By Katrina Stuart Santiago (1,000 words, 6-minute read) February 2020 seems like years ago, and it feels like escapism to even go back to that time. To some extent, it’s almost like a dream, where for over a week, one had nothing else to do but to watch stage productions from across the world; the […]
From dream to dystopia: The cultural critic in the age of pandemic Read More »
As the five women onstage came silently together in a halt, spot lit and wrapped once more in the tenun textile they had first appeared in, there was an initial hush. Ironically, for all the dynamism of the movements and formations we had just witnessed, it was their voices that somehow continued to echo in
Eko Supriyanto’s “IBUIBU BELU”: Uncomfortable Questions Read More »
By Katrina Stuart Santiago (936 words, 6-minute read) The past as a point of reference for contemporary cultural work is not new, and neither is the need to rethink it, reconsider it, or respond to it. Anyone who works in culture after all is inextricably bound to tradition, and to some extent, all major cultural
“No. 60”: Klunchun unmasks the Khon Read More »
By Amitha Amranand (1,350 words, 5-minute read) Thai dancer-choreographer Thanapol Virulhakul is certainly not the first artist to wonder whether art could become more of a part of our daily life nor to attempt through his art to make it more so. It is difficult to see that attempt in The Retreat, or to even
Thanapol Virulhakul’s “The Retreat”: Dance, Uncontained Read More »
The Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama will focus on dance and physical expression this year. Since it was established as the Tokyo Performing Arts Market in 1995, the annual event has never quite stopped moving – including a move to Yokohama in 2011 – and has come to be known for its consistent spirit of
ArtsEquator’s Top 10 Picks of TPAM 2020 Read More »
By Patricia Tobin (561 words, 4-minute read) Constellation of Violence consists of a very simple setup: a giant screen on stage, a historian, two artists and a group of individuals. These elements are combined, in varying degrees, to form a three-part artistic investigation on the Cold War in Indonesia in 1965. Indonesian artist Irwan
The brutal examinations of “Constellation of Violence” Read More »
By Patricia Tobin (1,140 words, 6-minute read) The concluding production of TPAM 2019 was Constellation of Violence, a lecture-performance by artist Irwan Ahmett, which focused on the culmination of the Cold War in Indonesia in 1965, from its lead-up to its aftermath. Irwan is an artist who positions his existence in the complexity of
The Personal, the Humour and the Horror: Interview with Irwan Ahmett Read More »
Content warning: References to sexual content, situations and violence The final line of Terre Thaemlitz’s Deproduction reads: “Admit it’s killing you, and leave.” It is a neat summary of the work—a deeply nihilistic critique of contemporary family values and neo-liberal queer politics. But, as this last piece of text scrolls off the screen, it also
The disturbing cruelty of Terre Thaemlitz’s “Deproduction” Read More »
By Patricia Tobin (670 words, 4-minute read) Content warning: References to sexual content or situations Deproduction by musician-producer Terre Thaemlitz was released on December 28, 2017 as a multimedia album consisting of audio, video and text. In TPAM 2019, it was staged as an “anti-live AV performance”, as Thaemlitz combined the album’s textual, audio
Disturbing behaviour: “Deproduction” by Terre Thaemlitz Read More »
By Patricia Tobin ( 700 words, 5-minute read) It starts with a song. Faiq Syazwan Kuhiri strums the ukulele and gently sings about hope and the future. For a lecture-performance, A Notional History, a work in progress by Five Arts Centre, is filled with pockets of tender moments like these. Together with journalist Rahmah Pauzi and filmmaker-activist
Tender notes on violence in “A Notional History” by Five Arts Centre Read More »
By Patricia Tobin ( 700 words, 5-minute read) “GE14 will be the arts festival to outdo all arts festivals,” said performer-politician Fahmi Fadzil. He is referring to the live spectacle: from theatre productions to political speeches, performativity is a constant. All the world’s a stage, as the production of GE14 shows, from the car parks
Fahmi Fadzil’s “GE14”: The sound and fury signifying everything Read More »
By Patricia Tobin (736 words, 3-minute read) Spoiler Alert: This review contains spoilers for The Mysterious Lai Teck, which will run from 17 to 19 May at the Singapore International Festival of Arts. “I am the shadow of Ho Chi Minh,” a voice states. It starts as a whisper, before being repeated later as a fast,
Confronting Truths in Ho Tzu Nyen’s “The Mysterious Lai Teck” Read More »
Established in 1995, the Tokyo Performing Arts Market (TPAM) was created to be a platform to network Japanese artists with producers and funders. 24 years later, TPAM has expanded in scope and purpose, to include live performance, panel discussions and symposiums. In 2011 it moved to the City of Yokohama, and was renamed the Performing
ArtsEquator’s Top 10 Picks at the Performing Arts Meeting 2019 Read More »
By Kathy Rowland (529 words, 5 minute read) Solo Rites: Seven Breaths by Jen Shyu, a highly acclaimed experimental jazz vocalist from the US, was staged at the Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama on 14 February 2017. Shyu, who is of East Timor-Taiwanese ancestry, has spent years conducting research and learning the traditional musical and
Solo Rites: Asian Degustation Menu Causes Indigestion Read More »
By Kathy Rowland (1484 words, 15-minute read) The Tokyo Performing Arts Market (TPAM) was established in 1995. In 2011, TPAM moved to the City of Yokohama, re-branding as the Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama. The shift of location also signalled a realignment, from showcase to co-presenting, with a specific focus on Asia. Over the past
Yokohama’s Creative City: Interview with Kozue Nakayama Read More »
