Two Cultural Medallion recipients, sitcom stars and an arts administrator who raised Singapore’s international profile
ArtsEquator remembers the artists and cultural workers from the Singapore we lost in 2022.
Singapore
![Installation view of Maile Meyer & Drew Kahuʻāina Broderick’s KĪPUKA [for “Natasha”] (2022), as part of Singapore Biennale 2022 named Natasha. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum](https://artsequator.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/2022/12/Installation-view-of-Maile-Meyer-Drew-Kahu%CA%BBaina-Brodericks-KIPUKA-for-Natasha-2022-as-part-of-Singapore-Biennale-2022-named-Natasha.-Image-courtesy-of-Singapore-Art-Museum-1620x1080.jpg)
Natasha: A Biennale By Any Other Name
Striving to experience Natasha on their own terms, Xiao Ting Teo runs through the gamut of emotions, from exhaustion to uncertainty, to amusement, to moments of connection at the Singapore Biennale 2022.
To See My Plainsunset
Revisiting a favourite Singaporean band, Plainsunset, Diana Rahim fleetingly captures her youthful self and recalls the creativity of the local music scene in the early 2000s.
Chair Stories
In this visual essay, puppet maker and designer Daniel Sim, begins with a set of rejected stage chairs, and ends up on a lyrical journey through Singapore’s theatre history.
Make Hantus Great Again: Breaking Bread With the Undead
“Make Hantus Great Again”, Teatre Ekamatra’s latest production, combines kooky supernatural characters with social commentary this Halloween.
Isabella Chiam: Cultivating Risks
SMU students Caitlin Leong and Joy Lo interview Isabella Chiam about her gardening workshop, ‘The Last Gardener’, gaining insights into the risks and challenges that artists face in the creative sector.
In Search of Singapore’s Early Opera History
Corey Koh began with a simple question about the early days of opera in Singapore. Trawling through newspaper archives and scholarly articles, Corey, a young classical tenor who has performed widely in Singapore and abroad, uncovers a fascinating story of Singapore’s place within a larger transcontinental touring circuit, and gives us a glimpse into early performance criticism in Singapore.
The Working Processes of Artists: Alan Choo
Alan Choo is a Singaporean violinist and the artistic director of Red Dot Baroque, a group of Singaporean musicians promoting baroque music here.
The Growing Up Anthologies & the Diversity of Being “Brown”
In the latest installment of AWARE’s Growing Up anthology, Diana Rahim finds that in an environment where our experience of race and womanhood may be constricted, personal stories can be powerful acts of re-making and re-narrativising.
Slated for [ ]: on Declutter Me! and Frequencies
Xiao Ting Teo is moved to consider how the detritus of being shapes us anew as she encounters two works, “Declutter Me!” and “Frequencies” at the The Substation’s annual SeptFest 2022: uproot | rootless.
T.H.E Dance Company: Infinitely Human
T.H.E Dance Company’s Infinitely Closer at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre, Singapore, creates space for human connections .
ArtsEquator’s Top 10 Picks for Singapore Writers Festival 2022
The Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) returns with a milestone celebration as it reaches its 25th edition this year. Since its inception in 1986, the Festival has evolved into a premier multilingual literary arts event which has featured more than 5000 homegrown and international authors over the years.
Open Calls and Opportunities: October 2022 (Singapore/SEA)
ArtsEquator’s 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.
Open Calls and Opportunities: September 2022 (Singapore/SEA)
ArtsEquator’s 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.
The Working Processes of Artists: Chong Fah Cheong
Chong Fah Cheong is the artist behind First Generation, the iconic bronze sculpture of boys jumping into the Singapore River.
Berak: Letting it Go
Naeem Kapadia reviews ‘Berak’ by Singapore’s Teater Ekamatra and comes away moved by the sensitive trancreation of the original play by Chong Tze Chien.
![[FB] Mental Health Awareness & Wellbeing Festival](https://artsequator.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/2022/09/FB-Mental-Health-Awareness-Wellbeing-Festival.png)
Storytelling and Mental Wellness
In conjunction with the ‘Mental Health Awareness & Wellbeing Festival 2022’, ArtsEquator learns how storytelling can be a catalyst for mental clarity and self awareness.
Reconsidering the Commandments with Wild Rice’s Animal Farm (2022)
In Wild Rice’s restaging of Animal Farm, Rebecca G finds a production that leavens the darker aspects of the text by drawing out the absurdities of the narrative.
Podcast 106: Boom
In our latest podcast, we discuss Boom, a production by A Mirage which took place on 1-20 July 2022.
Open Calls and Opportunities: August 2022 (Singapore/SEA)
ArtsEquator’s 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 & Resources | Open …
Open Calls and Opportunities: August 2022 (Singapore/SEA) Read More »
The Working Processes of Artists: Tina Fung
Tina Fung is a set designer and installation artist who runs Space Objekt, a design studio based in Singapore.
The Working Processes of Artists: Wesley Leon Aroozoo
Wesley Leon Aroozoo is a filmmaker, author and educator who released his latest novel ‘The Punkhawala and the Prostitute’ in 2021.
The Power of a Poem
Zakir Hossain, a celebrated poet and migrant worker in Singapore, wrote a poem, which sparked a response from the state. Diana Rahim reflects on the power of words, wielded to question, and words wielded to control.
Contemporary Moves In Modern Singaporean Tamil Theatre
Hemang Yadav was involved in a recent development program, Tunjuk Arah/ Iyakkunar, for Malay and Indian theatre directors in Singapore. He shares his views and reflections on the current state of Singaporean Tamil theatre, and how the programme was an important platform, while also identifying some entrenched ideas underpinning the design of the masterclasses.
Tan Boon Hui: A Cultural Leader Of Grace and Courage
The Executive Director of Singapore’s Arts House Limited’s untimely death last week reverberated through the international art world. His colleagues pay tribute to his vision, leadership and friendship.
Open Calls and Opportunities: July 2022 (Singapore/SEA)
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 & Resources | Open …
Open Calls and Opportunities: July 2022 (Singapore/SEA) Read More »
“What if we do it this way?”: Imagining new Possibilities with Producers SG
With change and transformation being an agenda for the past two years, we talk to Producers SG and uncover how they plan to accommodate the shifts in the art world.
Podcast 105: SIFA 2022
Nabilah Said, Dia Hakim and Corrie Tan discuss the Singapore International Festival of Arts that took place on 20 May – 5 June 2022.
Producers Lab: “What if we do it this way?” | Banupriya Ponnarasu, Mark Benedict Cheong and Deanna Dzulkifli
Have you ever been a part of a project in the arts, and felt something needed changing? Or have you been either the creator or spectator of a programme, and went away from it thinking, “what if we do it this way?” ?
project SALOME: A Shared Silhouette, Redressed
Rebecca G. is moved by director Ong Keng Sen’s project: SALOME which explores themes of reclamation, transformation, and perception.