How does one distinguish between art and culture? Are the two synonymous, does one serve the other, or is this a false divide? In this episode, Ong Soh Chin and her guests explore these questions in the context of Singapore.

At times, art can be boxed within certain cultures and seen as “ethnic art’’. For example, Chinese theatre might be interpreted as something exclusively for the Chinese community, rather than society as a whole. In small, multiracial Singapore, such perceptions can inhibit critical funding, support and engagement.

Can art exist for art’s sake or must it have a clearly defined cultural and economic output? With the onset of COVID-19, when art and culture practitioners are struggling to survive, these issues have become more loaded. It is within this context that our guests, Clarissa Oon, Head of Communications and Content at Esplanade, and Shaza Ishak, Managing Director of Teater Ekamatra, discuss the role of art and culture in Singapore, and the importance of sustaining a broader arts ecosystem.

Find out more about art and culture in Singapore:
The Peak Magazine (2 August 2020). Theatre companies focus on development and training as venues remain closed
Institute of Policy Studies (11 June 2020). Art in the Time of Pandemic: Meaning, Relevance and Future

About our guests:

Clarissa Oon

Head of Communications and Content at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Clarissa Oon joined Esplanade, Singapore’s national performing arts centre, in 2016 and oversees digital content production and archival. This includes the Esplanade Offstage (www.esplanade.com/offstage) site, launched in October 2019, which has streamed, archived and featured the works and insights of over 1,500 artists and cultural thought leaders from Singapore and Asia.

Prior to this, she was a journalist with The Straits Times for 17 years and authored a book on the history of Singapore’s English-language theatre. Her writing on the arts has been published in essay anthologies as well as international publications such as ArtReview and Mekong Review, and she was a keynote speaker at the inaugural Asian Arts Media Roundtable organised by ArtsEquator in 2019.

Shaza Ishak

Managing Director of Teater Ekamatra

Shaza Ishak leads Teater Ekamatra, one of the longest running ethnic minority theatre companies in Singapore. She directs the company’s strategy and vision, working closely with the artistic director to programme and produce artistic works. She believes in effecting social change through the art of storytelling and is committed to forging progress for the ethnic minority arts scene in Singapore and beyond.

In 2019, she graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (UK) with an MA in Creative Producing with the support of the National Arts Council Arts Postgraduate Scholarship, the Goh Chok Tong Youth Promise Award, and the Li Siong Tay Postgraduate Scholarship; as well as the BinjaiTree Foundation and the Trailblazer Foundation. In the last three years, she has been a fellow of the Singapore International Foundation’s Arts for Good Fellowship and of the International Society for the Performing Arts (USA), and most recently, the Eisenhower Fellowship (USA).

Find out more about the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), a research centre of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. 

Follow IPS on Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram to keep updated on upcoming events and discussions. 

On Diversity is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, IPS Deputy Director Ong Soh Chin chats with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making, and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society. 

More from On Diversity: 

Episode 1: The Cancelled and the Woke, with career journalist Lydia Lim and poet and writer, Theophilus Kwek

Episode 2: Reclaiming Dementia, with Dr Chen Shiling, dementia physician, and Johnson Soh, founder of SanCare Asia

Episode 3: What is Multiculturalism?, with Low Sze Wee, CEO of Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and singer-songwriter Jamiel Said 

Episode 4: Diversity and the Singapore Media, with Mark Tan, founder and CEO of Rice Media, and Dr Chew Han Ei, Senior Research Fellow at IPS Social Lab

Episode 5: Sex and People with Disabilities, with Dr Lohsnah Jeevanandam, Director of the Clinical Psychology Programme at the National University Singapore, and Dr Justin Lee, Senior Research Fellow at the IPS Society and Culture Department.

How does one distinguish between art and culture? Are the two synonymous, does one serve the other, or is this a false divide? In this episode, Ong Soh Chin and her guests explore these questions in the context of Singapore.
At times, art can be boxed within certain cultures and seen as &ldquo;ethnic art&rsquo;&rsquo;. For example, Chinese theatre might be interpreted as something exclusively for the Chinese community, rather than society as a whole. In small, multiracial Singapore, such perceptions can inhibit critical funding, support and engagement.
Can art exist for art&rsquo;s sake or must it have a clearly defined cultural and economic output? With the onset of COVID-19, when art and culture practitioners are struggling to survive, these issues have become more loaded. It is within this context that our guests, Clarissa Oon, Head of Communications and Content at Esplanade, and Shaza Ishak, Managing Director of Teater Ekamatra, discuss the role of art and culture in Singapore, and the importance of sustaining a broader arts ecosystem.
Find out more about art and culture in Singapore:
<ul>
<li>The Peak Magazine (2 August 2020). <a href="https://www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg/lifestyle/theatre-singapore-training/">Theatre companies focus on development and training as venues remain closed</a></li>
<li>Institute of Policy Studies (11 June 2020). <a href="https://youtu.be/RCthZLbJIys">Art in the Time of Pandemic: Meaning, Relevance and Future</a></li>
</ul>
About our guests:
Clarissa Oon
Head of Communications and Content at Esplanade &ndash; Theatres on the Bay
Clarissa Oon joined Esplanade, Singapore&rsquo;s national performing arts centre, in 2016 and oversees digital content production and archival. This includes the Esplanade Offstage (<a href="http://www.esplanade.com/offstage">www.esplanade.com/offstage</a>) site, launched in October 2019, which has streamed, archived and featured the works and insights of over 1,500 artists and cultural thought leaders from Singapore and Asia.
Prior to this, she was a journalist with The Straits Times for 17 years and authored a book on the history of Singapore&rsquo;s English-language theatre. Her writing on the arts has been published in essay anthologies as well as international publications such as ArtReview and Mekong Review, and she was a keynote speaker at the inaugural Asian Arts Media Roundtable organised by ArtsEquator in 2019.
Shaza Ishak
Managing Director of Teater Ekamatra
Shaza Ishak leads Teater Ekamatra, one of the longest running ethnic minority theatre companies in Singapore. She directs the company&rsquo;s strategy and vision, working closely with the artistic director to programme and produce artistic works. She believes in effecting social change through the art of storytelling and is committed to forging progress for the ethnic minority arts scene in Singapore and beyond.
In 2019, she graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (UK) with an MA in Creative Producing with the support of the National Arts Council Arts Postgraduate Scholarship, the Goh Chok Tong Youth Promise Award, and the Li Siong Tay Postgraduate Scholarship; as well as the BinjaiTree Foundation and the Trailblazer Foundation. In the last three years, she has been a fellow of the Singapore International Foundation&rsquo;s Arts for Good Fellowship and of the International Society for the Performing Arts (USA), and most recently, the Eisenhower Fellowship (USA).
Find out more about the&nbsp;<a href="https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/ips">Institute of Policy Studies (IPS)</a>, a research centre of the&nbsp;<a href="https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/">Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy</a>.&nbsp;
Follow IPS on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/institute-of-policy-studies-lee-kuan-yew-school-of-public-policy/%22%20/">Linkedin</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=136982159795537&amp;ref=br_rs">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ips_sg/">Instagram</a>&nbsp;to keep updated on upcoming events and discussions.&nbsp;
On Diversity is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS&rsquo; Managing Diversities research&nbsp;programme. In each episode, IPS Deputy Director Ong Soh Chin chats with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making, and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.&nbsp;
More from On Diversity:&nbsp;
Episode 1: The Cancelled and the Woke, with career journalist Lydia Lim and poet and writer, Theophilus Kwek
Episode 2: Reclaiming Dementia, with Dr Chen&nbsp;Shiling, dementia physician, and Johnson Soh, founder of&nbsp;SanCare&nbsp;Asia
Episode 3: What is Multiculturalism?, with&nbsp;Low Sze Wee, CEO of Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and singer-songwriter Jamiel Said&nbsp;
Episode 4: Diversity and the Singapore Media, with Mark Tan, founder and CEO of Rice Media, and Dr Chew Han Ei, Senior Research Fellow at IPS Social Lab
Episode 5: Sex and People with Disabilities, with Dr Lohsnah Jeevanandam, Director of the Clinical Psychology Programme at the National University Singapore, and Dr Justin Lee, Senior Research Fellow at the IPS Society and Culture Department.

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme.

In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.

On Diversity features new episodes every week.

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme.
In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.
On Diversity features new episodes every week.

IPS On Diversity Podcast

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society. On Diversity features new episodes every week.

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society. On Diversity features new episodes every week.

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