The Kingdom of Cambodia was established in 1993 after suffering the Vietnam War, the horrors of Pol Pot and his regime, civil war and countless rebellions. The reconstruction of this country has been supported by around 3,500 different international non-government organizations (NGOs), working in many fields, from the environment, to infrastructure, human rights and fighting […]
You can’t go to the Myanmar Art Museum to study the evolution of Myanmar art because there is no such thing as an art museum in Myanmar. Some even fail to notice that there is an art booth at the National Museum, which has been in existence for 66 years. Paintings in the booth by
Evolution of Myanmar Art On Display in New Exhibit at National Museum (via The Irrawady) Read More »
Despite working with limited funds, the spectre of state censorship and the difficulty of only having three working cinemas in the country, local directors are creating a thriving film industry in Laos Mattie Do does not hold back. In her films, the women drink, they wear lingerie, they steal, they murder. In the final moments
Lao film industry finding its feet on international stage (via SEA Globe) Read More »
On Sunday, 28 January, 3pm, ArtsEquator held its first public forum, “Theatre Reviews: Last Word or the Start of a Conversation”, featuring British theatre critic Lyn Gardner, M1 Singapore Fringe Festival director Sean Tobin, ArtsEquator’s guest editor Corrie Tan, and resident playwright at W!LD RICE, Alfian Sa’at. The conversation was moderated by Kathy Rowland, co-founder
Theatre Reviews: Last Word or the Start of a Conversation Read More »
By Will Low (780 words, four-minute read) When I meet someone newly arrived in Myanmar, we usually end up talking about the experience of living in its busiest and largest city, Yangon. They’ll ask how long I’ve been here: five years, on and off. At some point they’ll say, “Yangon must have changed so much!”
Back to the future with Yangon Time Machine Read More »
A Malaysian artist and prominent opposition activist was jailed for a month on Tuesday for publishing a caricature of Prime Minister Najib Razak looking like a clown, a ruling likely to exacerbate concern about free speech. Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy recently announced plans to amend a law to stamp out fake news, the latest step
Malaysian court jails, fines artist for clown caricature of PM (via Reuters) Read More »
There is an unspeakable tranquil that washes over the audience seated inside the chapel at Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film in Singapore. For the first five minutes of Be Longing by Sara Tan and Yejin Kwon, the windows are thrown open and we watch the traffic of Middle Road roll past. Passers-by unknowingly become performers as
“Be Longing” moves between home and away Read More »
By Akanksha Raja Presented by The Arts House and co-commissioned by #BuySingLit, Textures – A Weekend With Words is an inaugural literary festival taking place from 9 – 11 March, chockablock with performances, workshops, book-themed exhibitions, and over 30 panel discussions, all in honour of homegrown literature, and the energetic, growing community that has contributed and
ArtsEquator’s Picks: TEXTURES, A Weekend with Words Read More »
Duration: 14 min Latest in our Fresh Blood podcast where we chat with young emerging art-makers and arts workers, we caught up with LASALLE College of the Arts graduate Priyageetha Dia, who, even before graduating last year with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, made something of a name for herself when one of her
Podcast 34: Interview with Priyageetha Dia Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Bali from 19 – 25 February 2018 We begin our first pick this week in Jakarta with the launch of Goenawan Mohamad’s new book: Si Majenun dan Sayid Hamid. In his new book, Goenawan discusses several areas from the famous Spanish novel Don Quixote, particularly
Weekly Picks: Indonesia (19 – 25 February 2018) Read More »
Singapore Cult & Underground Film Festival, SCAPE, 23 – 25 February The films in this inaugural showcase organised by the Society for Cult & Underground Movies explores the murkier sides of humanity and the underbellies of society, across the world: from the 1972 Yakuza cult classic Wandering Ginza Butterfly to the 2017 Golden Horse winner
Weekly Picks: Singapore (19 – 25 February 2018) Read More »
By Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai (1,150 words, 8-minute read) The final instalment in Ravindran Drama Group’s trilogy, Adukku Veetu Annasamy 3, picks up right after the lovers Rajendran (Annasamy and Kokilavani’s son) and Prema (Panchatcharam and Gunasundari’s daughter) have parted ways. Their incessantly nosy neighbour, Sathiavathy, is cajoling the family into finding Prema a groom in India. The
“Adukku Veetu Annasamy 3”: a rip-roaring trilogy comes to a close Read More »
Duration: 19 mins Corrie Tan caught up with award-winning British theatre critic Lyn Gardner when she was in Singapore last month from 24 to 28 January, before they both appeared on ArtsEquator’s public panel discussion on Theatre Reviews: Last Word or the Start of a Conversation, together with Sean Tobin and Alfian Sa’at. Tune into
Podcast 33: Interview with Lyn Gardner Read More »
By Corrie Tan (3,890 words, 20-minute read) A few days after the launch of the 2018 edition of the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), I had coffee with newly minted festival director Gaurav Kripalani to discuss the programme he’s unveiled for his inaugural festival, which includes hits from London’s West End such as Robert
Gaurav Kripalani: a new festival director plots a different path Read More »
By Corrie Tan (4,360 words, 25-minute read) I sat down with Ong Keng Sen after the conclusion of the first edition of the Curators Academy, which ran from 24 to 28 January. Organised by TheatreWorks, the academy sought to establish a platform where aspiring curators from across Southeast Asia could come together for a series
Ong Keng Sen: educating the curator; curating the everyday Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Bali from 12 – 18 February 2018 We’re starting a little slow this beginning of the week but we have a few art events taking place at the end of the week that might pique your interest. In the middle of the week, on the 15th
Weekly Picks: Indonesia (12 – 18 February 2018) Read More »
It may be the week leading up to the Lunar New Year weekend, but amid the festivities and holiday mood, there is still a wide variety of arts events to attend to get your culture fix! Love. Lies. Tricks by Performance Program at LASALLE College of the Arts, 13 – 14 Feb, 8pm Director of
Weekly Picks: Singapore (12 – 18 February 2018) Read More »
Fascinated by the diversity of faces found in Southeast Asia, artist Chris Cole has spent the last two decades immortalising Phnom Penh and Bangkok’s notorious nightscapes. Marissa Carruthers catches up with him ahead of his latest exhibition. “I’m not a moralist, I’m not glamourising sex tourism,” says artist Chris Cole, who originally hails from the
Noir Nights in Phnom Penh (via AsiaLIFE Cambodia) Read More »
1969’s Woodstock is probably one of the most iconic and influential music festivals to ever take place, with its 32 acts and 400,000 attendees making it not just the zenith of the whole counterculture movement that was such a big part of 1960s America, but also one of the most iconic events in the history of popular music.
To celebrate ArtsEquator’s first anniversary, we organised a photography competition in honour of the practice of artmaking. We called for snapshots of artists at work, or even caught in a moment of contemplation, reflection, anxiety as they make a work, regardless of genre or medium. All photographs were to be accompanied by a 100-150 word caption
ArtsEquator Photography Competition Winners: Capture a Moment of Art in the Making Read More »
By Ben Valentine (1,600 words, 10 minute read) Meta Moeng was the first person I met from Cambodia’s arts scene. This was in 2014, and I was eager to learn more about the country’s arts ecology. She was then the community projects manager at SA SA BASSAC (SSB) arts gallery in Phnom Penh, and I
Meta Moeng: a bridge-builder in Cambodia’s art world Read More »
In the next few years, we will be witnessing the completion of some new theatre facilities, such as Wild Rice’s own theatre space in the redeveloped Funan Mall, and Esplanade’s new medium-size theatre. How are these new theatre facilities designed? What will theatres look like in future? How would lighting, projection, sound and other technologies
The Future is Here – Interview with Mathias Woo (via ArtsRepublic) Read More »
The following roundtable discussion was held as part of the Lyn Gardner Theatre Reviewing Training Programme. Particpants Teo Dawn, Ezekiel Oliveira, Isaac Lim, Patricia Tobin, and Richard Chung discussed Displaced by Ground Cover Theatre, staged at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018. The play examined the migrant experience through the lives of three women from different backgrounds,
“Displaced” by Ground Cover Theatre at the Singapore Fringe: A Roundtable Read More »
By Naeem Kapadia (885 words, 5-minute read) It’s an exciting time for the emerging playwright in Singapore. Workshops, residencies and other artistic opportunities abound to develop and showcase fresh work, often in collaboration with theatre companies. These include platforms such as The Wright Stuff by Toy Factory, The Orange Production by The Necessary Stage and
“Platform Series: Journeys”: Of Skin and Sole Read More »
Cambodian-American poet Sokunthary Svay is tired of hearing about the Khmer Rouge. After concluding a yearlong review of Cambodian literature available in English, Svay found that nearly every accessible text about the country of her birth concerned either Angkor Wat, the ancient Angkorian Kingdom, the Khmer Rouge, or memoirs written by Cambodians who survived the
A Child of Cambodian Refugees Finds her Past through Poetry (via Electric Literature) Read More »
‘Street Mining: Contemporary Art from the Philippines’ features the works of Poklong Anading, Louie Cordero, Victor Balanon, Nona Garcia, Kawayan de Guia, Mm Yu, and the collective ‘Broke’. The show runs at Sundaram Tagore Gallery from 20 January to 2 March 2018 and has been guest-curated by ‘Broke’ co-founder Gary Ross Pastrana. I am meeting
In Conversation with Contemporary Art’s Street Miner (via The Artling) Read More »
Cross-Border Series: Malaya by Raksasa Collective and Pennylane Events, The Substation, 10 Feb, 5pm The first of many showcases, as part of the Cross-Border series between nations around Singapore, celebrates the ties that have been left unsaid in current times. This showcase present musicians from both Malaysia and Singapore as part of the Malayan Exchange to
5 – 11 February 2018: Singapore Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali from 5 – 11 February 2018 JAKARTA Setelah Residensi Trimatra, 11 February – 11 March 2018, Galeri Salihara. Opening: 10 February 2018, 7 PM. This exhibition presents the works of 3 young contemporary artists who won Salihara Trimatra competition in 2016. The 3
5 – 11 February 2018: Indonesia Read More »
Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (SEAFIC) has finalised the selection for its second edition, focusing on first-time filmmakers from Laos, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Established producers such as Fran Borgia (A Yellow Bird) and Anthony Chen (Pop Aye) are attached to some of the projects, which cover topics including family strife, sociopolitical bureaucracy, cross-cultural humour
By Chloe Chotrani (1400 words, 12-minute read) Dance was practiced as a devotional union between the ancestral and earthly realms through ritualistic performances in architectural spaces, with its genesis in India, extending into Southeast Asia. This essay examines the bronze figures of deities and temple traditions in Angkor, Cambodia in relation to ancient Hindu traditions
Dance as Devotion in South India and Southeast Asia Read More »
