The key findings and analysis of artistic freedom in The Philippines from the Southeast Asia Artistic Freedom RADAR, 2023 – 2024. “I am offended as a Christian” and other acts of moral policing In 2022, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. won the Presidential elections in the Philippines, with his running mate Sara Duterte winning for Vice President. […]
The Philippines: Artistic Freedom Report 2023 – 2024 Read More »
Sa isang masaklaw at pangkasaysayang pagsusuri ng sensura sa Pilipinas, mula kay Marcos (Senior) hanggang kay Marcos (Junior), inilalatag ni Katrina Stuart Santiago ang mito ng kalayaang pansining sa Pilipinas. Sa proseso, tinutukoy niya ang lumalaking konserbatismo, at panibagong mga paraan ng pagsesensura.
Pagkamalikhain, Konserbatismo, at Sensura: Isang Maikling Tanaw mula sa Pilipinas Read More »
The key findings and analysis of artistic freedom in The Philippines from the Southeast Asian Arts Censorship Database Project, 2010 – 2022.
Artistic Freedom Report The Philippines: The Limits of Democracy Read More »
Katrina Stuart Santiago demonstrates how recent incidents of artistic censorship in the Philippines have focused on the silencing of female and LGBTQIA+ voices.
Pristine de Leon remembers the artists and cultural workers from the Philippines we lost in 2022.
A national living treasure, a rock musician and an activist poet Read More »
When a film taps on emotions to distort historical facts, criticism that uses a rational, adversarial voice, above the work and the audiences who enjoy it may fail to dislodge the emotive power of the work’s narrative. Pristine De Leon looks for a path forward as a critic in this tricky landscape in her review of Maid in Malacañang’, a fictionalised retelling of the last days of the first Marcos presidency.
Criticism and Tears: The Emotional is Political in the Marcos State Read More »
Kiri Dalena, one of the artists at the controversy-ridden documenta fifteen speaks with Pristine De Leon about the uneven dynamics between global exchanges and local needs, between lumbung and rigid hierarchies, between what has materialised and what was dreamed.
“It Has Been Dreamed”: Kiri Dalena on documenta fifteen Read More »
In a wide-ranging historical analysis of censorship in the Philippines, from Marcos (Senior) to Marcos (Junior), Katrina Stuart Santiago lays bare the myth of artistic freedom in the Philippines. In the process, she identifies a mounting conservatism, and new kinds of censors.
Creativity, Conservatism, and Censorship: A Philippine Snapshot Read More »
MC Redioca discusses the significance of archiving as a form of activism during the recent elections in Philippines on May 9th. This article is published as part of the inaugural AE x Goethe-Institut Critical Writing Micro-Residency 2021/2022.
Archiving as Activism in the Wake of a Jeopardized Election Read More »
While acknowledging the value of art in addressing national trauma, Pristine de Leon raises questions about the limits, and ethics of representation on stage.
A Gap in the Telling: Review of Virgin Labfest 17 Read More »
Remotes x Quantum, a Singapore-Philippines collaboration, is a daring, experimental work that never quite attains cohesion, which Jennifer Anne Champion finds is on-brand for SIFA 2022’s experimental nature. This performance is a part of the Singapore International Festival of the Arts.
Remotes X Quantum: Daring Collaboration Defies Cohesion Read More »
Some advertisements are works of art. These contain well-told stories, interesting characters, and meaningful insights, while making a marketing message go down that much more smoothly. Mira Sharon recommends 5 advertisements you can watch to learn more about what makes us Southeast Asians tick. To tell stories is a beautiful act, and advertisements are an
5 Advertisements That Are So Southeast Asian Read More »
Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022 is just around the corner, with a slate of offerings that are as multidisciplinary, dreamy and mind-bending as they are spectacular and thought provoking. ArtsEquator recommends 8 shows to catch. SIFA 2022 takes place from 20 May to 5 June 2022. With the much anticipated upcoming edition of the
8 Picks from the Dreamy, Mind-Bending SIFA 2022 Read More »
In March 2020, we spoke to 10 arts and culture workers from across Southeast Asia, in a bid to capture the sentiments on the ground as it shifted during the early days of the pandemic. Now two years later, we revisit the same artists to see what has changed, and what has stayed the same.
COVID-19 and the Arts in Southeast Asia – 2 years on Read More »
These pioneers and rule breakers will change the way you view the regional arts scene. Throughout history and up to the present day, it has been a challenge to define contemporary Southeast Asian art. One such roadblock comes in the form of a lack of proper archives and documentation. Another issue is that Southeast Asia’s
5 Artists Who Influenced Contemporary Southeast Asian Art Read More »
Updated 27 January 2022 ArtsEquator Lobang is a list of available open calls, job postings and other opportunities open to people from Singapore and Southeast Asia. “Lobang”, a Malay word for “hole”, is used in Singlish as a shorthand for an opportunity, valuable contact or a tip. Scroll down or click for easier access. Info
Open Calls and Opportunities: Jan 2022 (Singapore/SEA) Read More »
Below is a list of the top 10 ArtsEquator articles in 2021, in random order: The Substation: How many more canaries in the coal mine? by Hoe Su Fern Published on: 20 Feb 2021 “Although the current situation facing The Substation is not new or unique, its impending fate is emblematic of, and raises
The top ArtsEquator articles of 2021 Read More »
We asked 11 writers and translators of poetry, fiction and non-fiction to participate in an exquisite corpse-like Q&A session, with each person answering a question and then asking one. These writers, who hail from countries in the Asia Pacific such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Japan, are part of the 2021 cohort of
WrICE 2021: Writers Ask Writers, Asia Pacific edition Read More »
By Wennie Yang (1,200 words, 4-minute read) Pandemic restrictions have put arts and cultural workers and institutions in a bind: choosing between sustaining their missions at times of a global pandemic or ceasing operations altogether. How have Southeast Asian arts managers survived? That was the question at the heart of the third ANCER Lab, formed
ANCER Lab 03 Manila: How arts managers are surviving COVID-19 Read More »
By Lainie Yeoh I grew up in an era where queer films were rare exceptions and it was your holy gay-af duty to watch all the ones you could access. Yes, even if they’re mostly about white people processing their feelings; or painfully slow art films by gay Asian men thinly disguising their personal journeys;
SEE WHAT SEE: BOYS’ LOVE (BL) DRAMAS Read More »
ArtsEquator chats with five writers about their favourite horror characters and monsters from Southeast Asian lore and mythology. We then asked two Singapore artists, Natalie Christian Tan and Divyalakshmi, to respond with a custom illustration based on the replies. Singapore Writers Festival 2021 runs from 5 to 14 November 2021 with the theme “Guilty Pleasures”
Shock Horror: The Southeast Asian monsters we love Read More »
By Adriana Nordin Manan (995 words, 3-minute read) Personal narratives on professional pathways to becoming arts writers in four Asian countries were the departure point for the rich discussion at “Critical Writing Training: Models, Methods and Pitfalls,” a panel session held on 15th September in conjunction with the Asian Art Media Roundtable (AAMR). This was
Cultivating Arts Writing Ecosystems: Criticality and Creativity amidst Necessity Read More »
<Deadline extended to 15 October 2021> ArtsEquator invites applications for the position of Researcher for a regional arts censorship documentation and publication project it is piloting. The programme runs from Jan 2022 – Dec 2023. There are six positions available, one each based in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam respectively. Women candidates are
OPEN CALL: Southeast Asian Arts Censorship Documentation Read More »
Can the creative society in Southeast Asia support each other in finding solutions to problems in our communities, powered by compassion and empathy? That’s one of the questions at the heart of the existence of Project SEA*5. The group comprises five creative practitioners working across different local community contexts: community architect-urbanist Joanne Mun advocates for
Can the arts solve community issues in the region? The SEA*5 think so. Read More »
Manila-based set designer Tuxqs Rutaquio shares about his practice and process in set design alongside theatre critic Katrina Stuart Santiago. This session took place on 1 June 2021 as part of the Asian Arts Media Roundtable at SIFA 2021. The inaugural Master Conversations series focuses on production and technical theatre. Through four in-depth presentations, led
Master Conversations: Set Design with Tuxqs Rutaquio and Katrina Stuart Santiago Read More »
Singapore critics Clarissa Oon, Lee Shu Yu, Nabilah Said and Naeem Kapadia discuss The Year of No Return by The Necessary Stage, presented at Singapore International Festival of the Arts (SIFA). The performance took place from 21-22 May 2021 at Victoria Theatre, and from 5-20 June via video on demand. Critics Live! is a critics-led
Podcast 90: Critics Live: The Year of No Return by The Necessary Stage at SIFA 2021 Read More »
By Wennie Yang (2,000 words, 8-minute read) Laptop fully charged, professional Zoom background selected – Meeting Point 2021 organised by Mekong Cultural Hub and its partners took place virtually between 20 to 22 May 2021. Artists, cultural intermediaries, academics, and other interested parties from around the region gathered to discuss their experiences melding arts with
Meeting Point 2021: The cultural worker in a time of social change Read More »
We recently announced our selected resident writers for the inaugural AE x Goethe-Institut Critical Writing Micro-Residency, focusing on the development and promotion of critical writing about arts and culture in Southeast Asia. They are: Nhuan Dong from Saigon; Dwiki Aprinaldi from Yogyakarta; Eddie Wong from Petaling Jaya; Wilda Yanti Salam from Makassar; Mariah Reodica from
AE x Goethe-Institut Critical Writing Micro-Residency: Meet the Writers (Part 2) Read More »
By Joel Tan To borrow and distort the title of David Shield’s lyrical manifesto against fiction: I’ve been HUNGRY for reality in the month of May. And so for this month’s edition of SEE WHAT SEE, I’m training my sights on documentaries from Southeast Asia or about Southeast Asian subjects that you can stream right
SEE WHAT SEE (May 2021): SOUTHEAST ASIAN DOCUMENTARIES Read More »
We recently announced our selected resident writers for the inaugural AE x Goethe-Institut Critical Writing Micro-Residency, focusing on the development and promotion of critical writing about arts and culture in Southeast Asia. They are: Nhuan Dong from Saigon; Dwiki Aprinaldi from Yogyakarta; Eddie Wong from Petaling Jaya; Wilda Yanti Salam from Makassar; Mariah Reodica from Las
AE x Goethe-Institut Critical Writing Micro-Residency: Meet the Writers (Part 1) Read More »
