The first known image of the crocodile, shot in 1887 at the mouth of the Serangoon River. Photo: Original photographer, owner and copyright unknown. Reproduced in Tan, Kevin, Y.L. Of Whales and Dinosaurs. The Story of Singapore’s Natural History Museum. National University of Singapore Press 2015 pp 42-43
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
Duration: 19 min In our latest podcast, art critic Pristine de Leon gives a comprehensive overview of the media landscape in the Philippines, discussing challenges to the practice and the new platforms that are paving the way for creative, incisive and timely forms of arts criticism. This presentation was part of a series of Country
Podcast 60: The Media Landscape in the Philippines Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
By Chloe Chotrani (1,130 words, 6-minute read) The 10th anniversary edition of Binary – International Artist Showcase presented two returning artists to the festival. Last performed here in 2013, Stigma is a dark and enigmatic solo by highly acclaimed Danish artist Kitt Johnson; while Shintaro Oue presents『談ス』(Dan-su), the Singapore premiere of an adventurous and uncertain
Binary at M1 CONTACT 2019: Breaking all the rules with “Stigma” and “Dan-su” Read More »
By Corrie Tan (2,700 words, 13-minute read) Content Warning: Mentions of a sexual relationship involving a teenager This response contains major spoilers for Blunt Knife by Eng Kai Er and A Doll’s House by Theatre of Europe. Dear Kai, You invited us to write to you after the performance. So here I am, writing.
Transgression, triggers, and the thousand cuts of “Blunt Knife” Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
Landscape and memory – grand themes in the analysis of culture – came together at the Sharjah Biennial 14 (SB14) in the most unexpected ways. Perhaps for the outsider, like me, who had scant knowledge of both the Biennial or the United Arab Emirates before deciding to travel, the six days were an absolute eye-opener.
Sharjah Biennial 14: Embarrassment of Riches Read More »
[Updated as of 27 June 2019] Ten Years After: Call for articles on Asian cinema TEN YEARS AFTER is a special online-only edition of NANG magazine organised in memory of Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc, two committed young film critics who were murdered in Manila in 2009. NANG is an independent print-only magazine dedicated to cinema in
Open Call and Opportunities: June 2019 (Singapore/SEA) Read More »
Having securely fastened the headgear, I am submerged into the virtual world of Frogman. The instructional voice of the Queensland Jury service informs me through an earpiece that I have been selected at random to join a jury. I am accompanied by 49 others seated on swivel chairs arranged in two tiered rows surrounding the
Reconstructing the Virtual in “Frogman” Read More »
By Akanksha Raja and Ke Weiliang (1,444 words, 6-minute read) The inaugural Asian Arts Media Roundtable (AAMR) took place between 24 to 25 May 2019 at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore. Organised by ArtsEquator, the two-day gathering of over 20 arts journalists, critics, editors and members of the media and cultural industries from ten
Asian Arts Media Roundtable 2019: When Asian Critics Meet Read More »
The M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival returns this year for its 10th edition with 20 shows and over 30 classes and workshops. Returning platform DiverCity, which in past years was combined with M1 Open Stage, stands on its own this year with three new creations by up-and-coming Singaporean dance artists: NAMUH by Amelia Chong; Disappearing Act
“Disappearing Act” “NAMUH” “DBL.TAP”: What’s In A Name? DiverCity at M1 CONTACT Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
By Nabilah Said (1,887 words, 7-minute read) Trigger/Content Warning: Discussions of sexual assault I watched two shows in the span of two weeks recently. Besides the fact that they were Singapore plays, they did not, from the outset, seem that much alike. One was This Is What Happens To Pretty Girls by Pangdemonium. The
Pretty Displaced: Staging Sexual Assault in the Age of #MeToo Read More »
Why do people choose to go into poor, dangerous, war-torn countries to work as humanitarian workers? Do they have boundless courage, hope and kindness? Do they have a death wish? Do they believe they can make a difference? Are they simply naïve? Do they suffer from a messiah complex? Or First World guilt? Did their
Go Big or Go Home: “Displaced Persons’ Welcome Dinner” Takes Flight Read More »
By Jocelyn Chng (1,138 words, five-minute read) My strongest memory from the first instalment of this three-year series by Toy Factory, A Dream Under the Southern Bough: The Beginning, was its dramatic cliffhanger of an ending. There, the protagonist, disgraced naval officer Chun Yu Fen, approaches a fantastical ant kingdom all set in brilliant gold;
“A Dream Under the Southern Bough: Reverie”: Down the Ant Hole Read More »
By Corrie Tan (1,700 words, eight-minute read) This review contains spoilers and/or plot points for The Bacchae, a 2,500-year-old ancient Greek tragedy; Beware of Pity, a 1939 German novel adapted for the stage by the Schaubühne Berlin and Complicité; as well as the final season of the fantasy television epic Game of Thrones, which concluded
Mad women, divine punishment, and “Dionysus” Read More »
By Nabilah Said (621 words, three-minute read) On a Monday afternoon in Goodman Arts Centre, I am watching a group of dancers working. They are leaping. They are climbing. They are pushing. They are sweating. They are making me feel strangely immobile – when was the last time I hung upside down from my knees?
“Invisible Habitudes”: The Personal Goes Political Goes Global Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
Duration: 20 min Podcast host Chloe Chotrani (assisted by Chan Sze-Wei) uncovers the world of vogue culture and voguing in Asia from legendary mother, Koppi Mizrahi, who hails from Tokyo, Singaporean drag queen Vanda Miss Joaquim and Singaporean dancer Amin Alifin. The interview was done shortly after Singapore’s first vogue ball, Crystal Ball, was held
Podcast 59: The Truth About Voguing in Asia Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
Below is a summary of Critics Live! for Displaced Persons’ Welcome Dinner by Checkpoint Theatre. This took place live at The Arts House on 24 May 2019. The panelists were: Dede Pramayoza (Indonesia), Helmi Yusof (Singapore), Hiroyuki Takahashi (Japan) and Pawit Mahasarinand (Thailand). The session was moderated by ArtsEquator’s co-founder, Kathy Rowland. Kathy Rowland opened
Critics Live: A Post-Show Response to Displaced Persons’ Welcome Dinner Read More »
As I enter the auditorium of Kirari Fujimi, a public theatre located about one hour away from the centre of Tokyo, I find myself in the waters of somewhere in Asia. The audience members are greeted by the actors who wear headgear in the shape of aquatic animals. They approach the audience and start explaining
“Beautiful Water”: Intercultural Theatre Made in Threes Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
By Naeem Kapadia (954 words, 4-minute read) There has been a slew of works responding to the bicentennial of Singapore’s founding by Sir Stamford Raffles, an event that the authorities have chosen to spend all year celebrating through a series of activities such as guided tours, exhibitions and immersive performances. Ayer Hitam: A Black History
Reframing Colonialism: “Civilised” by The Necessary Stage Read More »
The prestigious Paris Opera Ballet arrives on local shores this June as part of Esplanade’s da:ns series, bringing with them a trio of wide ranging works. These include the stories of romantic love told through balletic duets in Jerome Robbins’ In The Night (1970), the speed and precision of William Forsythe’s Blake Works I (2016),
By Akanksha Raja (1,155 words, 5-minute read) It’s a series of plastic white flower-fans lining the fence of 74 Jalan Kelabu Asap that lets me know that I’ve arrived at the site of Drama Box’s first work of 2019, Flowers, an experiential installation set in a quaint two-storey landed house in Chip Bee Gardens. I’m
Silent Rooms, Silent Memories: “Flowers” by Drama Box Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
National Youth Film Awards: Call for Entry (Deadline extended) Set up to promote and celebrate youth filmmakers, the National Youth Film Awards (NYFA) is a national award that seeks to instill a greater appreciation of film, fuel the passion for filmmaking, and generate opportunities to further develop and exhibit youth talents who are highly adept
Open Calls and Opportunities: May 2019 (Singapore) Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
