All Aboard: Artists and Locals Come Together at Penang’s Hin Bus Depot
Penangites of a certain age still have fond memories of the Blue Bus that ran up and down the island until the 1980s. The company’s garage, built in 1947, sported a sleek Art Deco façade, still visible today. But years…
Malaysian Tamil Film “En Veettu Tottatil (The Farm)” Wins at Yellow Fever Indie Film Festival [Malaysia]
“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…
ArtsEquator’s Picks: Southeast Asian films at SGIFF 2017
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…
“Swordfish+Concubine”: Sebuah Teater Epik yang Dramatik
Oleh Fasyali Fadzly (886 patah kata, 8-minit bacaan) Pada 15 – 18 Disember tahun lalu, Swordfish+Concubine karya Kee Thuan Chye telah dipentaskan di dalam bahasa Mandarin di Pentas 2, KLPAC. Tidak sampai setahun, naskhah ini dipentaskan sekali lagi di KLPAC….
Govt urged to help KLPac avoid shutdown [Malaysia]
“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,…
First Asean-China Film Festival to take place in Malaysia in December [SEA]
“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…
Beautiful Gate Performing Arts Troupe, Malaysia
By Bilqis Hijjas (1240 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…
Ombak Potehi Performs in Tokyo [Malaysia]
“After a successful season of performances at the Heritage Celebrations, George Town Festival and Butterworth Fringe Festival in Penang, Ombak Potehi is set to perform in Tokyo from November 2 to 8, 2017. An outreach program of Ombak-Ombak ARTStudio, Ombak…
Does politics age as well as dance? [Malaysia]
“From 1–3 September 2017, the Chinese Malaysian dance community in Kuala Lumpur witnessed a historic event at Damansara Performing Arts Centre: the Malaysian premiere of ‘Boy Story’. Dancers Loo Jay Jen, Ong Yong Lock, Aman Yap Choong Boon, Ix Wong…
Art with hope and a conscience: Rebecca Duckett [Malaysia]
“Fresh off the (vacation) boat and ready to sail into George Town Festival 2017 (GTF 2017), Rebecca Duckett has been working around the clock with her artsy and nature-inspired pieces. She is one of several women artists from Korea, Taiwan,…
Rainforest Fringe Festival 2017: Where the Wild Things Are
By Akanksha Raja (1030 words, 8-minute read) The inaugural Rainforest Fringe Festival (RFF), a prelude to the renowned annual Rainforest World Music Festival, ran from 7 to 16 July 2017 in Kuching, capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The…
The all-female band breaking taboos in Malaysian music [Malaysia]
“Ahead of Ilu Leto’s appearance at this month’s Rainforest World Music Festival, Southeast Asia Globe grabbed a quick word with co-founder Alena Murang. Tell us a little about your band… We formed in 2017, so we’re quite new. There are only a…
No Escape from the C: Reflections on Censorship and Curation in the Pangrok Sulap case
By Carmen Nge (1110 words, 10-minute read) The dust appears to have settled on the recent controversy surrounding the removal of Malaysian art collective Pangrok Sulap’s artwork Sabah Tanah Air-Ku from the art exhibition, “Escape from the SEA”. Organized by…
Inaugural Kuala Lumpur Biennale to launch in November [Malaysia]
“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…
K.S. Maniam is still in Malaysia, slams Dewan Sastera’s erroneous essay [Malaysia]
Malaysian novelist K.S. Maniam is still based in Malaysia and has not left to the United States as claimed in Dewan Sastera recently. Government department, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), through its monthly Malay language magazine, Dewan Sastera had reported in its…
Lance Vun, Kuching’s Most Versatile Photographer
Why do you like street photography? See, for me, photos that really stand out are the one where a street moment is captured to show a unique story. With street photography, you get more freedom. You don’t have to give…
Menyanggah yang Ditegah dalam ‘Teater Modular’
Oleh Fasyali Fadzly (900 patah kata, 10 minit bacaan) Ridhwan Saidi mungkin nama yang agak asing bagi penggiat teater Malaysia namun beliau telah lama menempa namanya dalam penulisan kontemporari di Malaysia melalui penulisan novel, cerpen, artikel dan puisi. Beliau yang…
Activist Lena Hendry fined RM10,000 over unapproved documentary screening
KUALA LUMPUR: A human rights activist has been fined RM10,000 Wednesday by the magistrate’s court here for screening a Sri Lankan civil war documentary which had not been approved by the Censorship Board. Magistrate Mohd Rehan Mohd Aris sentenced Lena…
Happy Ending To Beauty and the Beast Controversy in Malaysia
PETALING JAYA: Just like the fairy tale itself, the controversy over Disney’s live-action film Beauty and the Beast will have a happy ending in Malaysia. According to an industry insider, the movie has been approved for release in Malaysia with…
How Sensitive is this Banner Artwork by Pangrok Sulap, Really?
Earlier today Malaysian landscape architect, Ng Sek San uploaded several images of Pangrok Sulap’s artwork, a collective of woodcut print pieces that had been removed from an exhibition for being err… too sediyes. To read the rest of this article click here.
Belasungkawa Rohani Yousoff: Pentas, Kelas dan Kertas
Oleh Shahrul Mizad Ashaari dan Fasyali Fadzly (774 patah kata, 10 minit bacaan) Rohani Yousoff atau lebih senang dipanggil dengan Kak Ani bagi penggiat teater merupakan salah seorang tokoh teater terpenting negara. Sumbangannya tidak terhad dalam bidang teater praktik tetapi…
To Biennale or Not To Biennale (Part II)
By Sunitha Janamohanan (2610 words, 30-minute read) This is the second of a two-part essay on origins and rise of biennales within the context of Malaysia’s aspirations for a world-class international visual art mega-exhibition. Read Part I here. Part II…
Malaysian Ho Yuhang’s ‘Mrs K’ to Open Osaka Asian Festival (via Variety)
Malaysian-Hong Kong action thriller “Mrs K” has been set as the opening film of the Osaka Asian Film Festival. The festival, which runs March 3-12, will close with the world premiere of teen music drama “Parks” by Osaka-born director Seta…
Art that Moves: Time and Tuition
By Lee Weng Choy (1114 words, 10 minute read) This essay is the first in a new series where artists and writers reflect on artworks that were personally important to them. Syria, climate change, Brexit, Trump, the loss of beloved…
16 – 22 Jan 2017: Malaysia
Gaslight Cafe presents Alena Murang, 17 Jan, 9pm Gaslight Cafe at Bukit Damansara shines the spotlight on young Bornean singer-songwriter Alena Murang, whose debut EP, Flight, was released last year. A graduate from the music programme at LASALLE College of the…
Faith in Tokyo: A review of ‘Nadirah’ and ‘Family’
by Mio Yachita (1,260 words, 10 minute read) 2016 was a busy year for theatregoers in Japan, and an especially fruitful one for those with an interest in Malaysia. The Kyoto Experiment 2016 (22 Oct – 13 Nov) featured the…
What’s in store for Malaysian arts and culture in 2017?
“Culture goes along with the evolution of society. You cannot be stagnant at one point with the hope that you can sustain it forever,” says Dr Mas Rynna. Read more at http://www.star2.com/topics/year-starter-2017/2017/01/01/this-year-the-arts-will-be-all-about-challenging-traditional-perceptions/#k6PeG2mc3jtKRi2D.99
19 – 25 Dec: Malaysia
RICHARD III 《理查三世》by The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat 22 – 25 Dec Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre In Mandarin with English and Mandarin surtitles, this rendition of Shakespeare’s historical classic about the ruthless and ambitious Richard III celebrates the 400th anniversary…