State of the Arts: Aug 29 to Sept 5

SINGAPORE — Election fever may have swept through the country, but things have been busy in the arts scene, too. There were a handful of announcements about events taking place in November: A “darker” Beauty World, directed by Dick Lee, will feature television actress Jeanette Aw as Lulu; the Affordable Art Fair Singapore’s “teaser” for its year-end edition is an ongoing exhibition of young artists; and details were revealed regarding the sixth edition of the M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival.

Meanwhile, the National Arts Council (NAC) held its annual Patron Of The Arts Awards ceremony, which included 21 recipients of a special SG50 Arts Patron Award. It was announced that S$53.8 million were donated to the arts sector last year. There were organisational changes, too, with the appointment of the 13th board of council members for the NAC and a new chairperson for the National Library Board: Chan Heng Kee replaces Yeoh Chee Yan, who steps down after six years. Elsewhere, Epigram Books announced that 68 writers had submitted entries for the Epigram Books Fiction Prize, Dick Lee held a one-night only concert and the Singapore International Festival of Arts continued its run by bringing a “circus” into town. MAYO MARTIN