Surveillance and censorship are becoming part and parcel of daily life around the world, and yet many citizens seem content to turn a blind eye to it. A new exhibition at Wei-Ling Gallery in Kuala Lumpur called Seen is addressing that issue. Curator Line Dalile brings together ten leading international and Malaysian artists, hoping that through documentary, photography […]
CLOSED OFF for decades, in recent years members of the public have been able to enjoy more time inside the grounds of the Secretariat in downtown Yangon, one of the country’s most historically significant buildings. It holds particular importance for the people of Myanmar because it is where eight independence heroes – including Bogyoke Aung San
Showcasing a national treasure (via Frontier Myanmar) Read More »
SINGAPORE – First-time nominations dominated the shortlist of the Singapore Literature Prize, which will involve the public for the first time in the biennial award’s history. It was also the first time a publisher filled an entire category, with Epigram Books getting five nominations for English fiction. The shortlist was revealed on Tuesday (June 19)
50 authors in running for Singapore Literature Prize (via The Straits Times) Read More »
This article is republished from the Singapore International Film Festival editorial. It is part of New Waves 2018, an annual series of screenings and dialogues with regional filmmakers. For this third edition of the New Waves series, SGIFF invites participants the festival’s Youth Jury and Critics’ programme to offer an introductory analysis on the four
The Pontianak Talks Back: Two Women Discuss Monstrous Femininity in Their Art Read More »
Art that Moves is an occasional series where we ask artists and other creative workers to reflect on artworks, performances or events that were personally important to them. Marc Nair, poet and photographer, is producer of Note for Note: #Skintones, an interdisciplinary performance by poets and musicians in collaboration, presented as part of Poetry with Music series by
Art That Moves: Marc Nair Read More »
ILHAM Gallery sits like a secret jewel box in the black-ice exterior of Menara ILHAM, where it has played host to celebrated artists and conceptual experimenters since it opened its doors in August 2015. Today, it is working at the frontline of arts education through an eclectic selection of multimedia exhibitions and public programming. The
ILHAM Gallery is a trailblazer in the Malaysian art scene (via Luxuo) Read More »
Duration: 17 min Latest in the Fresh Blood series, we find out more about Singapore’s inaugural Queer Zinefest, a celebration of zine-making, queer art, and queer people, taking place on 14 July 2018 at Camp Kilo Charcoal Club. Beyond being a showcase of queer zines and zine-makers, the programme also features workshops, performances and other
Podcast 42: Queer Zinefest 2018 Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta, Ngawi and Bali from 18-24 June 2018 In the small town of Ngawi that is located on the border of Central and West Java, there will be a film screening and discussion of 5 Villages. Organised by Goethe-Institut Indonesia, 5 Villages showcases the documentary films created from
Weekly Picks: Indonesia (18 – 24 June 2018) Read More »
Suzhou Symphony Orchestra 2018 Asia Tour – Singapore by Suzhou Symphony Orchestra 18 June 2018 Maestro Chen Xieyang, along with the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra will present to you its programme featuring Profokiev’s epic tale of love and the powerful realism of Zhu Jian Er’s sonic world for the start for their Asian Tour 2018. The
Weekly Picks: Singapore (18 – 24 June 2018) Read More »
Live Fact Presents: Protomartyr, at Live Fact, 20 June, 8pm American rock band Protomartyr is performing in Live Fact this Wednesday. The band features Joe Casey on vocals, Greg Ahee on guitar, Alex Leonard on drums and Scott Davidson on bass guitar. Their latest album is Relatives in Descent. Admission is RM40 at the door
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (18 – 24 June 2018) Read More »
By Isaac Lim (810 words, five-minute read) At front-of-house before the doors open, a crew member encourages the audience to walk around the theatre space upon entering, and warns sternly against moving the seats. Neat rows of seats welcome the audience in the black box space at Centre 42. Random quotes relating to the number
“Fourteen” by Split Theatre: Getting Schooled Read More »
This article is the first in a series of essays by students from the Singapore Management University Arts and Culture Management programme. I’ve caught myself leaving a theatre many times unsure about how I felt about the production, questioning whether my interpretation of the production was valid, or sometimes even leaving with no idea what
SMU Series: A Dance Spectator’s Perspective On Engagement Read More »
By Soultari Amin Farid (800 words, six-minute read) “This body… This body is dangerous. It desires, it delights, it delivers, it dances.” On 25 May, I had the pleasure of experiencing a performance of great chemistry between Deaf and disabled artists at the National Museum of Singapore’s Gallery Theatre. And Suddenly I Disappear: The Singapore
“The Singapore ‘d’ Monologues”: And Suddenly I Reflect Upon My Privilege Read More »
By Corrie Tan (1,540 words, eight-minute read) Halfway through The Finger Players’ trippy, darkly comic Citizen Dog, I pause to consider the philosopher Zhuangzi’s anecdote on how we construct our realities: Once upon a time, I, Zhuangzi, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was
A surreal “Citizen Dog” sinks its teeth into your soul Read More »
The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) Foundation is about to raise its profile as vice chairperson Panya Vijinthanasarn and committee secretary Chatvichai Promadhattavedi seek a meeting with the city’s unimpressed governor, Aswin Kwanmuang, about funding support and sustainable management. Whether the meeting is arranged or not, the foundation is organising a press conference to
Cash-strapped BACC counts on friends in deed (via The Nation) Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Bali from 11-17 June 2018 Barus is a region in Central Tapanuli in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Between the 7th and 15th century, Barus was a center of spice trading in Indonesia that connected the region to the West through the Silk Road. The traders of Iraq,
Weekly Picks: Indonesia (11 – 17 June 2018) Read More »
As alumni of the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) returned to retrieve paintings they had made for their assignments, a well-known Cambodian photographer spotted one of his among the pile. In a picture posted on Facebook, Mak Remissa, who is known for his photography work for the European Press Agency (EPA) and Cambodge Soir,
Famous photographer finds his old painting (via The Phnom Penh Post) Read More »
Kungfu Bonda by Purple Aura Productions 16 June 2018 Kungfu Bonda is Baggy’s new stand-up solo show. After his questionable success in his 20s, when Baggy approached 30, he hopes to be a comic where he lives his life one strip at a time and shares the cartoon of his existence with everyone. After his
Weekly picks: Singapore (11 – 17 June 2018) Read More »
Feedback Open Mic: feat Jumero & Josiah Tay, at The Bee, 12 June, 8pm Jumero’s hippie and happy beach music is always a great choice for a pick-me-up. They’ll be featured alongside Josiah Tay, who does covers of songs you know. Feedback Open Mic is also a reliable place for spotting the next rising star
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (11 – 17 June 2018) Read More »
By Eugene Koh (1200 words, 8 minute read) The Second Breakfast Company restaging Goh Poh Seng’s The Moon is Less Bright is akin to grabbing this behemoth of a national literary relic by its horns and tackling it. The play’s historical weight is considerable, its setting has become distant and its language almost absurdly lyrical.
The Second Breakfast Company’s “The Moon is Less Bright”: A New Phase Read More »
By Ke Weiliang (2,470 words, 10-minute read) In March 2017, Gaurav Kripalani was officially unveiled as the Festival Director for Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) 2018 – 2020. I was over the moon, but only because a rare opportunity to stop indiscriminately splurging my money on arts events seemed to have finally presented itself.
Was a Skeptic, Still a Skeptic: A Festival-Goer’s Impressions of SIFA 2018 Read More »
A photo exhibition takes the viewer behind the curtain of Myanmar’s jade industry Myanmar jade is one of the most beautiful in the world. It is also one of the bloodiest. One of the best mines is in the war-torn Kachin state where ethnic armed groups and the Burmese armed force are at each others’ throats.
The Journey of the Blood Jade (via Myanmar Times) Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Bali, Yogyakarta and Jakarta from 4 – 10 June 2018 We begin our weekly picks in Bali with the True Line exhibition by Sanggar Bares. Created by I Nyomana Bratayasa, Sanggar Bares is a studio where children of all ages can come to express themselves through drawings. The
Weekly Picks: Indonesia (4 – 10 June 2018) Read More »
Zalila Lee at Merdekarya, 6 June, 9pm Singer-songwriter Zalila Lee returns to Merdekarya. This performer is a versatile talent, but for her solo performances, you can generally expect folk-blues with a boom voice and soul cutting lyrics. The show starts at 9pm, but open mic may begin before. There is no cover charge at Merdekarya,
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (4–10 June 2018) Read More »
Duration: 21 minutes Latest in our Fresh Blood series, the spotlight is on Split Theatre, a feisty young outfit that is staging their third production “Fourteen” on 8 June at Centre 42 Black Box. We chat with director Darryl Lim, actor Elizabeth Samosir and production manager Chia Xin Ying about how they met, what “Fourteen”
Podcast 41: Split Theatre’s “Fourteen” Read More »
The exhibition Amek Gambar: Peranakans and Photography at Singapore’s Peranakan Museum (from May 5 to Feb 3 2019) is a rare glimpse into the very first and early days of the history of photography in Singapore through the lens of the peranakans — an ethnic group of mixed race Malay–Chinese with a richly distinctive culture, e.g. costumes (usually involving kebayas and
The History of Photography in Singapore Through Peranakan Eyes (via Invisible Flaneuse) Read More »
This article is republished from the Singapore International Film Festival editorial. It is part of New Waves 2018, an annual series of screenings and dialogues with regional filmmakers. For this third edition of the New Waves series, SGIFF invites participants the festival’s Youth Jury and Critics’ programme to offer an introductory analysis on the four
Sentiments of Space: Reading Between the Frames of Don Aravind Read More »
25th Singapore International Piano Festival by Singapore Symphony Orchestra, 7-13 June 2018 This year’s celebration brings in six phenomenal virtuoso pianists from across Asia, Europe and the Americas. All six pianists will present varied, colourful programmes in The Singapore International Piano Festival for their 25th anniversary with a variety of works from Mozart, Beethoven,
Weekly Picks: Singapore (4 – 10 June 2018) Read More »
By Chloe Chotrani (990 words, 4-minute read) Garden Uprooted is a performance work drawing from nature as the source, a collaboration with The Philharmonic Orchestra Singapore and The Arts Fission Company. Subtle tonalities slowly seep into the theatre, and contradicting erratic yet fluid movements in space and time. Throughout Garden Uprooted is nature-inspired music by
“Garden Uprooted”: Fluctuations of Silence Read More »
Lim Chin Huat shares about his journey of learning one artistic discipline after another, his approach to creating work, his struggle with calling himself an artist, and how his current project In Her Hands traces its origins back to more than ten years ago. He currently teaches movement full-time at the Intercultural Theatre Institute. CH: I was a science
Lim Chin Huat and Negotiating Positionalities across Time (via Talking Circles) Read More »
