Singapore Art Week 2022: Returning to form, not FOMO
By Jennifer Anne Champion (1,400 words, 6-minute read) The Singapore Art Week (SAW) officially runs from 14th to 23rd January 2022. With over 130 physical and online events running across the island, it is a mammoth task to cover all…
Capturing The Imagination: Art Installations at The Arts House
Text and Photos by Grace Baey Amidst the line-up of events at Singapore Art Week 2022, The Arts House is currently a site for three new installation works by artists Speak Cryptic, Jason Wee and WY-TO, and the National Library…
The Swimming Pool Library Exhibition: Mind The Gap?
By Daniel Teo (1,018 words, 4-minute read) When the tour party assembles for Brian Gothong Tan’s The Swimming Pool Library exhibition, I realise I am likely the oldest person in the group. Our tour leader, Elijah Tay (pronouns “they”/“them”), introduces…
0.01 at M1 Fringe 2022: The Space Between
By Rebecca G (630 words, 3-minute read) An estranged father, a disillusioned employee, a human case study, those behind the scenes – all yearning for more in a collective plea for help. A joint collaboration between graduating students from NAFA’s…
4 Movies That Showcase The Amazing Action Talent In Indonesia
By Nabilah Said (1,355 words, 4-minute read) There is no denying the spectacle that modern Hollywood blockbusters are capable of producing. However, I believe the action displayed in Asian cinema has consistently been a step above those we typically see…
Critics Live (on Telegram!): M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2022
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…
Open Calls and Opportunities: Jan 2022 (Singapore/SEA)
Updated 20 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…
We’re Hiring! Editorial and Marketing Assistant (Regionally-based)
ArtsEquator Ltd. is a dynamic arts media organisation which publishes original content on arts and culture in Southeast Asia and runs innovative programmes to support capacity building in arts criticism regionally. We currently have three team members. As we expand…
The Secret Life Of Haw Par Villa: How tours are bringing the arts to life
By Dia Hakim (1,270 words, 4-minute read) Ever since the pandemic hit, the notion of travel in Singapore has manifested in a variety of forms. The word “staycation” is now commonly associated with a quick getaway from the same walls…
The top ArtsEquator articles of 2021
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…
Open Calls and Opportunities: Dec 2021 (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…
2021: Singapore Visual Arts at Year’s End
By @sgmuseummemes (1,920 words, 5-minute read) Let’s face it, 2021 in Singapore sucked harder than 2020. The waves of mildly inconvenient restrictions did more to chip away at everyone’s mental health than 2020’s “shut-everything-down” Circuit Breaker. Amidst the litany of…
Podcast 100: Singapore Theatre Year In Review
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…
How the Singapore literary ecosystem tackles mental health
By Sarah Tang (1,450 words, 5-minute read) cw: Contains mentions of suicide There appears to be more local books and writing about mental health in the Singapore lit scene in recent years. In Mahita Vas’ book A Good Day…
Re Somma and Tamil Theatre in Singapore
By Vithya Subramaniam, in conversation with Karthikeyan Somasundaram (2,330 words, 8-minute read) Why stage a piece about, and play your own father? What is Tamil Theatre in Singapore? And did Karthik really need to put on a full face of…
Phuong M. Do: The Puzzle of Photography, or What Fits and What Does Not
By Đồng Hà Nhuận (Ha Nhuan Dong) (3,330 words, 12-minute read) This article is published as part of the inaugural AE x Goethe-Institut Critical Writing Micro-Residency 2021/2022. Last year, I embarked on a two-month research that sought to sketch…
Year In Review 2021: Singapore Theatre in Statistics
Where did 2021 go? As part of our annual event Year In Review 2021, statistics about 2021 shows were gathered, including those postponed or cancelled. These infographics are produced by ArtsEquator. Discuss, respond and listen as we unpack these statistics and…
Our Cultural Medallion Story: 3 ways to explore this showcase of Singapore artists
By Janice Yap A new interactive showcase is shining the spotlight on the 130 artists who have been conferred the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest accolade for the arts. Titled Our Cultural Medallion Story, the exhibition consists of a physical exhibition–with…
Podcast 99: The Mother and ________ Can Change
In this episode of the ArtsEquator theatre podcast, Naeem Kapadia, Matthew Lyon and Nabilah Said discuss two productions: The Mother by Pangdemonium, and ________ Can Change by The Necessary Stage. Stream Podcast 99: ArtsEquator · Podcast 99: The Mother and…
Podcast 98: Love & Information by Young & Wild
In this episode of the ArtsEquator theatre podcast, Naeem Kapadia, Matthew Lyon and Nabilah Said discuss Love & Information by Young & Wild, which is the youth arm of Singapore theatre company Wild Rice. Stream Podcast 98: ArtsEquator · Podcast…
WrICE 2021: Writers Ask Writers, Asia Pacific edition
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…
JENG JENG JENG: Singapore Theatre Year In Review 2021
JENG JENG JENG…! Year in Review is back! Where did 2021 go? How did the year unravel, and where have we arrived at? In a year where the arts has had to acquiesce to multiple rules, hopeful for a return…
Open Calls and Opportunities: Nov 2021 (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…
Rethinking contemporaries: Asian Producers’ Platform Speaker Series
By Wennie Yang (690 words, 2-minute read) There is a quiet and perhaps stubborn optimism that underlies the work of a producer. Perhaps one could call it an occupational hazard, always seeking new ways to do things. This spirit seemed…
SEE WHAT SEE: SEA AT SGIFF 2021
By ants chua, Ruby Thiagarajan and Janiqueel (1,200 words, 4-minute read) 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…
Barbarian Invasion: Malaysian New Wave’s return to self
By Fiona Lee (1,330 words, 4-minute read) While watching his pupil spar, the martial arts master instructs, “Trust your instinct, feel your own body. Only then you can express yourself…” “Sifu,” the pupil replies, “What is myself?” The scene above…
ANCER Lab 03 Manila: How arts managers are surviving COVID-19
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…
ARTSEQUATOR TURNS 5: Here’s 5 articles, podcasts and videos to check out.
ArtsEquator is five this month! To celebrate, we’ve trawled through our archives to select some of our past content that we think is worth a revisit! Also look out for more features in the next few weeks! 5 articles you…
SEE WHAT SEE: BOYS’ LOVE (BL) DRAMAS
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…
Quiz: What’s Your Guilty Pleasure?
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…