“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 […]
Southeast Asia Stakes Its Claim in the Art World (via the New York Times) Read More »
“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
Oscar predictions: Cambodia frontrunner in best foreign language film category Read More »
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
The City and the Writer: In Singapore with Amanda Lee Koe (via Words Without Borders) Read More »
“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
What Else is Disappearing With Southeast Asia’s Mangrove Forests? (via the Nib) Read More »
“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
Singapore bans film focused on indicted Palestinian teen Read More »
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.
Teater Ekamatra’s “Angkat”: Uncarried Baggage Read More »
“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
The Museum Will Not Be Decolonised [UK] Read More »
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
8 – 14 January 2018: Singapore Read More »
“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
An interview with Indonesian filmmaker Mouly Surya [Sindie] Read More »
“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
Laos film festival nurtures big screen dreams Read More »
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
1 – 7 January 2018: Singapore Read More »
“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
“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
Myanmar artist wins at 2017 American Arts Awards Read More »
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,
Same same but different: ASEAN 50 at the Singapore Writers Festival 2017 Read More »
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
4 – 10 December 2017: Singapore Read More »
“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
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara Opens in Jakarta [Indonesia] Read More »
“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
Artists must challenge censorship [Malaysia] Read More »
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
Regional Forum on Creative Hubs: Connecting Creative Communities Read More »
“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
Myanmar art exposed Read More »
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
27 November – 3 December 2017: Singapore Read More »
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
Podcast 31: Emergency Stairs & Southernmost: One Table Two Chairs Project Read More »
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
20 – 26 November 2017: Singapore Read More »
“When contacted, the director, Karthik Shamalan, said, “At first when we received the email from Yellow Fever Indie Film, we were very surprised. We didn’t believe it until we saw the official announcement on their website!” He added, “We are very happy to win this award. This acknowledgement is a push to help us create
“For every writer, once in a rare while, a book comes along and really shakes you up, where (instead of that height/ceiling metaphor) I’d like to say instead, the floor drops on which you thought the legs of fiction stood. Victor Fernando Ocampo’s The Infinite Library and Other Stories did that for me. The ideas that power
“There’s K-pop, J-pop, Cantopop, and even Pinoy pop. But do we know what kind of music our ASEAN neighbors are producing? The dominance of Western music notwithstanding, ASEAN Music Festival organizer Annie Luis of the National Commision for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) wanted to put the spotlight on music from ASEAN member states, this
ASEAN Music Festival: After K-pop and J-pop, what about ASEAN-pop? [Philippines] Read More »
Dreamseeds Arts Fest by Club Rainbow, 18 – 25 Nov, *SCAPE An initiative by Club Rainbow (Singapore), Dreamseeds Arts Fest 2017 is a multi-experiential arts festival headlined by the non-profit organisation’s beneficiaries. Dreamseeds Arts Fest is an open-to-public inclusive arts platform that offers beneficiaries the opportunity to realise their creative potential and connect with a
13 – 19 Nov 2017: Singapore Read More »
“The Unsung Museum (Museum Tanpa Tanda Jasa) is a landmark, travelling exhibition that is currently crisscrossing the country and features miniature artworks that are big on cultural significance. The exhibition highlights the most important issues challenging Indonesia’s ongoing struggle for democracy since the nation’s colourful, fledgling journey began. These issues include tolerance of minority groups, along with ethnic, ideologically and
“PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil has bemoaned the lack of funding support for the arts, saying the impending closure of the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) is a result of it. Fahmi, who used to be active in theatre, said the situation should be a wake-up call for the government to show that it
Govt urged to help KLPac avoid shutdown [Malaysia] Read More »
“They have been harassed, threatened, publicly scorned and surrounded by large, aggressive mobs. They have been held behind bars, and faced the wrath of furious governments. Yet, they appear not to have lost their moral compass, their passion, or their hearts. Their “crime”? Art. Despite government pressure, Malaysia’s Zunar and South Korea’s Hong Sung-dam continue
Satirical Art Will Not Be Silenced [SEA] Read More »
“This year is the the 50th anniversary of Asean (Association Of Southeast Asian Nations). To commemorate this, the Asean-China Film Festival has been announced to establish a long-term exchange and cooperation platform for the Asean film industry, in line with China’s Belt and Road initiative. The inaugural Asean-China Film Festival will be held in Malaysia next month from
First Asean-China Film Festival to take place in Malaysia in December [SEA] Read More »
