Synopsis:

Negotiating political and spiritual boundaries is part of everyday life for many in Southeast Asia. This programme maps these complexities by connecting artists and filmmakers to researchers in fields from geography to anthropology.

There will be 4 segments to the programme:

12.30pm - 1.30pm: Why Do We Leave?: Jose Tence Ruiz in Conversation with Shabbir Hussain Mustafa

Glass Room | Free | Registration required

How do artists bear witness to changes and shifts in their homeland, and why do they leave? Join Senior Curator Shabbir Hussain Mustafa in tracing the journey of multimedia artist Jose Tence Ruiz from Manila, where he was involved in the Kaisahan Social Realist movement, to his life in Singapore as a political cartoonist.

Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/why-do-we-leave-jose-tence-ruiz-in-conversation-with-shabbir-hussain-mustafa-tickets-49322521991

2pm - 3:30pm: The Seen and Unseen: A Film by Kamila Andini

The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium | Ticketed | Registration required

Through the Balinese arts of dance, song and shadow-play, ten-year old Tantri expresses her unspoken grief and bids farewell to her dying brother. The film references the Balinese philosophy of sekala niskala, which posits that the universe consists of not just the material realm but also the supernatural—this holistic view is also prevalent in many Southeast Asian cultures.

Purchase tickets at: https://tickets.nationalgallery.sg/web/Booking.do?contentCode=cngspwl2018unseen

3:45pm - 5pm: Where Do We Belong?: Film Panel on Death and Spirituality in Southeast Asia

The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium | Free | Registration required

This film panel explores cultural notions of performative spirituality and traversing worlds through filmic and anthropological lenses. The panel features filmmaker Kamila Andini, artist John Clang and historian Dr Mohamed Effendy, and will be moderated by researcher and educator Zarina Muhammad.

Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/where-do-we-belong-film-panel-on-death-spirituality-in-southeast-asia-tickets-48440932132

5:30pm - 6:30pm: What Happens When We Disappear?: Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai in Conversation with Dr Carl Grundy-Warr

The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium | Free | Registration required

What are the everyday realities of people whose existence remains unrecognised or in some cases, been erased? Join visual artist Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai and political geography specialist Dr Carl Grundy-Warr as they share insights drawn from their fieldwork on stateless communities in the region.

Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/what-happens-when-we-disappear-nguyen-thi-thanh-mai-in-conversation-with-carl-grundy-warr-tickets-49328486832