2017 was an eventful year for the arts in Singapore, full of the promising and the problematic. While there were the good, such as new projects and plans to develop the cultural landscape in exciting ways, there were also the not so good: controversies or conflicts that have spawned endless debates and infinite scrolling through […]
Ten Newsmakers of the Year in the Arts Read More »
Bold and unrelenting, Shuttle Life 《分贝人生》is an emotionally-charged social drama about Malaysia’s urban poor, offering a poignant insight into privilege and powerlessness in modern Kuala Lumpur. Featuring strong performances and gritty cinematography, the film marks an award-winning feature debut for director Tang Seng Kiat, clinching Best Film, Best Actor and Best Cinematography in the Asian
“Shuttle Life 《分贝人生》”: Grief and Powerlessness in Modern Malaysia Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Yogyakarta from 11 – 17 December 2017 JAKARTA Alur Bunyi – Indra Perkasa, 14 December 2017, 8 PM, Goethehaus, Jakarta Alur Bunyi is Goethe Institut’s musical series under its Listening Differently performance series. Alur Bunyi presents performances that juxtapose electronic music against other genres of
11 – 17 December 2017: Indonesia Read More »
In May, actor Shrey Bhargava, 21, shared on Facebook his experience auditioning for the latest Ah Boys To Men, where he was told to exaggerate an Indian accent and “make it funny”. His post pointed to the proliferation of racial stereotyping and caricaturing in Singaporean cultural media and the need for more nuanced representation of minority
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Bali from 4 – 10 December 2017 JAKARTA Goro-goro: Bhineka Keramik, Now – 12 December 2017, Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta “Goro-goro: Bhineka Keramik” is a rare exhibition by Indonesian famous funny man, actor and critic Butet Kartaredjasa. The exhibition will present 90 of Butet’s paintings
4 – 10 December 2017: Indonesia Read More »
Kirsten Tan’s debut feature film POP AYE, became the first Singaporean film to win the prestigious Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Screenwriting in January. The film is a road trip tale about the bond between an aging architect and an elephant, set in Thailand. Her victory was lauded by Prime
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Yogyakarta from 27 November – 3 December 2017 JAKARTA Enam Belas Film Festival, Now – 10 December 2017, various venues, Jakarta Enam Belas Film Festival (16FF) is a 16-day film festival to raise awareness and campaign against violence towards women. As part of this festival,
27 November – 3 December 2017: Indonesia Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta, Bandung, and Bali from 20 – 26 November 2017 JAKARTA Senandung Simfoni Pertiwi, 20 November 2017, 7:30 PM, Teater Jakarta, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta Senandung Simfoni Pertiwi is Jakarta City Philharmonic Orchestra’s last concert of the year. For this last concert, the JCP presents an anthology
20 – 26 November 2017: Indonesia 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
By Meta Setiawan Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) returns this year from 23 November to 3 December 2017, presenting an exciting array of films from Singapore, the region and all other corners of the world. ArtsEquator.com is excited to see the range of films from the region at SGIFF this year. Our Indonesian correspondent, Meta Setiawan,
ArtsEquator’s Picks: Southeast Asian films at SGIFF 2017 Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta, Padang, Yogyakarta, and Bali from 13 – 19 November 2017 JAKARTA Lukisan Tanpa Teori, Now – 23 November 2017, Galeri Cipta III, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta. A painting essentially is made up of brushes of paints on a canvas. Is there really a need for theory
13 – 19 November 2017: Indonesia 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 »
“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 »
German Film Festival by Goethe-Institut Singapore, various venues and timings from 2 – 12 November 2017 The German Film Festival will present its 21st edition in 2017 over two weeks. This year, more than 30 ambitious and fascinating films will provide a unique insight into contemporary life in Germany
30 Oct – 5 Nov 2017: Singapore Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Banda from 30 October – 5 November 2017 JAKARTA Japanese Film Festival, 2 – 7 November 2017, CGV Grand Indonesia, Jakarta Organised by the Japan Foundation, the Japanese Film Festival is a celebration of Japanese cinema outside of Japan. This year’s festival is held
30 Oct – 5 Nov 2017: Indonesia Read More »
By Marcus Yee (872 words, 8-minute read) A time capsule of a film on time capsules, Tan Pin Pin’s latest film In Time To Come is underpinned by a confounding observation: Singapore’s national obsession with time capsules, despite the nation-state’s short post-independence history. The otherwise plotless film follows three time capsules, the sealing of two time capsules
Tan Pin Pin’s “In Time To Come”: On the Edge of a Snow-Globe Starburst Read More »
By Elaine Chiew (1350 words, 10-minute read) The stitching together of alternative histor(ies) within artistic exploration as a kind of “false radical chic”, to borrow Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen’s term[1], can cloud the tougher question of where lies the artist’s burden of truth when playing with history. The four artists showcased in Ghosts and
“Ghosts and Spectres”: The Burden of History and Artistic Narration Read More »
9th Love & Pride Film Festival by Golden Village and Singapore Film Society, various GV cinemas, 27 Sept – 8 Oct Curated by the Singapore Film Society (SFS), Golden Village’s 12-day Love & Pride Film Festival returns for its 9th year, featuring a bold lineup of six internationally acclaimed
2 – 8 October: Singapore Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Padang Panjang from 2 – 8 October 2017 JAKARTA Sayang, Sayangilah Jiwamu, 6-8 October 2017, Kineforum, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta In this 21st century, it is still rather difficult to discuss mental disturbances openly despite the fatal effect of such disturbance. In an effort
2 – 8 October 2017: Indonesia Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Bali from 25 Sep – 1 Oct 2017 JAKARTA Memoria: Five Indonesians Shorts Films, 26 September 2017, 7 PM, Goethehaus, Jakarta This week’s Goethe Art Films presents 5 Indonesian Short Films. They are Pulang ke Indonesia, Sendiri Diana Sendiri, Memoria, Lemantun, Prenjak. All five
25 September – 1 October 2017: Indonesia Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Bandung and Jakarta from 18 – 24 Sep 2017 BANDUNG Prabu Perdana – Artist Collaboration Month, Now – 26 September 2017, SemAta Gallery, Bandung SemAta Gallery is one of the very few art galleries that focus on children. It is a children art center in Bandung that
18 – 24 September 2017: Indonesia Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Sumba, Jakarta, and Bali from 11 – 17 Sep 2017 SUMBA FEMART Sumba – Art & Peace Festival, 14 – 16 September 2017, Sumba FEMART is a peace & art gathering with a focus of bringing the Women Peace Table to Sumba and the province of Nusa
11 – 17 September 2017: Indonesia Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Bali from 28 Aug – 3 Sep 2017 JAKARTA Jakarta Dance Meet Up, 30 August 2017, 7 PM, Gedung Kesenian Jakarta Organized by the Jakarta Arts Council’s Dance Committee, the Jakarta Dance Meet Up is back for its second time at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta.
28 August – 3 September 2017: Indonesia Read More »
MAC at The Movies @ Hero’s, 26 July, 8pm “We’re going to the movies in July. It’s FREE and you decide what we watch.” July is the birth month of Robin Williams and we can’t think of a better person to honour in our first movie event. Doors 7pm. Showtime 8pm.
24 – 30 July 2017: Singapore Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Bandung, Jakarta, Yogyakarta from 24 – 30 July 2017 BANDUNG Inspyro Moves Dance Workshop, 29 – 30 July 2017, Jl. Karapitan No. 53, Bandung, Indonesia Calling all Bandung dancers! Come and join Inspyro Moves 2-day workshops where you can take various classes given by dancers from the
24 – 30 July 2017: Indonesia Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya from 17 – 23 July 2017 JAKARTA Octavio Paz, Jorge Amado Dan Pemikiran Modern, 22 July 2017, 4 PM, Serambi Salihara Literature reacts towards modern thinking through various ways. They often critique or offer a mix of modern world to the local thinking
17 – 23 July 2017: Indonesia Read More »
By Dan Koh (1,231 words, 6-minute read) At the inaugural Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab in Bangkok last week, some of us participants chatted about how close we live to each other regionally, but how far it actually feels, with opportunities to convene and collaborate like SEAFIC remaining far and few between. Curated by Tan
Three O.P.E.N. Southeast Asian Documentaries Read More »
Good day art lovers! Here are some fun picks happening this week. Being Haresh Sharma by The Necessary Stage (in collaboration with CAKE theatre), 29 June – 1 July 2017, 8pm & 1 – 2 July 2017, 3pm. @Drama Centre Theatre, National Library Level 3 Being Haresh Sharma is a work helmed by Cake Theatrical Productions’ Natalie Hennedige
26 June – 2 July: Singapore 2017 Read More »
By Ben Valentine (1091 words, 10-minute read) The Asia Europe Foundation’s Culture360 and ArtsEquator present a series of 5 co-commissioned articles that look at arts groups, artists and performances in Southeast Asia that are comprised of or address artists with disabilities. In this first article, Ben Valentine meets with Epic Arts, a Cambodian arts group that
Epic Arts, Cambodia Read More »
