Front Row

With the turn of the new year, spoken word poetry would have been in this country for more than a decade. From poetry slam and open mics to poetry collectives and print publications, join the past and present hosts of Speak Easy – who are themselves the pioneers of the scene in Klang Valley – as they reflect on the local spoken word poetry movement over the past ten years. See omnystud...

During her fly-in fly-out visit to Kuala Lumpur, Dr Anita Ratnam managed to make time for an interview to tell about her cultural activism to help the arts thrive in her part of the woods. She points to the necessity of preserving culture and shares on the need for performing artists to be entrepreneurial and not wait for the government, politicians or even philanthropists to come to their aid. &n...

As 2018 comes to a close, we look back at the ups and downs, the hits and misses, of the Malaysian arts over the past year. Here, we speak with creative producer Rosheen Fatima Mutalip, about the local theatre scene in 2018. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As 2018 comes to a close, we look back at the ups and downs, the hits and misses, of the Malaysian arts over the past year. Here, we speak with dance producer Bilqis Hijjas, about the local dance scene in 2018. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As 2018 comes to a close, we look back at the ups and downs, the hits and misses, of the Malaysian arts over the past year. Here, we speak with BFM’s music director Ali Johan, about the local music scene in 2018. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As 2018 comes to a close, we look back at the ups and downs, the hits and misses, of the Malaysian arts over the past year. Here, we speak with The Star’s culture editor Daryl Goh, and artist Ruby Subramaniam, about the local visual arts scene in 2018. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The curator who also has a work in this group exhibition, tells about the organizing ideas behind the show: why these artists have come together and what do their collective works question, explore and suggest. He shares on what new media adds to an artist’s ability to create and how these new works can challenge the viewer’s perception. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

The performing arts community in Kuala Lumpur has come together to form a new arts coalition called ReformARTsi, made up of over 60 different companies and practitioners from various genres. The initiative aims to work on reform and policy changes in the arts sector, and to position the arts as an essential component of the nation’s development. We speak with representatives of the coalition...

When it comes to the arts, funding is the essential aspect that never quite seems to be enough. Malaysia is no different, with most artsmakers relying on government or corporate funding to continue making work. A new arts and culture grant, the Hai-O Arts and Culture Grants , aims to support the creation of more local works, by giving out RM50,000 in total to various music, dance, theatre, film or...

One way of increasing the public’s engagement with the arts, is to bring it directly to them - and this is what the “Arts on the Move KL” initiative has been doing for the past two years. The programme, organised by Think City, stages a variety of performances and art installations at the Masjid Jamek LRT station every week, allowing thousands of commuters easy access to the arts...

Our guests, who personally knew the playwright, the late National Laureate, Dato’ Syed Alwi,  recount and share not only their stories and experiences learning from the man, but also about working on his plays with him. This interview is both a tribute to and in a small way, a documentation of what this playwright from Taiping has contributed to Malaysian theatre.  Dato’ Syed...

Sivarajah Natarajan is known in Malaysia for his figurative artwork, with perhaps some of his most familiar paintings being his works featuring dancers. In his latest exhibition called Atma, he presents a series of mixed media works that explore past events, contemporary Malaysia, poetry, and the subconscious. We speak with Sivarajah about his inspirations and work process behind this series. See...

The International Watercolour Society is an organisation that was set up to promote the art of watercolour. This year, the Malaysia chapter will be having the first Malaysia International Watercolor Biennale, which will feature works from watercolourists both local and around the world. We speak with the society’s Malaysia country head, Jansen Chow, and representatives, See Thoo Sin Fatt and...

Art exhibitions are often seen as the finished product of an artist’s work. There can, however, be much value in things left unfinished. This is the theme being explored in an art exhibition called “Non Finito”, which highlights the many facets of abstract art. The exhibition is organised by Opposites Abstract, an arts collective that was begun with the aim of providing a platfor...

Now in its 12th year, the BMW Shorties is Malaysia’s longest-running short film competition, where up-and-coming filmmakers get a platform to showcase their works. We speak to three of the filmmakers who made it to the competition’s finals, about their entries, their influences, and how they view Malaysian filmmaking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An art exhibition in Kuala Lumpur called “Break, Bind, Rebuild” features two Cambodian artists, Tith Kanitha and Amy Lee Sanford, who each interpret the theme of the show in entirely different ways - and in doing so, present their own unique versions and experiences of contemporary Cambodia. We speak with Kanitha and the exhibition’s curator, Ben Valentine. See omnystudio.com/lis...

It’s been 10 years since the premiere of the Malaysian musical “The Edge” by Nick Choo, which went on to win three Boh Cameronian Awards. theatrethreesixty is now restaging the musical, which focuses on the issue of suicide and the complex web of relationships that often surrounds the issue. We speak with the show’s director Christopher Ling, movement director Kenny Shim, a...

Our guests tell about how they marry butoh and contemporary dance training, to create this work about birds--dead birds that compel questions about life. The choreographer-dancer, Yeow Lai Chee, stirred by encounters with images of birds in unusual settings explores the duality of things, concrete and abstract. This work is also informed by the writings of Ibn Arabi: The Universal Tree and The Fou...

Our guests draw the connections between local traditions, customs and practices and and the creative process to choreograph dances. While the final performance pieces are considered contemporary, the instructor and the dancer share how they tap into their Malaysian-ness to create works. When the creative process begins from tradition as points of inspiration and initiation, we revisit the question...

A Malay-language play called “Pokok” brings together two big names for the first time; the play is written by media veteran, writer, and arts commentator Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar, and directed by U-Wei HajiSaari, who is renowned for his films like “Kaki Bakar”, “Jogho”, and “Hanyut”. “Pokok” revolves around the lives of four very different p...

Dubbed as “P. Ramlee meets Vegas”, “TARAKUCHA: Marilah Menari” is classic big band exuberance with a retro Malay twist. We speak to TARAKUCHA band founder Sean Ghazi and his singing partner Ida Mariana about their upcoming musical performance, and how they experiment with classic Malay music by throwing in new styles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Speak Easy, we hear about the coming-of-age story for the poetry open mic event we all know as If Walls Could Talk. After 55 shows, Walls will be closing its doors and to celebrate more than 3 years of providing a platform for poets and poetry lovers alike, they recently announced the publication of a love letter to the scene in the form of an anthology of KL spoken word poetry...

It’s been just over a year since the Cultural Economy Development Agency, or Cendana, was founded, and a lot has changed in Malaysia in that time. The government agency was started last September with the aim of energising the Malaysian arts and culture scene, and to generate economic output from it. One year down the line, and with a new government in place, how has this been going? We get...

The director and actors share on this collaboration between Japanese and local theatre practitioners to stage a piece of physical theatre. The work is based on the writings of renowned author, Kobo Abe who was once a candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature. The director tells why this work translates well into Malaysia, underscoring that the play will be performed in Japanese, English, Malay...

How is craft different or distinct from art, and how is it evolving? How do the various crafting practices - both traditional and modern - fit into the contemporary idea of art and artmaking? We speak to Lindy Joubert, vice-president of the World Craft Council, about her work in various sustainability initiatives, and the importance of craft in the 21st century. See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...