Shawn Hoo

Shawn is a journalist on the arts beat at The Straits Times. He reviews books and reports on theatre and the visual arts as well as other cultural issues, for the Life desk. Prior to joining ST in 2022, he spent two years teaching writing and literature at higher education institutions in Shanghai and Singapore. He believes the arts, arts education and arts writing are essential.

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Apsaras Dance Company opens jubilee season with a work on digital life to woo young audiences

Apsaras Dance Company’s jubilee season begins with Agape: The Human Connection, a collaboration with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

Singapore Arts Guide (July 23 to Aug 2): Celebrate new Cantonment MRT with TPD party; free admission to SAM

To mark the opening of the new Cantonment MRT station, eight art spaces in the nearby Tanjong Pagar Distripark are hosting a “distri-party” on July 25.

‘I’ve only just begun’: Ex-AWARE chief Dana Lam, 73, holds first solo art exhibition

Artist and former Association of Women for Action and Research president Dana Lam’s first solo exhibition Who Knows Where The Bird Goes opens July 22.

$20m multicultural arts grant: New panel wants strong artistic visions, better ecosystem

A new 12-member President’s Challenge Multiculturalism Panel will advise on the disbursement of the new $20 million Multicultural Arts Programme Grant, which opens for applications on July 15.

17 Singapore books to look forward to for the rest of 2026

Tentative cover of Snakes Of Singapore: A Slightly Unhinged Field Guide by Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray.

Artist Chua Mia Tee, Singaporean master of social realism, dies at 94

Chua Mia Tee died from pneumonia on July 10.

The Nether is a dirty, disturbing look into online fantasies

HuM Theatre presents American playwright Jennifer Haley’s The Nether, featuring (from left) Janine Ng and Subin Subaiah, a speculative dystopian work tackling virtual fantasies.

Non-profit launches $10m accelerator programme for early-career S’pore artists with $2,000 stipend

Singaporean artists Shayne Phua (left) and Rofizano Zaino will receive a stipend of up to $2,000 monthly for a year under arts non-profit Artery’s new Artist Accelerator Programme.

Deep-dive into four shows at Esplanade’s Studios season on from July 24 to Sept 6

Claire Teo’s first play, Monstress, takes inspiration from Medea and Medusa and is about family abuse in Singapore. It is part of the Esplanade’s The Studios programme.

Iranian work Blind Runner is defiant artmaking across borders

Iranian theatremaker Amir Reza Koohestani’s Mehr Theatre Group is presenting Blind Runner at Esplanade’s The Studios 2026 season.

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.