18 July 2016    Issue Ten 
 
 
 
the avenue 
for creative arts 
  
 
       
  
Art Treasures on a Singapore Sidewalk

Art for the Heart! Seeing is Believing
Paintings and prints to buy before its goodbye! Not long to go, so don't miss this amazing exhibition of "encounters with art and artists from America and Asia", which continues at the American Club to end July. Jim Dine gets to the heart of the matter (pictured) and other must see paintings and prints on show are by Walasse Ting, Ross Bleckner, Katrina Reed, Goh Beng Kwan, Cai Heng, Chua Ek Kay, Frank Stella, Ketut Tagen and Grace Chen Liang. From the Daniel Teo private collection, the Wetterling Teo Gallery and The Private Museum. Here's more on the American Club exhibition

Arts Comes Home at the Art Apart Fair
We were there for the opening and we'll be back for more. Much to see. Arts comes home at the Art Apart Fair. The 8th edition of Art Apart Fair is this time showing at Isetan, Wisma Atria in Orchard Road 11 July to 28 August, 2016. This is the art event that explores the ways in which Art merges and mingles with Living Space.  It will showcase how contemporary Art, Furniture and Design interact to reveal the most enchanting interiors, coupled with interactive workshops and exclusive promotions. In the full programme of activities, there's action and variety to suit a wide range of tastes and desires.  

Secret Landscapes at The Private Museum
The Private Museum presents Han Sai Por: Secret Landscapes - A Bali Purnati Artist Residency. Featuring one of Singapore's leading sculptors and cultural medallion recipient, Han Sai Por, the exhibition opens on 4 August, marking the gallery's second collaboration with Yayasan Bali Purnati, as well as the artist's inaugural solo acrylic-medium focused exhibition. The artist talk for will be at 11am on Saturday, 6 August 2016.

Colours for Homes: Red Sea Gallery
Peter Steinhaur's views of high rise housing attract attention at this Dempsey Hill gallery, as part of a group exhibition by artists from Korea, China, Indonesia, France, Australia and US. The Summer Group Show at Red Sea Gallery runs from 24 June through 29 July 2016, with works by Jieun Park, Zhuang Hong Yi, Cha Jong-Rye, Val, Hwang Sae-Jin, Dedy Sufriadi, Syaiful Rachman, Johnson Tsang, Choi Young Wook, Leigh Hewson-Bower and Anton Pulvirenti.

Enduring East-West Views at the National Gallery
"After the Rain",  the wonderful exhibition of the work of  Chua Ek Kay continues at the National Gallery. We were privileged to be taken on a guided tour by curator Cai Heng of this and other galleries. Covering a lifetime of experiences with an artist who was experimenting with different styles from east and west. Just a slice of what's to see in, around and on top of the National Gallery.

Art Treasures on a Singapore Sidewalk 
This is what an artist sees and captures. Morning Walk Montage, Cast Adrift, in her Queen of Sheba exhibition. Kavita Issar Batra is always collecting pebbles, flowers, leaves and other botanical treasures. Since 2012, she has been observing, collecting organic and industrial detritus, composing Montages. This wonderful exhibition is on until 28 August at Intersections in 33 Kandahar Street, includes one oversized mixed media painting on canvas, which is an imprint of the Singapore sidewalk.
 
Double Vision at the NUS Museum
Double Vision is a selection of video works and experimental films that are inspired by the affinities between the Philippines and Vietnam in the history of the American wars in the Pacific. On until 31 July at the Lee Kong Chian Gallery, NUS Museum. You can also see "Who wants to remember a war?" War Drawings and Posters from the Ambassador Dato' N. Parameswaran Collection at the Ng Eng Teng Gallery,  produced during the period of the Indochinese and Vietnam Wars  (1945 - 1975), drawing from the one of the largest privately held collections of the genre.
Don't Miss "Les Miserables" 

Yes, I went back for more and you should too. Whether you've seen Les Miserables before - in Singapore or anywhere in the world - this is one performance that draws you back for more.  
Star performances by Simon Gleeson as Jean Valjean and Earl Carpenter as Javert. But very entertaining and equally compelling singing and acting by Patrice Tipoki, Emily Landridge and Kerrie Anne Greenland. Not forgetting a cast - seemingly hundreds of them - who perform with precision, humour, pathos, grit and absolute talent.  But whatever you do, don't miss this musical treat. It will run until 24 July. Book through SISTIC. 

With a similar, familiar musical flavour - also at The Esplanade:

Enjoy some of the greatest Broadway hits - Tonight, I Could Have Danced All Night, Cheek to Cheek - at this SSO Pops Concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 29 July, featuring conductor Joshua Tan and singer Rani Singam. Go to 

Jazz up your July at the Esplanade. So much to see, hear and enjoy.  
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. 



Patrice Tipoki as Fantine


In Singapore, Shakespeare Lives 400 Years after his Death!  

There's much to remind us that Shakespeare Lives in Singapore. It fits in with the Read Fest programme as well, as the National Library promotes the plays and works - to read and watch - from the Shakespeare collection. 
Displays and action at these libraries continues:
Marine Parade Public Library: 23 June - 23 July 
Clementi Public Library: 27 July - 29 August 
Woodlands Regional Library: 2 September - 29 September 

Singapore Philatelic Museum continues with its "Shaking it with Shakespeare" exhibition, featuring stamps, philatelic materials, interactive exhibits, 3D objects and other events and workshops.

Here's an interesting read about Shakespeare's and his desire for more than fame and fortune from his plays. He went after his own  Coat of Arms, as this article from the New York Times sets out with some in depth research.  


The Singapore Symphony Orchestra  (SSO) celebrates Shakespeare400 with a selection of orchestral favourites by Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and Berlioz. Esplanade Concert Hall. For much more on concerts, bookings, go to SSO.
    



SSO DISCOVERING MUSIC
THE WORLD'S A STAGE: THE DRAMA OF OPERA MUSIC INSPIRED BY SHAKESPEARE             5 November 2016, 4pm  Victoria Concert Hall

Everything else you want to know about Shakespeare's Big Year, the British Council has it, where-ever you are in the world. Go right here to Shakespeare Lives 
Art Stage Jakarta 
Indonesia's first boutique art fair of international format in August celebrates the country's vibrant and diverse contemporary art scene. An exhibition for those who cannot wait until Singapore's Art Stage in January 2017!  As Southeast Asia's largest art scene and market, Indonesia is defined by its unique artists and a strong collecting culture led by the nation's dedicated collectors.  
Art Stage Jakarta 2016 will present 50 galleries from Indonesia and beyond. In addition to the participation of all of Indonesia's top galleries, the inaugural edition of Art Stage Jakarta 2016 will also include renowned international galleries from Asia and Europe.  
5 - 7 August 2016. Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City, Kebayoran Jakarta, Jakarta 12240, Indonesia. For more about Indonesia's first Art Stage, go here. 

Diamonds are Forever  
We keep hearing more about Jane Seymour, one of the early Bond girls, who has gone on to grace our theatres, films, libraries and shops with her talents and her arts. Here's a heading that captures our attention:

Shine Bright Like a Diamond - Actress Jane Seymour Honoured for her Talent and Philanthropic Efforts

Here's the 

If you missed it, there was also Jane's personal reminiscence of her time in Singapore when she performed for the British Theatre Playhouse in "The Vortex" by Noel Coward. See what she wrote for the 
             
Arts in Play:
All the world's a stage, past, present and future 

* Stella Kon's Emily of Emerald Hill. From 4 June to 31 July. At various venues throughout Singapore. Go to Sistic for dates, ticket prices and venues. 

* Rent by Pangdemonium.Directed by Tracie Pang, Written by Jonathan Larson. Featuring Benjamin Chow, Mina Kaye, Frances Lee, Tabitha Nauser, Juan Jackson, Aaron Khaled. 
7 - 23 October 2016, 
Drama Centre Theatre
 


 
* Singapore Repertory Theatre will stage ART by Yasmina Reza. It premiered at the Comédie des Champs-Elysées in Paris in 1994 and was translated into English by Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons) and has since been performed around the world. This time 
ART will be staged - very appropriately - at the National Gallery Singapore in the iconic City Hall Chamber from 1 September. 

Film Shows: Featuring the Environment
The Singapore Eco Film Festival (#SGEFF) is a celebration bringing together all the environmental organisations in Singapore, to ignite a public passion for protecting our environment in Singapore & beyond! The organisers call for help, in the hope it will become more than just a traditional film festival. It's on 10-13 November, so you can look forward to a jam-packed weekend filled with unforgettable experiences - workshops, talks, panel discussions, playgrounds, children's activities, a farmers market and more!
W.O.R.D.S. - Books Come Alive!
We got as far as M last issue, so here we start at N and go to Z. This is a quick and sometimes quirky overview of a literary kind, for books, events, writers, publishers, awards and more:

N denotes the New Zealand Book Council,  the 2016 Ngaio Marsh Awards and Nelson Murder in the Library. As well as a host of book events, festivals and writers, populating this amazing literature-inspired country in the South Pacific.

0 is for O Thiam Chin, winner of last year's Epigram Books Fiction Prize for his "Now that it's Over".  It's out now, on book shops shelves or available directly from Epigram. Good to see another Singapore writer Ovidia Yu on the Fiction bestseller list with "Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge". 

P is for Poetry, in English, and the Singapore Literature Prize co-winners, Desmond Koh with his "I Didn't Know Mani Was a Conceptualist" and Cyril Wong's "The Lover's Inventory". 

Q denotes the Queen of the Arts. Queen Elizabeth I was the first royal patron of none other than Shakespeare and encouraged his literary and theatrical productivity. New Zealand is honoured to have the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, officially named by the Queen herself on a visit south in 1963. Canada's broadcaster came up with this reading list for the Queen's 90th birthday. 

R is for nothing if not for READ! Fest 2016, the two-month long Reading event which covers all of Singapore and culminates in the first National Reading Day on Saturday 30 July and the start of the National Reading Movement. Organised by the National Library Board, of course

S is for Singapore Literature Prize English fiction winner, none other than the previously-honoured Sonny Liew - "The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye" - and for all the other winners go to the report in the Straits Times or visit the National Book Development Council. Another winner is Epigram.
 
T takes us to the Teng Ensemble and Ten Stories from an Island City, beautifully told through music, film and dance, directed by theatre icon Glen Goei and being performed at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 12 August. 

U directs us to the University press - NUS Press to be precise - heir to a tradition of academic publishing in Singapore that dates back some 60 years. Mostly academic but covering a vast subject range - including "South East Asia in Ruins" -  the publishing house is managed by Peter Schoppert.

V is for Eric Tinsay Valles, Festival Director of the National Poetry Festival, ANZA Writers Group member and poet in his own write. Asian Books Blog has his Elissa Viornery interview. He was also a finalist for the Singapore Literature Prize (English poetry) and his poem Wayang Kulit featured recently in the Straits Times.  

W for Writers of the World Unite, for the Word Christchurch writers festival and for a well-worth-the-read article by a literary magazine editor on on how to find new writers. 

X stands for Xerography of course, derived from the Greek word xero for dry and graphos for paper, and coined by William Robert Jones, professor of classical languages at Ohio State University. It's all about reproducing images and for the printing process used in photocopiers, lasers printers and fax machines. It became Xerox, the company, producing the first copiers and was trade-marked in 1948. 

Y is for Ye, or Stephanie Ye in full. A wonderful young Singapore writer of short stories, including The Billion Shop, published by Math Paper Press,  which she signed for me when we met at Books Actually recently. We await her first novel, which is awaiting a publisher to snap it up!

Z has to be for "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", strange title but an enduring book which was first published in 1974. We welcome reader's views and reviews of books, whether with a Zen flavour or not. 

Last Word: The Big Read 
Wednesday 27 July 6.30pm at the Central Library, Singapore, when Parag Khanna will talk about his new book "Connectography". The Big Read Meet 
 
 










 

 


  
 
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. The award winning "HOTEL" will run for the entire festival season. Unanimously acclaimed as an instant classic and a five-star experience following its sold-out premiere at the 2015 Singapore International Festival of Arts. You might have missed some of the productions, but you're not too late for "My Mother Buys Condoms" which runs until the festival ends on 24 July. Go to W!ld Rice for more on the festival.
Singapore International Festival of Arts

Inaugurated in 1977, the annual arts festival went on a hiatus after 2012 and returned in 2014 under the baton of Festival Director Ong Keng Sen. With the mission to artistically reinvigorate and transform the festival, Ong renamed it Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA).
A selection of the shows included in the festival which runs for seven weeks from 11 August to 17 September, at many venues in Singapore, including the home of Theatreworks at 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road, pictured 

Hamlet | Collage, the first Russian production by legendary Canadian stage director Robert Lepage. Taking more than two years to create, the result is a high-tech, high-energy action performance designed for only one actor - Russia's national artist, Evgeny Mironov. Original, imaginative and totally inspiring, it is Shakespeare like you've never seen before. 
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Five Easy Pieces. Swiss director Milo Rau, one of the most brilliant and sought-after directors of European documentary theatre today, makes his Asian premiere in Singapore with Five Easy Pieces, an emotionally powerful drama performed by children for an adult audience. 
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The Letter/Singapore. In a rare move, internationally renowned dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones presents his full company in a site-specific work created specially for Singapore. Ever generous and adventurous, Jones has agreed in this SIFA residency to collaborate with LASALLE College of the Arts dance students to create an integrated new work with his company called The Letter.
Matthew Bourne's dazzling dance production, Sleeping Beauty is a gothic tale for all ages; the traditional tale of good versus evil and rebirth is turned upside-down, creating a supernatural love story that even the passage of time itself cannot hinder. For a limited season - 4 to 7 August - its here at The Esplanade, Singapore. Go here for more on Matthew Bourne's take on Sleeping Beauty.

What else to look forward to in August:

            
More Festive Events around the World for all 
Writers and Fellow Travellers:

While we're on the subject of writers, let's share what we know about Writers and Literary Festivals around the world for the upcoming months of 2016:
* Noosa Long Weekend festival - 15-24 July - presents a diverse program of events which in its twelve years has attracted some of the best Australian and international performers, writers, film-makers, musicians, artists, chefs, environmentalists and commentators. Located on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane. 
* Bryon Bay Writers Festival runs from 5-7 August. It's the 20th Anniversary event with a stellar line-up of 150-plus writers and thinkers converging on Byron Bay, the iconic coastal town in northern New South Wales, which hosts Australia's largest regional writers' festival.
* The WORD Christchurch Writers & Festival takes place from 25-28 August this year, with over 70 events and more than 100 speakers. New Zealand poet and novelist Anna Smaill, who  has just been long-listed for the Man Booker prize for her superb novel The Chimes, will be in Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand for the event.
* International Book Town Festival, Saint-Pierre-de-Clages, Switzerland 25 - 28 August 2016. A book town is a small rural town or village in which second-hand and antiquarian bookshops are concentrated. Most Book Towns have developed in villages of historic interest or of scenic beauty. The concept was initiated by Richard Booth of Hay-on-Wye in Wales.
* Melbourne Writers Festival - 26 August to 4 September - is part of the Word Alliance, a strategic international partnership which supports and showcases the work of writers and facilitates the creation of international literature projects. 
* Brisbane Writers Festival - 7-11 September - includes well-known Australian media personality Barrie Cassidy's in Conversation about writing the memoir "Private Bill". 
* 29th Vancouver Writers Fest. Celebrates stories with 6 days of events on Granville Island, 18 - 23 October. 
* Ubud Writers & Readers Festival  26 to 30 October, celebrating the theme Tat Tvam Asi or  'I am you, you are me.'
* Singapore Writers Festival is on from 4 - 13 November. Look forward to another wonderful event for writers and book lovers. 
* 16th Hong Kong International Literary Festival will take place from 5 - 13 November. 
* Clare Readers & Writers' Festival - 26-27 November - in the Clare Valley of South Australia, where's there's plenty of wine to go with the writing!

Stop Press:
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize Winner.  Parashar Kulkarni has been announced as the overall winner for the 2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for his story 'Cow and Company'. Parashar  is an Assistant Professor in Social Sciences at Yale NUS College Singapore. He works at the intersection of religion and political economy. He won the British Academy Brian Barry Prize in Political Science (2015) for his research on religion, property rights and violence against women in colonial India. The award was presented by Man Booker Prize Winner and former short story judge Marlon James at the Calabash Literary Festival in Jamaica. The 2016 Prize attracted nearly 4000 entries from 47 countries. All the information on finalists can be found on the website. The 2017 Commonwealth Short Story Prize will open for entries on 1 September 2016. 
               

Two events during Singapore International Water Week which produced people brimming over with ideas flowing freely and plenty of good news for the world at large:
  • Copenhagen brings the arts, cycling, cafes and people to the centre. Morten Kabell, the city's Mayor for Environment and Technical Affairs, tells the Green Growth & Business Forum that his city plans to become the first carbon neutral capital in the world by 2025.   
New/old world heritage sites are named. - China, India, Iran and Micronesia.  Nan Madol (pictured at left) is a series of 99 artificial islets off the south-east coast of Pohnpei, Micronesia in the northern Pacific,  that were constructed with walls of basalt and coral boulders.  The site was also inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to threats, notably the siltation of waterways. 


  • A new book entitled "Nature in the city: Bengaluru in the past, present and future", by urban-ecologist Harini Nagendra, provides a gripping narrative of how nature thrived and failed in Bengaluru in the past, and how that could shape the city's future. More on this from Mongabay. 
  • On the subject of books around an appropriate theme, those of you in Melbourne, Australia, should know about the BOOK LAUNCH for "Art + Climate = Change". Published by Melbourne University Press and edited by Guy Abrahams, Bronwyn Johnson, Kelly Gellatly. Presenting the work of Australian and international artists, it explores the power of art to create the empathy, emotional engagement and cultural understanding needed to motivate meaningful change. Monday 25 July at 6pm at the Carlton Connect Initiative, The University of Melbourne, 700 Swanston St cnr Grattan St Carlton. More from Climarte.
  • And in a similar vein, an article entitled "Sake, windmills and the art of craftsmanship", which first appeared in the Straits Times/Sunday Times newspaper and from the book by Han Fook Kwang "Singapore in Transition", which was launched at The Big Read last month. Published by Straits Times Press. 
 
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Launch of Visions 2100 in Singapore

Author, editor and publisher of the book, John O'Brien, Managing Director of CleanTech Australia, was in Singapore mid-July to launch the book and speak at the Green Growth and Business Forum. He was joined at the launch at Bird & Bird by four other key contributors to the book. Pictured, from left  John O'Brien, Ken Hickson, David Fogarty, Jonathan Woetzel and Stephen Yarwood.  Go to the Visions 2100 website
At K+ Curatorial Space, a room full of ideas
That's how the TODAY paper described the wonderful new retail/exhibition space at Scotts Square Singapore, hosted by K+,  the people behind the design studio Kinetic Singapore. We were there on opening night and loved it. It's youthful, attractive, full of items to appeal at prices ranging from $2 to $20,000.  For us, it was particularly ideal because there's a great selection of books from Books Actually. Plus art and design is evident in spades. Furniture items and choice pieces for the home or office. Wearables too. Go see K+ for yourself.  
Creativity added to Convergence, Collaboration, Connectivity & Communication: 
When Climate Resilience meets Art & Sustainability

As chairman of the Green Growth and Business Forum in Singapore last week - a role shared with Adam Lyle -  I added some concluding comments  to give delegates something to take away from all the wonderful speakers, panelists and moderators. Recognising the importance of Convergence: technology and people power. The need for Collaboration to make things happen. Connectivity between climate, food, water, energy, waste to make sure our cities and countryside are resilient and livable. Add Communication as its essential to share success stories and failures. Learn from best practices. Thinking about all that brings home to me - and hopefully others - the need to value Creativity from professionals and the people impacted by design, architecture, planning, engineering and decision making. Art and Sustainability must go hand in hand. 

                                                                      Ken Hickson 
                                                                      managing editor, the avenue for creative arts