Showing from 23 June – 22 July @ Victoria Theatre It’s a swinging bachelor’s dream come true: three beautiful air stewardesses, each taking her turn as his girlfriend… and each happily unaware of the others’ existence. Sounds impossible? Not if you’re Bernard, our modern-day Casanova! With careful, down-to-the-minute scheming, he’s managed to keep his hectic […]
19 – 25 June 2017: Singapore 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 »
Top picks art events in Jakarta, Bandung, and Bali from 19 June – 2 July 2017 JAKARTA This Ain’t California, 20 June 2017, 7 PM, Goethehaus, Jakarta Goethe Institut’s Arthouse Cinema is back this Tuesday with a screening of This Ain’t California by award-winning director Martin Persiel. The film tells a story of a group
19 June – 2 July 2017: Indonesia Read More »
By Eugene Koh (860 words, 7-minute read) If there is one word that could describe our current global political climate, that word could only be “absurd”. After all, in a world where presidents tweet gibberish and incumbent Prime Ministers robotically repeat campaign slogans, one could even go so far as to claim that the world
Just Absurd: “The Bald Soprano” by young & W!LD 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 »
By Alvin Lim (1860 words, 20-minute read) “I send you off like a lover.” – Zai Kuning, at the launch of Dapunta Hyang: The Transmission of Knowledge, 10 May 2017 With his palms over the bow, Zai launched the ship. At the stern, however, the ship was incomplete. All this, I sense, made the vessel
I Send You Off Like a Lover: SEA at Venice Biennale 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 »
YAYOI KUSAMA: Life is The Heart of a Rainbow, 10 – 7pm @ National Gallery Singapore Yayoi Kusama is one of the world’s most influential artists, and has played a crucial role in key art movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. The first major survey of her work in Southeast Asia, this exhibition focuses on
12 – 18 June: Singapore 2017 Read More »
Top Picks art events in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Solo from 12 – 18 June 2017 JAKARTA Hidup Mengalun Dendang – Pameran Sketsa S. Sudjojono, Now – 13 June 2017, Bentara Budaya Jakarta Indonesia knows S. Sudjojono as the Father of Modern Painting in Indonesia. He was the first man who introduced modernity in visual
12 – 18 June 2017: Indonesia 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 »
By Clara Cheong (470 words, 5-minute read) A Present Retrospective, an exhibition showcasing archival prints of propaganda artworks created between 1969 and 1972, by the late and widely renowned Cuban graphic artist René Mederos, is on show at Work Room Four, alongside works by five other established contemporary Vietnamese artists in response to the series. Felix
From Cuba to Vietnam: “A Present Retrospective” Read More »
By Myle Yan Tay Francis (played by Paul McCracken) asks the audience if they know that the play is based on a commedia dell’arte work from the 18th century. Greeted by silence, he smiles, thankful that there aren’t any “dicks in the audience”. This irreverent and fast-paced spirit keeps the production vibrant and alive. But
Centre 42 Citizens’ Review: “One Man, Two Guvnors” Read More »
By Selina Chong Tango is the first play commissioned by Pangdemonium, and what excites me most about it is that it is written by a young Singaporean. Playwright Joel Tan’s dialogue is rich and witty, capturing the Singaporean vernacular. For me, Tango is a story about sons. Kenneth (Koh Boon Pin) returns to Singapore with
Centre 42 Citizens’ Review: “Tango” 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 »
By Pavithra Raja (750 words, 8-minute read) Authentic everyday experiences took centre stage in Migrant Poetic Tales – an event held on 20 May to mark the beginning of Poetry Festival Singapore 2017. Booktique, a warm and quiet bookstore in the bustling CityLink Mall, provided an intimate space for the voices of poets to be
Migrant Poetic Tales: Poetry Festival Singapore 2017 Read More »
Family Ties – till 10 June 3:45pm @ National Gallery, Basement (Image features film “Rice Ball”) From Big Eyes Big Mind: “Family Ties is a collection of wonderful films that we recommend to ages 9 and up. However, at our recent screening, kids as young as 6 years-old appreciated the films and a 7 year-old
5 – 11 June 2017: Singapore Read More »
Top Picks of Art Performances and Events in Jakarta and Bali from 5 – 11 June 2017 JAKARTA Mencari Hilal, 6 June 2017, 7 PM, Goethehaus, Jakarta Goethe Indonesia ArtHouse Cinema returns this Ramadan season with Mencari Hilal on this coming Tuesday. Mencari Hilal is the story of the relationship between a religious father
5 – 11 June 2017: Indonesia Read More »
By Kathy Rowland (900 words, 5-minute read) Kenneth (Koh Boon Pin) and Liam (Emil Marwa) are a gay couple, fathers to their young son, Jayden (Dylan Jenkins). Kenneth’s ailing father, a fancy job and the chance for Jayden to connect with Kenneth’s home country bring them back to Singapore after many years in the UK.
Pangdemonium’s “Tango”: Of Specks and Logs 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
Room of Receipts: The Biennale of 2022 Read More »
By Elaine Chiew (1140 words, 12-minute read) Tofu sheets, latex skin, talcum, chocolate powder, milk. A meander through the fine art segment of the NAFA graduate showcase, titled as an ironic play on words, “The Grad Expectations 2017,” reveals two interesting strands: the unconventional materialities emergent in the current exhibition, and the play of intertextuality
Emergent Materialities and Intertextuality: The NAFA Graduate Showcase 2017 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 »
