3 May 2016     Issue Eight
the avenue for creative arts
 
    
 
     
Seeing is Believing: Visual Arts in May

The American Club in Singapore is where there's a feast of Art to see and believe.  From the private collections of Daniel Teo, as well as his Wetterling Teo Gallery and The Private Museum, including Artworks by Jim Dine, Frank Stella, Goh Beng Kwan, Katrina Reed, Ross Bleckner, Cai Heng, Ketut Tagen, Chua Ek Kay and Walasse Ting. To top it off there's the brilliant calligraphy of Grace Chen Liang, who'll also be demonstrating her style on opening night. Art aplenty starting 6 May, running through May, June and July. An eclectic selection of international Art from America and Asia. Art to enjoy and Art to buy. Certainly Art with a capital A to talk about.  Seeing is Believing: Exhibition of Encounters, The American Club, Singapore. 

WOMEN: New Portraits Annie Leibovitz
Held at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, the exhibition features women of outstanding achievement from all walks of life, including artists, musicians, chief executives, politicians, writers and philanthropists such as Nobel Prize-winning teenage activist Malala Yousafzai and Myanmar icon and politician Aung San Suu Kyi  Read, if you can, what Deepika Shetty has to say in the penetrating interview with Annie.   For more on this global exhibition by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz. 

Chernobyl Revisited: Remains in Art
Sometimes the horrors of war and other human-induced catastrophes can be seen - on reflection - in a better light. We wouldn't let them happen again. Artists see this and by showing these humanitarian disasters through fresh eyes and lens, we better appreciate the reality and the futility of  what man has done. Out of the rubble comes art.  See Chernobyl and its aftermath.  In conjunction with the Voilah! French Festival Singapore, The Private Museum is proud to present Chernobyl Today by Singapore-based French photographer Christophe Malcotto to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl's nuclear power plant catastrophe in 1986. Exhibition opening reception: Thursday, 5 May 2016, 6.30pm. Venue: Artspace@222.222 Queen Street, Singapore.   Artist Talk: Thursday, 26 May 2016, 6:30pm.  For more go to Voilah! French Festival.

 Up Against it: Street Scenes & Sites in Wall-Art-Work 
 
Next time you're in the vicinity of 51 Waterloo Street, Singapore - on the way to The Private Museum perchance - check out the street art on the walls of the old school. Not exactly Banksy or graffitti but commissioned by Daniel Teo to brighten up the old walls and to show the vanishing trades and missing places of Singapore, like the old MPH bookstore - the building is there still but transformed for other uses. 


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National Gallery: Lines that Move, After the Rain and Chua Ek Kay
Art education for young and old is certainly a role being played out at the National Gallery. Within the wonderful historic buildings, which previously served as the Supreme Court and City Hall, there's the Keppel Centre for Art Education where its special programmes support the learning of content. One such show is  "Lines that Move!"  with Wu Guanzhong: Beauty Beyond Form and Chua Ek Kay: After the Rain, where participants learn to create an artwork using only lines to express movement and mood. Chua Ek Kay's work can also be seen in other moving ways: gracing the walls inside the Clarke Quay MRT for example. (Four of his works are also included in the American Club exhibition). To see the treasures and exhibits at the National Gallery, visit in person but check out the website for more information on what's current and what's coming up. National Gallery

HeritageFest features: Kampung Sprit, Kampung Fun 
Into its 13th year, the National Heritage Board's signature Singapore HeritageFest 2016, presents the hidden and lesser-known stories about our shared spaces and ways of life. Through immersive programmes such as trails, open houses and performances, the festival will enable Singapore's diverse communities to share their stories with the public and bring these valuable memories to life in celebration of our vibrant cultural heritage. Kampong Spirit, Kampong Fun is one such exhibition. For much much more go to Singapore HeritageFest 2016

Meet on the Esplanade 

Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Les Misérables 
opens at the Esplanade Theatre, Singapore 31 May for a strictly limited season.  Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, Les Misérables (fondly referred to as Les Mis) is the unforgettable story of heartbreak, passion and the resilience of the human spirit that has become one of the world's most popular musicals.  Playing the iconic role of Jean Valjean is established actor and musical theatre star, Simon Gleeson who recently picked up the Australian Helpmann Award for the role. More on Les Miz is here!
 

The Sun Rises on Super Japan
For ten days in May you can sample the Super Japan Festival - 13 - 22 May - at The Esplanade, with dance, drama, jazz, puppet theatre and more music to appeal to the senses. Read all about it and book through the Esplanade for the Japan Festival of Arts

Coming up at the Esplanade:

The Lighter Side of the Arts
The Umbilical Brothers (Australia), Metamorphosis (Iceland), Time for Fun (Russia) and much more. A season of fun and laughter. And talent from around the world. From 27 May to 5 June. Go to Esplanade for more. 

Ghost Writer by The Necessary Stage.
A haunting and retrospective production helmed by Cultural Medallion recipients Alvin Tan and Haresh Sharma. 9-11 June 8pm; 11-12 June 3pm.  More on this from The Necessary Stage. 

Sleeping Beauty. 
A gothic romance. A dance production by Mathew Bourne. It's out of the ordinary! Music by Tchaikovsky.  4 - 7 August 2016. Presented by Esplanade as part of its da:ns programme. 


The Esplanade presents more arts programmes than anywhere else in Singapore - many of them free and practically every day and night. So check out what's coming up at The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. 
Performances not to miss 


 




 
 
We loved the film version of "Hamlet" with Benedict Cumberbatch in the starring role of the National Theatre Production, screened at the Esplanade.  We absorbed the delightful afternoon of Shakespeare in word, acts and song - The Immortal Bard by the Phenix Arts Group (Varshini with her Bard to the Bone t-Shirt is one of them!) - coming to a Library near you. Next at the Central Library 2pm on Saturday 28 May. 
There's more, much much more:
  • The "Letters to Shakespeare" Exhibition will be travelling to the following libraries:
Central Public Library: 19 May - 19 June 
Marine Parade Public Library: 23 June - 23 July 
Clementi Public Library: 27 July - 29 August 
Woodlands Regional Library: 2 September - 29 September 

  • 14 May 2016 to January 2017: Singapore Philatelic Museum "Shaking it with Shakespeare" exhibition featuring stamps, philatelic materials, interactive exhibits, 3D objects and other events and workshops.
     
  • 12 May 2016: "Literally speaking - What Should We Teach?" lecture at Select Centre.  Select Centre's Literally Speaking series, join an engaging panel discussion where Professor Richard Angus Whitehead will share his concerns on the impacts on culture, linguistics and society if educators in Singapore ignore Shakespeare.
The Art of Travel and Travel for Art: 
Australia hosts the seventh Vivid Sydney
New South Wales Premier Mike Baird and Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres unveiled the programme for this year's Vivid Sydney festival as the city prepares for an extended 23-night spectacular from 27 May to 18 June. 
"VividSydney is a platform for Australia's creative industries and, this year, visitors will have an extra five nights to explore our global city and enjoy the light art, musical performances and creative ideas that will delight this year's audiences." 

Medellin - Art and Sustainability Prized
The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2016 is conferred on Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia after the capital Bogotá.  Having overcome challenges of uncontrolled urban expansion and years of violence due to social inequalities, Medellín has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past two decades. 

In 2013 The Wall Street Journal declared Medellin the most innovative city in the world. A string of international awards have included the Harvard University prize for urban design and the 2013 Sustainable Urban Transport Award (shared with San Francisco). The biennial Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is jointly organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Centre for Liveable Cities, to honour outstanding achievements and contributions to the creation of liveable, vibrant and sustainable urban communities around the world. The prize, sponsored by Keppel Corporation, will be presented at this year's World Cities Summit in Singapore 10-14 July. More information on World Cities Summit here. 
Performing Arts
All the World's a Stage: Past, Present and Future

Jane Seymour in Noel Coward classic, The Vortex at Raffles Hotel Jubilee Hall.

What a thrill to enjoy the opening night in such wonderful surroundings and see Jane Seymour in the very demanding role of Florence Lancaster in this classic English drawing room drama. But don't think it's a light and saucy role for this real drama queen. She puts on a performance that shows her at her best - the glamour, a commanding presence, but also a tough act as she's is subjected to a staged fight with her son Nicky, played convincingly by Alex Spinney. He also brought a delightful musical touch to the play with his piano work and very pleasing singing voice. For more about the play see The Vortex and the British Theatre Playhouse. This theatre company is to be congratulated for continuing to bring quality English plays and players to Singapore. Don't miss it. It's on until 15 May. Click here to book through SISTIC. 

"Come to the Cabaret" - but you're too late!
A night of "Cabaret" Wonderfully engaging and entertaining. At LASALLE's Singapore Airlines Theatre, (27 to 30 April), graduating BA(Hons) students in Musical Theatre put on the performance of their youthful stage lives. Ably directed by Adam Marple, this was a professionally staged show, demonstrating how LASALLE can mould raw Asian talent into wonderful stage performers who are ready for a theatre career. Pity this show is over so soon but some of the cast will be appearing soon in upcoming Singapore productions of "Emily the Musical" and "Rent". Look out for Megan Chng, pictured here as the centre of attention as Sally Bowles and Venytha Yashiantini (pictured on right) who played the Fraulein Schneider in the "Cabaret" production. 
Go here, for more of LASALLE's art events and activities. - Ken Hickson 

It's History Boys! 
Actor Rupert Glascow, 56, stars in The History Boys, a 2004 Tony Award-winning play by British playwright Alan Bennett. The production by The Stage Club follows a group of history students who prepare for their examinations under the tutelage of their three teachers, who have different teaching styles. 
The Harley Davidson aficionado - but no bike on stage, please! - Glascow, who is from South London, plays teacher Hector. A full-time teacher by day, he is married with three children and has lived in Singapore for more than 20 years.  
Under the experienced directorship of Nick Perry - also an English man and full-time teacher in his day-job - History Boys is another example of the wealth of British plays and talents we're able to draw on in Singapore these days.   It's on from 4 to 7 May. Go to The Stage Club for more. 
Arts for Good - Singapore Leads the Way

Empowering Communities through Arts Education
Tamil Nadu, India  |   6 to 15 May 2016
Singaport International Foundation (SIF) partners arts-based educator Esther Joosa and Buds of Christ from India in Empowering Communities through Arts Education, which aims to use arts and culture to empower artists and social workers. Working alongside artists in India, Esther will train 20 artists and selected social workers from Buds for Christ and other NGOs to better communicate with the HIV-positive community.  More on Arts for Good and SIF.

"Falling" by Pangdemonium! theatre company
is described as "an electrifying and enlightening family drama". It examines the meaning of unconditional love and dares to ask: "How do you love someone who is difficult to love?"
Directed by Tracie Pang, its being performed at 13 May - 5 June 2016 KC Arts Centre - Home of SRT. For more on Pangdemonium and Falling. 

                All at Sea:  Singapore Art Museum  

Delving into the deep, Imaginarium: Over the Ocean, Under the Sea - the sixth edition of SAM's children-focused annual exhibition - invites adventurers of all ages into the watery realms of our Earth as seen through the eyes of contemporary artists. 4 June to 28 August. Singapore Art Museum. 

Featuring commissioned artworks, artist loans and works from the Singapore Art Museum collection, Odyssey: Navigating Nameless Seas invites visitors into Earth's watery realms, as seen through the eyes of contemporary artists. Through the centuries, over numerous expeditions, and with ever-increasing sophistication in science and technology, humankind has sailed the seven seas and plunged into the very depths of oceanic trenches. Yet there remains much to be discovered of this alien world. Exhibition runs 4 June 2016 - 28 August 2016.
Literary Arts Scene:
Books, Booker and Booking in
We give readers -  all book and magazine lovers - a quick overview. Simply put highlights of a literary kind with important links for more words and images. We went from A to L last issue. We finish the rest of the alphabet this time:
M is for the big Man Booker International Prize  - which will be announced on 16 May at a formal dinner at the V & A - the Victoria and Albert Museum London. For the 2016 Short list see here! 
N for the National Gallery, Singapore where there's art and books - books about art - to view and buy. 
O is for Opening up to art and place at the O.P.E.N Festival, the forerunner to the Singapore International Festival of Arts. Literary arts of course will have their place on stage and in print. 
P is for Prize - the other big literature prize. The Man Booker Prize for Fiction.  The long-list is announced on 27 July and the short-list is on 13 September. The winners' ceremony will take place at London's Guildhall on 25 October.
Q is for Queen of the Stage - as far as we're concerned it's Jane Seymour. Historically, Jane was one of Henry VIII's wives, but today, besides doing a dramatic turn, she's a writer. In the 1980s, she wrote self-help and inspirational books, including Jane Seymour's Guide to Romantic Living (1986) and Among Angels (2010). 
R is for "Reprise" an art exhibition staged at Booktique, 1 Raffles Link in the City Mall, launching Rosihan Dahim's Matchstick Series. Saturday 7 May at 5pm. Browse through the books, as there's always something worth buying. The enterprising bookseller Anthony Koh staged a Non-Fiction book fair in the Mall last month. 
S stands for the Sydney Writers Festival so takes this slot. 14-22 May. Love to be there but that didn't pan out. You can see and hear a wave of writers - that's a better than a murder of crows! - including a writer-full session called The Book That Saved Me, featuring notables: Jeanette Winterson, Kate Tempest, Vivian Gornick, Herman Koch, Marlon James and Andrew Denton.
T is for Tracy Chevalier, author of eight novels - including one of our all time favourites, "Girl with the Pearl Earring" - and editor of a new collection of stories inspired by Jane Eyre, as well as biographer Claire Harman, author of Charlotte Bronte: A Life. They're featuring in a special programme on Saturday 7 May celebrating 200 years since the birth of Charlotte Brontë.  World Book Club, BBC World Service.  
U obviously means Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. It's on for one and all this year: 26 to 30 October. Start plotting your path now as Bali's cultural capital Ubud will start filling up with "a starry array of world thinkers and artists" all celebrating the theme Tat Tvam Asi or 'I am you, you are me.'
V is for Vancouver Writers Fest, which "turns reading into a community experience, bringing people together to share thoughts, explore ideas, and witness brilliant conversations". The 29 year old event will this year be held for 6 days on Granville Island, 18 - 23 October. That's British Columbia, Canada, if you need to know!
W is for Writers, so watch out!: Goh Poh Seng's seminal novel If We Dream Too Long is the event theme in advance of the Singapore Writers Festival. Come along for an "immersive, interactive dinner theatre experience". Navigate through love, loss and laughter in late 1960s Singapore. May 13 - 15, 20 - 22, 28 & 29.
X can only be X marks the spot. How about the famous line  "out, out damned spot" from Shakespeare's Macbeth. If you want to see the play at London's Globe Theatre, be on the dot for a spot of live theatre from 18 June - 1 October 2016. 
Y is for YOU and all you love about art and literature. Soak up the events. Read the books. Absorb the sights and sounds. It's all for you. 
Z is for Zelda - Zelda la Grange - who was Nelson Mandela's closest confidant. She features at the Sydney Writers Festival. A rare opportunity to hear the intimate stories of life with a man who left an indelible mark on the world. 





   

 

 
 



 





 

 

 
W!LD RICE proudly presents the 2016 Singapore Theatre Festival, a thrilling theatrical event about a nation on the edge and the people who live, love and dream in it. At a time when Singapore is poised between its storied past and the uncertain future, dive into the eight hilarious, heartbreaking, witty and whimsical works that make up the Festival. Go to W!ld Rice for more on the festival.
OPENING UP TO ART AND PLACE
Noorlinah Mohamed conceives this year's Club Malam at the old Kallang Airport. As The O.P.E.N. did last year, this event concentrates on the potentialities of old forgotten sites in Singapore. She has brought together some of the most amazing young artists from Southeast Asia today.  Collectively, they reimagine the old days of clubbing in Singapore into new visions of the future, beyond ethnicities. Joining this explosive club are Berlin artists Marc Brandenburg, Mark Formanek and Julius von Bismarck.
Its all part of The O.P.E.N. - a festival from 22 June to 9 July before the Singapore International Festival of Arts unleashes its power in August - which celebrates the potentialities of courageous individuals who are change agents and continue to be role models in challenging contexts. Using old significant places to stage art is something Singapore does well. Officially opened in 1937, Kallang Airport was Singapore's first purpose-built civil airport, before being replaced by Paya Lebar Airport in 1955. Gazetted by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore in 2008 for conservation, the old Kallang Airport continues to be a venue for prestigious arts and cultural events.  For more on O.P.E.N, the venues and events go here.  See here, for advance preview of what's to come in the Singapore International Festival of Arts from 11 August to 9 September 2016 

We've seen for ourselves and  it will definitely inspire your imagination. Future World, the new permanent exhibition at ArtScience Museum. Explore a fully immersive 1500-square-metre digital universe, where 15 spectacular art installations are brought to life and evolve in real-time through visitor presence and participation. Be amazed as this stunning interactive world responds to your behavior, and changes according to your creative input!
Editor's Last Word: 
Independents will have their day - bookstores and magazines!

We just missed acknowledging Independent Bookstore Day Saturday 30 April. But read this in Publishers Weekly and see for yourself what's happening, not just in America, but around the world. Here's what we had to say on Facebook to mark the occasion: 
             To all the wonderful independent bookstores in the world, some of whom are  fighting to stay alive. Methinks you are winning the battle. Don't lose heart. Keep your relevance. Reach out to your growing market. Show that print books are great to hold, read & appreciate. Use both social media and mainstream media to reach out to a bigger audience and  organise events in store and beyond - like Books Actually's Art Book Fair - to show & tell/sell! 

Congratulations to Kenny Leck (above) who organised the Art Book Fair at Art Science Museum last month. What a show! 
In Singapore we love to shop at (and promote) independent stores like Books Actually, Booktique and Littered with Books. 

The same situation applies to independent magazine publishers. There's a resurgence. Of quality. Of print. Of readers and writers. Look out for the best: Design Anthology from Hong Kong, Kinfolk from the US, Cereal from UK and Offscreen from Australia. 
Maybe one day soon we'll see an independent quality art magazine appear in print in Singapore.  Can't wait!
Ken Hickson 
                                                     Managing Editor 
the avenue for creative arts