Selena Tan: Chief Dim Sum Dolly
You’d be hard pressed to find many people living in Singapore who don’t know the Dim Sum Dollies. Even if the name doesn’t ring a bell, the faces might be familiar from last year’s ‘Love Your Ride’ campaign. The Public Transport Council and Singapore Kindness Movement chose the musical cabaret ensemble – Selena Tan, Pamela Oei and Emma Yong – to serve as ambassadors for the initiative. Beyond posing for photos that ended up plastered all over the floors and windows of MRT trains, the trio danced, sang and rapped in Singlish in a video encouraging people to be courteous to fellow commuters. It was perfect casting considering that the Dim Sum Dollies have been kind enough to keep Singapore entertained for coming up on a decade.
Life
For Stage Actress Emma Yong, Love and Food Before Anything Else
Prior to her tragic death in May 2012, we met one of Singapore’s most experienced actors, Emma Yong, back in 2010 after she'd made her film debut in Glen Goei’s black comedy The Blue Mansion – and prior to one of her final roles, starring in W!ld Rice’s panto Cinderel-LAH!
Eric Khoo's Latset Labour of Love, Tatsumi
Get ready for something different from 45-year-old film maestro Eric Khoo. Having made his name with dramas like Mee Pok Man, 12 Storeys, Be with Me, his latest work is a Japanese animation that pays homage to the life and works of Yoshihiro Tatsumi, the godfather of alt-anime.
Gerrie Lim Tackles Porn Star Annabel Chong
Best known for his sex-industry exposés, Gerrie Lim’s latest nonfiction debunks the myths behind porn star Grace Quek, aka Annabel Chong. Elaine Ee asks the author what motivated the Singaporean’s most infamous act.
Street Photography is Not Photojournalism
Google the term ‘street photography’ and you will find dozens of varying, and sometimes conflicting, definitions. It is a fluid term, whose meaning and parameters have evolved over the past few decades. But while it may be hard to pinpoint what street photography is, it is clear what it is not. It is not photojournalism – which reports on a story or an issue – a difference that needs to be made clear.
Charismatic Tastemaker Lorenzo Rudolf
Pop-art icon Andy Warhol famously said: ‘Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art, and working is art, and good business is the best art.’ Art-fair mogul Lorenzo Rudolf seems to embody this philosophy as he storms around the world setting up mammoth, cutting-edge contemporary art shows. With the successful Art Basel, Art Basel Miami and ShContemporary Shanghai under his belt, the charismatic tastemaker has now set his sights on the Asia-Pacific region with his latest vehicle, Art Stage Singapore.
Marcus Mok's Naked Ambition
A naked man with tattoos emblazoned on his back leaps into the sea; a male upper arm, torso and thighs are shot close up to resemble the contours of sand dunes. Another man prowls gracefully at the foot of a rugged cliff; yet another nude stands in a zigzagging bolt of electricity, the light shooting through his legs, right over his genitalia.
Ballet Dancer Shaw Coleman
Australian ballet dancer Shaw Coleman, who performs in the Singapore Dance Theatre’s Swan Lake this month, started dancing aged seven in Perth, and by his mid-teens was taking lead roles in shows such as Romeo and Juliet at the Perth City Ballet.
