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.
ArtsEquator’s Top 10 Picks for Singapore Writers Festival 2022 Read More »
In conjunction with the ‘Mental Health Awareness & Wellbeing Festival 2022’, ArtsEquator learns how storytelling can be a catalyst for mental clarity and self awareness.
Storytelling and Mental Wellness Read More »
Wilda Yanti Salam shares an insider’s view of the Makassar Biennale’s ongoing attempt to undo the conventions of biennale-making in eastern Indonesia’s first biennale. This article is published as part of the inaugural AE x Goethe-Institut Critical Writing Micro-Residency 2021/2022.
Makassar Biennale: The Concept of Community Literacy and The Eternal Artistic Question Read More »
Wilda Yanti Salam berbagi pandangan orang dalam tentang upaya berkelanjutan Makassar Biennale untuk membongkar konvensi penyelenggaraan biennale pada biennale pertama di Indonesia bagian timur. Artikel ini diterbitkan sebagai bagian dari program perdana AE x Goethe-Institut Critical Writing Micro-Residency 2021/2022.
Makassar Biennale: Gagasan Literasi Warga dan Pertanyaan Artistik Yang Abadi Read More »
Veteran playwright Leow Puay Tin is intrigued by the methods used by a trio of young performance makers to sustain a 12-hour performance.
A Response to ‘Every Thought I’ve Ever Had: Contemplating the Origin of the Sun’ Read More »
While the stated theme of the Biennale is to challenge the hegemony of the West, Nicole Wong finds that the spaces created for these interventions to happen struggles against the behemoth of the Biennale itself.
Careening Into “The Milk of Dreams”: Southeast Asia at the 59th Venice Biennale Read More »
Nabilah Said, Dia Hakim and Corrie Tan discuss the Singapore International Festival of Arts that took place on 20 May – 5 June 2022.
Podcast 105: SIFA 2022 Read More »
Rebecca G. is moved by director Ong Keng Sen’s project: SALOME which explores themes of reclamation, transformation, and perception.
project SALOME: A Shared Silhouette, Redressed 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 »
Dr Shahril Salleh reflects on the challenges and rewards of intercultural collaboration in the Singapore Festival of the Arts 2022’s opening show, MEPAAN, using a beloved local drink as an analogy.
MEPAAN: The Air Bandung Conundrum Read More »
ArtsEquator interviews four artists whose works depict nature in different spectrums, at the upcoming Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022. Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022 is just days away, with a diverse array of programmes, including at the intersections of art and nature. ArtsEquator speaks with four participating artists, each of whose works depict
Spectrum of Nature in SIFA 2022 Read More »
What is project SALOME? Who is Seah Loh Mei? Singapore theatre director Ong Keng Sen puts his own spin on the fantastical figure of Salome in this multidisciplinary multi-pronged performance which incorporates documentary film, live performance and even a pre-event social media component. Rebecca G. speaks to Ong Keng Sen and actor Janice Koh. First
Redressing a shared silhouette: project SALOME at SIFA 2022 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 »
ArtsEquator’s theatre podcast is back in 2022, with critics Lee Shu Yu, Matthew Lyon and Naeem Kapadia in a post-show conversation about three productions at M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2022: The Essential Playlist by The Second Breakfast Company (Singapore), Being: 息在 by 微 Wei Collective and Collaborators (Singapore) and OK Land by Circle Theatre (Thailand). This episode is part of
Podcast 101: M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2022 Read More »
Rebecca G. reviews Bound Theatre’s newest work, which explores the darker elements of our always-connected lives : cancel culture, fake news, and modified behaviours, in an interactive performance that involved the audience to varying degrees of success. Our journey into the all-too-real world of Screen. Shot. starts before any audience member has even stepped foot
Screen. Shot. at M1 Fringe 2022: Starve a fire, feed a flame Read More »
Critics Live! is a critics-led programme series created by ArtsEquator to give arts audiences an insight into how critics formulate their responses to performances. In this session, join critics Lee Shu Yu, Matthew Lyon and Naeem Kapadia in a post-show conversation about three productions: The Essential Playlist by The Second Breakfast Company (Singapore), Being: 息在 by 微 Wei Collective
Critics Live (on Telegram!): M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2022 Read More »
Listen as speakers Ke Weiliang, Lee Shu Yu, Matt Lyon, Nabilah Said and Naeem Kapadia share their thoughts about Singapore theatre in 2021, including observations and shows they found memorable. Mentioned in this episode: ArtsWok, Brown Voices, Checkpoint Theatre, Double Confirm Productions/Sight Lines Entertainment, Drama Box, Eng Kai Er, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay,
Podcast 100: Singapore Theatre Year In Review Read More »
In this edition of See What See, we review three films made by Southeast Asian directors and featuring Southeast Asia currently showing at the Singapore International Film Festival 2021 (SGIFF). SGIFF runs from 25 November to 5 December 2021 with over 100 films from more than 40 countries. Also check out Fiona Lee’s review of
SEE WHAT SEE: SEA AT SGIFF 2021 Read More »
It’s 2021 – and you’re constantly being told to be your best self! There’s that pile of books waiting to be read, countless browser tabs open with must-read articles, and a list of podcasts that are supposed to make you smarter. But at the end of a long day, all you find yourself reaching for
Quiz: What’s Your Guilty Pleasure? 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 »
In the second of a two-part episode on the Singapore Writers Festival 2021, Nabilah Said chats with horror writer Wayne Rée about his love of gore and slasher fiction, the supernatural in Southeast Asia, and his opinions on Nickelback. Wayne is part of SWF panel Kill Your Darlings (and Everyone Else) on 14 Nov 2021,
Podcast 97: Writer Wayne Rée talks about gore and slasher fiction Read More »
In the first of a two-part episode on the Singapore Writers Festival 2021, Nabilah Said chats with author Grace Chia about her book The Arches of Gerrard Street, and her thoughts on writing crime while exploring themes surrounding the experiences of minorities and the Chinese diaspora in London, and exoticism. Grace is part of SWF
Podcast 96: Writer Grace Chia talks about crime and The Arches of Gerrard Street Read More »
By Nabilah Said (1,800 words, 6-minute read) I’ve never actually attended the Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM). This year, the pandemic allowed me to, as BIPAM offered a five-day digital programme full of showcases, talks and other activities. It brought me, a Singaporean, a world of imagination – colourful and joyous in parts, provoking
BIPAM 2021: Delight, despair, dialogue and the despot Read More »
In this month’s Cakap-Cakap (chit-chat), ArtsEquator speaks with artist Salty Xi Jie Ng, whose most recent project, Not Grey: Intimacy, Ageing & Being, excavated what intimacy means for older Singapore women (hint: it’s not all about sex!). The digital experience, comprised of video vignettes, interactive performances and writing, was presented by T:>Works as part of the
Cakap-Cakap: Interview with Salty Xi Jie Ng Read More »
Critics Alice Saville (UK), Amitha Amranand (TH), Matthew Lyon (SG) and Taisuke Shimanuki (JP) discuss OIWA: The Ghost of Yotsuya by The Finger Players, presented at Singapore International Festival of the Arts (SIFA). The performance took place from 28-30 May 2021 at Victoria Theatre, and from 5-20 June via video on demand. Critics Live! is
Podcast 92: Critics Live: OIWA by The Finger Players at SIFA 2021 Read More »
By Jocelyn Chng (1,180 words, 4-minute read) Existence is the third instalment in the Southern Bough series commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA). As its title implies, this third piece closes the full work with a more philosophical tone than in the previous two. The first instalment, The Beginning (2018), introduced the first
End of an epic journey: A Dream Under the Southern Bough: Existence Read More »
By Vithya Subramaniam (1,600 words, 6-minute read) Though cancelled last year amid the developing pandemic, Singapore International Festival of Arts has done well to lean into the possibilities of small-group, distanced programmes for this year’s line-up. I attended three of its immersive experiences—Gardens Speak, As Far As Isolation Goes, and en route—and found my body
The Body Witness: Gardens Speak, en route, As Far As Isolation Goes at SIFA 2021 Read More »
By Eugene Tan (1,503 words, 5-minute read) As has become customary for every review of a Singapore International Festival of the Arts (SIFA) 2021 show (or as the festival programme now calls them, “content”), we should applaud the fact that these shows are happening at all. After all, COVID-19 restrictions are wildly challenging for artmaking
The Commission: Why do these three meet again? Read More »
Japanese video designer Shimpei Yamada shares about his practice in multimedia and video design and installation, for both theatre and dance, alongside KL-based critic-facilitator Bilqis Hijjas. This session took place on 8 June 2021 as part of the Asian Arts Media Roundtable at SIFA 2021. The inaugural Master Conversations series focuses on production and technical
Master Conversations: Multimedia Design with Shimpei Yamada and Bilqis Hijjas 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 »
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