William Hoo

Ever been to a derelict power station on a hot and humid day to look at some sneakers? Yes, those sneakers that “cosmopolitan” Singapore youth dream about on a silver platter? Neither have I. Take my hand as I retell my meandering experience into a world of subcultures at Street Superior 2018. Despite the far-flung locale, I have to admit that the elaborate space-making lent itself well to a feeling almost akin to walking into the wrong classroom or jumping down into the rabbit hole. Think grungy London back alleys and joggers in Nike windbreakers – you know you like that…

Conventional ways of thinking about art, science and engineering would typically lead us to conceive of them as separate, mutually exclusive realms. Dutch artist Theo Jansen, however, seamlessly straddles their boundaries with his world-famous sculptures and inorganic life – the Strandbeests. Conceptualised initially as a solution to global warming, the Strandbeests are synonymous with the iconic PVC pipes that they’re made of. The unique form of artificial life is birthed from an artistic application of engineering principles. The Strandbeests posses a looming grace especially when they’re seen in movement, walking in unique gaits reminiscent of real-life animal behaviour. Aided by…

Private art collection and commercial art galleries are definitely not the first things that come to mind when we consider art culture in Singapore, mainly due to the prohibitive costs of pursuing art ownership. Often associated with snobbery and ostentatious bourgeoisie tendencies – no thanks to popular culture – private art collection and commercial art galleries are thus often given neither attention nor understanding in the public domain. The question remains however: just what kind of place do they have Singapore’s art culture? Mazel Galerie Singapore’s director, Kevin Troyano Cuturi, demystifies this and more in an exclusive tour of the…

Queerness scares people – that’s the truth. But the truth is rarely pure and never simple. What does it mean to be queer? If you wanted the pure and simple truth, then it just refers to being anything other than heterosexual or cisgender. But the world we live in doesn’t abide by dictionary definitions – neither does judgement nor discrimination. To be queer is to be invisible, to be seen through pejorative glances, to be the antipode of normal. In the small city-state of Singapore like anywhere else, the history of queerness is the history of marginalisation. Although many assume…

Having first brought the Pride Lands to the Lion City in 2011 to roaring success, The Lion King comes full circle as the Circle of Life takes centre stage once again at Marina Bay Sands. As a worldwide phenomenon, The Lion King is a cultural cornerstone and is a generation-defining symbol of childhood for many. Those who remember the animated film with fondness are sure to be captivated again by life that the theatrical production breathes into its characters. The world-building of The Lion King is impeccable in the thought and care that went into adapting the locales of the…

Serious photography in Singapore remains relatively nascent in the public consciousness and still suffers from a lack of mainstream recognition as art. This isn’t surprising given that the average Singaporean either associates it with high-brow culture consumption, or doesn’t deem photography to hold enough intrinsic value to be recognised as art. Anyone with a camera can take a photo – so why should it be art? Such obtuse views are repudiated with X EDITION, Asia’s largest hotel photography art fair, through its specially curated exhibition: Marang: The 1950s in Colour and Monochrome. Co-presented in collaboration with Canvas Gallery, the exhibition…

Beer is the hallmark of all great civilisations – transcending culture, geography, and time, its constant reinvention has seen it promising a good time to the likes of the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians, and of course, the teenager looking for his first casual taste of booze. It’s hard to imagine how anyone could improve such a classic drink but Carlsberg happily defies this notion with the official launch of the new Carlsberg “POP Cap” Smooth Draught Pint. Comfortably hosted at Zouk, the launch party last month saw partygoers being treated to an evening of fun and chill vibes. From a magic…

The human mind continuously seeks self-expression: this is an enduring desire that has only strengthened in tandem with the evolution of technology as new forms of self-expression are invented. Visual mediums, in particular, catch on especially fast and the invention of photography has seen its meteoric rise towards occupying an integral part of everyday life in the 21st century. Most of us would likely assume that fawning over celebrity Instagram Stories and be making duck faces in our selfies are relatively modern phenomena, gaining recognition as cultural cornerstones with the prevalence of youth culture in the modern global society. The…

Debuting to a sell-out run at the 2017 Singapore International Festival of Arts, Pangdemonium’s Dragonflies once again returns with a potent and renewed relevance in the political climate of today. Bringing to life a dystopian world set in 2021 against a backdrop of seething xenophobia, racism, fearmongering and the worst of humanity’s darker nature, Dragonflies explores the resultant trials and tribulations of an everyman — Leslie Chen and his family as they try to navigate the turbulence thrust upon their lives. This is not a play that expects audiences to stay happily muted in their seats. Right from the start…

Brought to global attention through the efforts of the French explorer and artist, Louis Delaporte, Angkor Wat stands as one of the most spectacular architectural marvels achieved by any civilisation of antiquity in the world. The culture and art of the ancient Khmer held within its ruins are one of the riches heritage legacies that can be found in the Southeast Asian region. Despite capturing the western imagination for centuries, there has never been a major exhibition of Angkor Wat in Southeast Asia — that is, until now. Singapore’s very own Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) has collaborated with the Parisian…