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.
Literature
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.
RED LINES: 60 Global Cartoonists Talk Fear And Favour
“If satire is so toothless, then why are cartoonists so often badly bitten?” Ann Lee reviews RED LINES: Political Cartoons and the Struggle Against Censorship by Cherian George and Sonny Liew. The distribution of this book, which examines the boundaries of free speech, has been banned by the Singapore government under its “Undesirable Publications Act”. …
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Witnessing is political: Picking off new shoots will not stop the spring
A new collection of poems and essays bears witness to the bravery of ordinary citizens since the brutal military coupe of Feb 2021 in Myanmar.
Witnessing is political: Picking off new shoots will not stop the spring
A new collection of poems and essays bears witness to the bravery of ordinary citizens since the brutal military coupe of Feb 2021 in Myanmar.
How the Singapore literary ecosystem tackles mental health
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 To Die: Inside A Suicidal Mind, published this year, she details specific issues of discrimination in Singapore, such as being rejected by all …
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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 Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Japan, are part of the 2021 cohort of …
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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 smarter. But at the end of a long day, all you find yourself reaching for …
Shock Horror: The Southeast Asian monsters we love
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” …
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Podcast 97: Writer Wayne Rée talks about gore and slasher fiction
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, …
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Podcast 96: Writer Grace Chia talks about crime and The Arches of Gerrard Street
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 …
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W.O.W Classics: Neo Wen Xin on Constance Singam
In this video, part of the W.O.W (Women on Women) Classics project, Neo Wen Xin shares about “Where I Was”, a 2013 memoir by Singaporean activist Constance Singam. Constance Singam is known for being a longterm president of AWARE, and for championing the rights of various minority communities in Singapore. Wen Xin was mentored by …
Where are the Malays?: Locating the Singaporean Malay in Singa-Pura-Pura
Singa-Pura-Pura boasts an eclectic collection of short speculative fiction from a minority ethnic group in Singapore, exploring worlds where robots are therapists, prayers are read from preloaded cards, and humans are migrating to Mars. Edited by Nazry Bahrawi, the stories consider various spiritual, social, and economic themes, with many leaving me with questions about where we …
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Can the arts solve community issues in the region? The SEA*5 think so.
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 …
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W.O.W Classics: Goh Tze Yi on Heng Siok Tian
In this video, part of the W.O.W (Women on Women) Classics project, Goh Tze Yi shares more about “Crossing the Chopsticks and Other Poems” (1993), a book of poetry by second-generation Singaporean English poet Heng Siok Tian. Tze Yi was mentored by award-winning writer Elaine Chiew. W.O.W Classics is an effort by ArtsEquator and Chiew …
Quiz: Which Singaporean writer are you?
For every Singaporean who loves stories and words—whether you lovingly document your everyday experiences on Facebook, pen epic poems during your lunch breaks, or are a writer working on that great Singapore novel— there comes a time where you ask yourself the big questions: like, what is the meaning of life? Could I win the …
W.O.W Classics: Vanessa Chan on Wong May
In this video, part of the W.O.W (Women on Women) Classics project, Vanessa Chan shares more about “A Bad Girl’s Book of Animals” (1969), a book of poetry by Wong May. Vanessa was mentored by award-winning writer Elaine Chiew. W.O.W Classics is an effort by ArtsEquator and Chiew to introduce literary classics written by Singaporean …
Cakap-Cakap: Interview with Daryl Lim for Local Flavours
In this month’s Cakap-Cakap (chit-chat), ArtsEquator speaks with poet and critic, Daryl Lim Wei Jie, who curated the poems featured in Local Flavours, an interactive site based on the concept of food delivery mobile apps. Produced by digital storytelling studio, Tusitala, it features 30 Singapore-based illustrators and poets and their works, which were inspired by 15 …
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8 online programmes not to be missed at SDEA Theatre Arts Conference
The SDEA Theatre Arts Conference is back in 2021 with a fully-online programme, featuring presentations, workshops and masterclasses responding to the theme of Creative Disruption: Exploring New Ground. The conference, first started in 2011, is an international platform for artists, theatre practitioners, educators, and applied drama practitioners to share their work, methodologies, and research through …
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Artistic intervention: An orange truck lands in… Yishun?
As a resident of Yishun, I do not usually expect any sort of art exhibition to come to my town. As a town notorious for cat killing and the occasional murder, you wouldn’t expect any cultural experience to rank high on the list of places to go in Yishun, which was why I was pleasantly …
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ArtsEquator’s Hot List: April 2021
Every first Wednesday of the month, ArtsEquator releases our editor’s picks of shows/events/programmes that our readers can look out for in that month. This list in published in no particular order. 1. VECTOR#1: An Economy Of Means Physical show: 16-18 April, Block O Multipurpose Studios, Goodman Arts Centre [SINGAPORE/In-venue] Dance Nucleus presents its new …
So Lit: The Bottled City of mini objects travelling through Singapore
From now till 25 April, a truck carrying precious cargo will travel around Singapore, hoping to enchant you with its treasures and stories. Titled The Bottled City, this orange-hued truck contains art and design works curated and created in response to books by Singapore authors. Inspired by the concept of a cabinet of curiosities, the …
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Hitting up the Producers SG Directory: Taufik Darwis, Racy Lim and Khor Seng Chew
What is producing within the context of the arts? It is a question whose answer might vary depending on who you ask. Producers SG is a community of independent producers, arts managers and self-producing artists interested in nurturing support systems amongst producers and conversations around the practice of producing. Producers SG recently launched the Producers …
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Open Call for AE x Goethe-Institut Critical Writing Micro-Residency 2021/2022
ArtsEquator and Goethe-Institut Singapore are pleased to announce the launch of the inaugural AE x Goethe-Institut Critical Writing Micro-Residency 2021/2022. This is a digital micro-residency focusing on the development and promotion of critical writing about arts and culture in Southeast Asia. The residency programme is unique in its positioning of the online editorial space as …
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Open Call for W.O.W. (Women on Women) Classics: A Pilot Literary Project
Open Call for W.O.W. (Women on Women) Classics, a pilot literary project to increase awareness of forgotten or neglected classics by women. Do you want to know more literary classics written by Singaporean women? Are you keen to develop further your analytical skills? ArtsEquator and award-winning writer Elaine Chiew have launched Women on Women Classics …
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ArtsEquator’s Hot List: February 2021
Every first Wednesday of the month, ArtsEquator will release a list of recommended shows/events/programmes that our readers can look out for in that month. This list in published in no particular order. 1. Ulirát: Best Contemporary Stories in Translation from the Philippines Gaudy Boy has a new translation imprint, Gaudy Boy Translates, and is …
Tender reading: A review of Loss Adjustment by Linda Collins
Not many people can endure the traumatic experience of losing a child to suicide, let alone be of sound mind to write about it in a painfully self-aware manner. In Loss Adjustment, Linda Collins weaves together the late Victoria’s journal with her own journey as a grieving mother into a heart-wrenching memoir. This book is …
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House of Cardboard: A review of Impractical Uses of Cake by Yeoh Jo-Ann
Is it enough to be not unhappy? This is what Yeoh Jo-Ann’s Impractical Uses of Cake sets out to interrogate, framing the question in terms that speak to both existential crises at large as well as the uniquely Singaporean predicament of progress and prosperity. Yeoh’s novel pokes at the façade of the Singaporean Dream with …
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ArtsEquator’s Hot List: January 2021
Every first Wednesday of the month, ArtsEquator will release a list of recommended shows/events/programmes that our readers can look out for in that month. This list in published in no particular order. 1. M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2021 20 to 31 January 2021 After almost a year of cancelled shows, we’re happy for the return …
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Southeast Asia rap on the rise; Kolektif Hysteria in Jakarta
ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia 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. In the weekly Southeast Asia Radar, we publish a round-up of content that have …