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 been scoured and sifted from a range of regional news websites, blogs and media platforms.
Here is this week’s Southeast Asia Radar:
Rekindle the Teochew Heritage: The TENG Ensemble
danamic, Singapore
I once heard a really beautiful quote that seems perfect for this situation – ‘The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people.’
We are all very different people with different backgrounds that make us stand out, and yet ironically, make us fit in. Our religion, our race, our language, our dialects, all make up who we are.
However, it seems that lately, we’ve been gravitating away from our cultural identities. And I have the numbers to prove it: In ten years, Singapore has seen a decrease in Chinese dialects being spoken at home from 30.7% to 19.2%.
It is no secret that the predominant users of dialects are generally older generations, and younger generations seem to have lost touch with their roots. It becomes a devastating, endless cycle, with each generation drifting further and further away from the one thing that makes us unique.
Silent Film Festival adapts to the time of COVID
Business World, The Philippines
FOR the first time since its inception in 2007, the International Silent Film Festival is moving online, forgoing live music accompaniment and using original recorded scores from Filipino musicians instead.
The festival, touted as Asia’s first silent film festival, will run from Dec. 4 to 6 via www.iwatchmore.com and the 10 films from four countries will only be available at specific time slots.
From Japan come six animated shorts taken from the Japanese Animation Classics collection, digitized and subtitled in English by the National Film Archive of Japan (NFAJ). The six animated films include the oldest existing Japanese animation, The Dull Sword (1917), a four-minute short directed by Junichi Kouchi. 1917 is considered the birth year of domestic animation in Japan.
Support Local With These 7 Incredible Malaysian Movies Currently On Netflix
The Rakyat Post, Malaysia
So, there is a pandemic going on and you’re playing your part as a responsible citizen by staying indoors. To distract yourself from the outside world, here are some critically acclaimed Malaysian movies that you can binge-watch and enjoy on Netflix.
Vietnam’s Art Fondling Epidemic and the Online Vigilante Policing It
Urbanist Hanoi, Vietnam
There are many clumsy shoe prints beyond the foot-high metal boundary, next to a small sign that screams out in all caps: “PLEASE, DON’T TOUCH THE ARTWORK.”
They appear on the pile of sand that makes up Vũ Bạch Liên’s ‘The Tale of Human,’ an installation at the “3rd ASEAN Graphic Arts Competition and Exhibition,” which saw its final day at the Vincom Center for Contemporary Art’s (VCCA) this week.
But while the exhibition presented thought-provoking art, left behind was a room of shattered mirrors, cracked picture frames and broken dreams, as hordes of social media users threw caution to the wind as they hunted for that perfect snap.
When earlier this month, one would-be influencer crossed the threshold into Hara Takashi’s VCCA installation, smashing three mirrors, VCCA was forced to release a public statement on its Facebook page reminding visitors the exhibits aren’t interactive. Far from a one-off whoopsie daisy, getting up close and personal with art has become an all-to-prevalent trend among Vietnamese social media users.
Oat Montien Presents ‘Songprapha: Reclining Queer Nudes’
Thailand, Thailand
Artist and writer Oat Montien is celebrated for his whimsical drawings, especially ones portraying the male body. Looking out onto the world, he simultaneously reflects inward, and it is through his spectacles of esotericism and the politics of body and gender that he translates his works to audiences.
Earlier this month, the artist launched his latest Songprapha: Reclining Queer Nudes at Bodhisattava Gallery on Songprapha Road. A collection of 12 drawings, the work portrays 12 different reclining male bodies. In a previous body of work titled Eros, Oat compiled nude sketches of his ex-lovers, exploring subjects of desire. In this new collection, however, he is turning his eyes back to a subject closer to himself by collaborating with platonic models.
ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar is compiled every week. All sources and credit belong to the original publishers and writers. Click here for past editions of Southeast Asia Radar.
About the author(s)
Nabilah Said is an award-winning playwright, editor and cultural commentator. She is also an artist who works with text across various artforms and formats. Her plays have been staged in Singapore and London, including ANGKAT, which won Best Original Script at the 2020 Life Theatre Awards. Nabilah is the former editor of ArtsEquator.