The Substation: How many more canaries in the coal mine?
By Hoe Su Fern Since 1990, The Substation has been the sole occupant of the conserved building at 45 Armenian Street. Over the years, it has transformed the once-abandoned power station into Singapore’s first artist-led multi-disciplinary arts centre. However, in…
Nathalie Johnston: Creating a home for contemporary art in Myanmar
By Victoria Milko (1,800 words, nine-minute read) Despite being nearly 14,000 kilometres from her hometown in America, Myanm/art gallery director Nathalie Johnston has managed to create a home for herself – and Myanmar’s growing contemporary art scene – in the…
North Dagon: A hub of artistic creation, who knew? (via Myanmar Times)
Much like meeting your idols, seeing your favourite artists’place of work is fraught with danger. What if you discover that the birthplace of their artistic creations looks more like what you’d find in an Ikea catalogue rather than the paint splattered…
Meta Moeng: a bridge-builder in Cambodia’s art world
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…
All Aboard: Artists and Locals Come Together at Penang’s Hin Bus Depot
Penangites of a certain age still have fond memories of the Blue Bus that ran up and down the island until the 1980s. The company’s garage, built in 1947, sported a sleek Art Deco façade, still visible today. But years…
New $30 million waterfront theatre for Esplanade [Singapore]
SINGAPORE – A $30 million waterfront theatre will open at the Esplanade – Theatres On The Bay in 2021. The mid-size venue will seat around 550 people. It was announced on Monday (April 10) by Minister for Culture, Community and…
Public Art in Ho Chi Minh City
As a communist country, Vietnam isn’t always the easiest place to find publicly displayed art, especially modern or controversial work. However, the country seems to be changing – and Ho Chi Minh City is leading the way. Here are some of the best places…
Cambodia’s Meta House cultural centre celebrates ten years as an iconic arts and music venue (via SEA Globe)
Since its inception in 2007, Meta House has established itself as a haven for the city’s creatives looking to find documentaries, art and performances of all breeds. “We started as a small community centre in 2007 in my private house,”…
Southeast Asia’s Forgotten Cinemas
By Philip Jablon (1634 words, 15 minute read) I have vivid memories of the movie theaters that once peppered the streets of downtown Philadelphia. They were a key part of my childhood. The films that my parents took me to…
One man’s quest to save Southeast Asia’s independent cinemas
Since 2010, Jablon has surveyed hundreds of the region’s standalone cinemas – the majority now derelict or ticking over as warehouses, car parks or shady fleapits – and then put his tightly worded observations and stark photographs up on his…