regional Forum on Creative Hubs and Cities, organised by the British Council, took place at the Thailand Creative & Design Center (TCDC) on 10 October 2017. It was an extension of a research and mapping project conducted earlier this year by the Council, to chart creative hubs

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Myanmar art exposed

“After a controversy over terminology and a year’s preparation, the ambitious Yangon Art Expo has helped to create greater international interest in contemporary Myanmar art. U Aung Min of Yangon’s Magic Art Gallery declared last week’s Yangon Art Expo the best exhibition of Myanmar art for 100 years. Objectivity may have been elusive when the

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27 November – 3 December 2017: Singapore

ANWESHA-Beyond the darkness! by Maya Dance Theatre, 1 – 2 Dec, Drama Centre Black Box Daily stories of unsuspecting victims crumbling under its consequences increasingly populate the media and social forums. Anxiety, depression and pressure are regular features, yet the awareness and discussion on the extent of their impact on mental well-being is rarely discussed. Maya

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Podcast 31: Emergency Stairs & Southernmost: One Table Two Chairs Project

Duration: 30 min From 12 December to 24 December 2017, up-and-coming theatre group Emergency Stairs presents Southernmost: One Table Two Chairs Project, a first-of-its-kind intercultural arts festival in Singapore that focuses on intercultural dialogue, through the format of One Table Two Chairs. It seeks to bring prominent and established traditional and contemporary theatre artists from the

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20 – 26 November 2017: Singapore

BOOM! by Jean Tay, presented by The Callbacks, Drama Centre Theatre, 24 Nov 8pm The Callbacks once again presents a night of truth, humour and sentiment with their take on ‘Boom’ by Jean Tay. Centred on the struggle between a mother and son who are divided about their HDB property going en bloc, the play will

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Contributors

Akanksha Raja