Showing 1 - 10 of 21
National Gallery Singapore showcases works by Asian women reshaping art
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 12/01/2026
» National Gallery Singapore presents an exhibition of five women reshaping art in Southeast Asia.
The faces of hardship
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 21/10/2025
» In Sai Mhok, the number of those diagnosed with depression was below average until 2023, when it experienced an unprecedented spike as the village saw the presence of psychiatrists for the first time.
A capitalist nightmare
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 25/07/2025
» Thump thump bump. Netflix's psychological thriller Wall To Wall envisions a dystopian contemporary South Korea. It is a cautionary tale of late-stage capitalist society fraught with economic volatility, mental breakdowns and class divide.
Creative destruction
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 16/06/2025
» Salinee Hanvareevongsilp's family moved home for a job opportunity when she was five and the land was subsequently developed into Siam Square in 1965. Still, it remained her favourite haunt. She frequented three movie theatres in the area -- Siam, Scala and Lido. In Matthayom 3, she protested against Japanese goods on Rama I Road.
The fake bookshop
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 22/04/2025
» Almost every wall, corner and even the staircase of a century-old two-storey shophouse is covered in books. Nestled in the historic community of Tha Tien, a new bookshop just opened its door to visitors in need of escape from the daily grind. They can grab soul-searching books, wind down or start a deep conversation. It looks like a real bookshop, however, everything is fake.
Artists rally to save the Chao Mae Thap Thim Shrine
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 23/08/2023
» Hemmed in on all sides by construction, colourful paintings are nailed to the metal sheet fences of an age-old community. Inside, there is thoughtful mixed-media artwork, performances and memorabilia left behind in the wake of displacement. Artists are campaigning all-out for the protection of the Chao Mae Thap Thim Shrine ahead of a first court ruling that could result in demolition at the end of the month.
A vanishing heritage
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 10/07/2023
» If it were not for a handful of visitors, the Chao Mae Thap Thim Shrine would completely vanish. Flanked by metal sheet fences, a narrow alley leads to the remnants of age-old communities. An entrance is adorned with red lanterns. A facade is painted with mythological figures. A roof is embellished with tile dolls. The smell of burning incense wafts through the open gate. Inside, deities are worshipped on an altar with a gilded frame.
Giving evidence
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 20/03/2023
» Under authoritarian rule, truths are silenced, censored and mutilated. Yet, many people find ways to tell their stories. It is an irony, though, that a repressive regime is a precondition of creative resistance.
A creative accounting
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/02/2023
» Sophie, a young pianist, dreams of performing at a concert hall. When she gets an invitation letter, she feels overjoyed and begins to prepare for a debut, though with a sense of foreboding. On concert day, the sound of music comes from nowhere. She finds that it is created by the ghosts of past performers, yet continues to play her instrument. Her performance brings the ghosts peace, and they gradually disappear. As time goes by, Sophie becomes a successful pianist, but she never forgets the event.
The tough road to democratisation
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 03/10/2022
» Taiwan has been hailed as a textbook example of a successful transition to democracy. At the end of the civil war in 1949, Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Kuomintang (KMT), lost to Mao Zedong's communist forces and fled to the island. After almost four decades of martial law until 1987, Taiwan eventually held its first presidential election in 1996.