From left to right: ila, Marylyn Tan, Shawn Hoo, Kristian-Marc James Paul and Yong Shu Hoong.
Following January’s subTEXT inspired by the seventh edition of the Singapore Biennale (SB2022) and its theme of Natasha, this edition of subTEXT in March marks the closing of SB2022 at SAM. In the face of fresh rhythms and reflections on inclusivity, subTEXT welcomed three poets (ila, Marylyn Tan & Shawn Hoo) from the anthology New Singapore Poetries (Gaudy Boy, 2022) and Kristian-Marc James Paul, who is one of the editors involved with Brown is Redacted: Reflecting on Race in Singapore (Ethos Books, 2022). This session was moderated by Yong Shu Hoong, who happens to be one of our lecturers.
The session included an introduction to the panel, literary readings of the books mentioned earlier, and ended with an interactive discussion with the audience. The venue was interestingly held in the between two pink containers in the office of Singapore Art Museum. (also this space was recently named The Pink Containers lmAO so real i cackled)
It was my first time attending a literary arts event and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I especially liked how the authors brought their literary works to life via spoken word, and I was truly mesmerised by how written words could be read out so differently. ila, a visual performance artist and poet who incorporates sound and movement extensively into her practice, left a huge impression on me. I liked how when asked if she would ever release translations of her poems, she answered with a solid "My poems are not meant to be understood."
Marylyn Tan, who is a sensuous and queer writer-artist-reprobate, was also another poet I grew to be a fan of. Her work aims to subvert, revert and pervert, to disrespect respectability, to take pleasure seriously, and to reclaim power. During the session, she performed her poem daddy issues (https://youtu.be/tXA5kfED3Xg) which was an interestingly sensual take on Singaporean's reliance on the government. Her poems speak volumes without being boring. They're entertaining, humourous, sensual, and utmostly eye-opening. You definitely would not have read works like hers if you only stuck to MOE-approved prose.
I also liked how the panel featured a range of authors. Showcasing SingLit through four different perspectives, this session was definitely worth attending.
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