State of the Arts: Nov 1 to 8

SINGAPORE — A week chock-full of events, the biggest of which was the death of music composer and Cultural Medallion recipient Iskandar Ismail at the age of 58 due to cancer. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also reiterated the importance of arts and culture in Singapore society during a speech at a gala celebrating the 30th anniversary of LASALLE College of the Arts. During a week when the Singapore Writers Festival was in full swing, the Singapore Literature Prize 2014 winners were also announced, with at least one dissenting voice: Shortlisted poet Grace Chia criticised the decision to award the poetry award in the English Language category to two male poets. Elsewhere, the Media Development Authority announced the appointment of a new CEO, Gabriel Lim, to replace Koh Lin-Net; a new Zentai Art Festival opened; the Esplanade announced its slew of events in line with SG50; Art Stage Singapore unveiled its line-up for 2015, including Turner Prize winners Gilbert & George; and student Jonathan Goh earned a place in the Singapore Book of Records for the longest poem in Singapore, with 15,000 lines. MAYO MARTIN