Arts

Actors dressed as a zombies perform during a drive-in haunted house show in Tokyo. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Arts

The zombie plan to take over Asia

Drive-in haunted house one of Tokyo's more unusual COVID entertainments

7 September 2020
A painting depicting a scene from the 10th-century poetry collection "Tales of Ise." In this episode, protagonist Ariwara no Narihira has a forbidden love affair with Saio, a maiden and member of the Imperial family chosen to serve Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess, at the Ise Jingu shrine. ("Yume-utsutsu," Half awake and half asleep, by Toshiaki Ono)
Arts

'Tales of Ise': the book where Japanese literature found beauty

Novelist Nobuko Takagi examines the enduring appeal of an ancient romantic

30 August 2020
Designed in 1970 by Matsushita Electric Industrial (as Panasonic was then known), the Toot-a-Loop radio doubled as a bracelet. (Courtesy of Panasonic)
Arts

How 'good design' became commonplace in Japan

Postwar transformation driven by consumer boom and technological innovation

26 August 2020
Cambodian sailors raise their national flag on a Chinese naval patrol boat during a handover ceremony at a Cambodian naval base at Ream, southwest of Phnom Penh, in 2007. 
Arts

Book review: China's impact in Southeast Asia chronicled

Exhaustive study of Beijing's growing influence comes at a critical juncture

25 August 2020
Artist Jia Yang Dan Ba sits at his home studio in front of thangka scroll paintings he is still working on. (Photo by Kit Yeng Chan)
Arts

Tibetan artists preserve 'thangka' tradition in China

In remote Qinghai Province, Buddhist scrolls provide a living for some

19 August 2020
A new kind of art colony: Mariko Iguchi livestreamed herself at work on YouTube while staying at Kaganhotel in Kyoto.
Travel & Leisure

Japan hotels: An immersion in modern art

Coronavirus convinces innkeepers to reach out to creatives in search for guests

15 August 2020
The lovely round handmade glass bodies of furin are all slightly different. Their sounds are light, linger gently and are all unique.
Arts

Traditional Japanese glass wind chimes help beat the summer heat

Craft meant to ward off evil now seen as spiritual tool to fight coronavirus

11 August 2020
Indonesian feminist writer Intan Paramaditha. "There are lots of women authors back in Indonesia," she says, "but the gatekeepers for recognition and awards are all men." (Courtesy of Intan Paramaditha) 
Arts

Indonesian travel novel a tribute to open borders

'The Wandering' attacks male privilege, but extols a bygone era of nomadic freedom

31 July 2020
Cai Wanzi has dedicated herself to spreading the garden lifestyle from her Beijing home throughout China with books, exhibitions, an audio course and even world garden tours. (Courtesy of Cai Wanzi)
Life

China's 'Garden Queen' spreads joy of nature even during lockdown

Cai Wanzi teaches listeners through her podcast and led tours to global gardens

29 July 2020
A portrait of a young Kashmiri girl in traditional attire by artist Hina Arif. Hina started to make paintings of Kashmiri architecture and people to help preserve the local culture, which she believes the central government is trying to wipe out. (Safina Nabi) 
Arts

Kashmiri women use art to resist India's tightening laws

From painting to traditional poetry, they fight against New Delhi's takeover

27 July 2020
Bangkok's Scala theater on the night of July 5, when the iconic building hosted its final screening. (Photo by Yukako Ono)
Arts

Bangkok cinema's golden age ends as curtain falls on Scala

Demise of famed theater leaves new generation of independent movie houses

20 July 2020
Performing as Maya the Drag Queen, Bangalore-based Alex Mathew addresses gender equality and transgender empowerment through adaptation of folk tales. (Courtesy of Alex Mathew)
Arts

India's drag queens put politics front and center

Their performances carry messages against Hindu nationalism and gender oppression

17 July 2020
Hagia Sophia's interior is decorated with both Islamic calligraphy and Christian paintings, reflecting the structure's complex history.
Politics

Hagia Sophia to cover Christian mosaics and scrap fees as mosque

Turkey's conversion of monument raises questions on balancing history and faith

15 July 2020
The Hagia Sophia will hold its first Friday prayer on July 24.
Interview

Hagia Sophia conversion blow to 'secular pride,' Orhan Pamuk says

Nobel laureate criticizes Erdogan's decision to revert UNESCO site to mosque

12 July 2020
A Christie's auctioneer takes bids in Hong Kong on July 8. Major auction houses are reporting robust sales, in spite of the coronavirus outbreak and global economic uncertainty.
Business trends

Hong Kong auctions spring to life in reboot for global art market

Return of saleroom activity also brings healthy prices despite impact of pandemic

10 July 2020
Transgender rocker Shika Corona, center, strikes a pose with her bandmates Yon, left, and Gemma in the Malaysian garage punk unit TingTongKetz. (Courtesy of TingTongKetz)
Life

Meet Malaysia's LGBTQ punk rockers

Lockdown threatens social progress, especially for trans performers

8 July 2020
From left: Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki, Dentsu's Ryoichi Fukuyama and then-Ghibli executive Steve Alpert in Vienna while promoting "Princess Mononoke." (Courtesy of Stone Bridge Press)
Arts

New book goes inside Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki

Steve Alpert worked there for 15 years and knew major players

6 July 2020
A man walks by a movie poster in Shanghai on Feb. 17. The coronavirus-induced closure of theaters across China has made for a long and frustrating wait for both cinephiles and the movie industry. 
Arts

Chinese film industry longs to be back in business

Coronavirus upsurge means cinemas are no closer to screening movies

3 July 2020
Booker Prize-winning author Aravind Adiga's latest novel, "Amnesty," is a brilliant evocation of the effects of migration. (Courtesy of Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail)
Arts

Author Aravind Adiga highlights Australian 'hypocrisy'

Indian novelist's new work humanizes 'inhumane' fate of Asian illegal migrants

24 June 2020
Even after the regular season for Japanese professional baseball kicks off, the stadiums will look a lot like they did in this preseason match: empty. 
Life

Japanese baseball is ready to swing with return of NPB

Delayed by COVID-19, league gets underway but with empty stadiums

19 June 2020
Ng Chi-sum, left, and Tsang Chi-ho play the Dowager Empress and her palace eunuch in a segment of "Headliner," a popular satirical show that has been suspended by the authorities. (Courtesy of RTHK)
Life

Hong Kong satire forced off air as China clamps down on free speech

'Headliner' poked fun at authorities for 30 years until police force objected

17 June 2020
Detail of a painting titled "Follow the Orders of the Great Party and Win the Final Victory!” Hand-painted in acrylic on heavyweight paper by North Korean artists, it is based on a propoganda poster. (Courtesy of koryostudio.com)
Arts

North Korean art captures the world's imagination

Paintings offer unique insight into the Hermit Kingdom

15 June 2020
Self-taught artist Jiab Prachakul realized she wanted to pursue art after visiting an exhibition of British artist David Hockney's work in London. (Courtesy of Guillaume Bouzige)
Arts

Thai artist puts spotlight on Asian talent with top portrait prize

Jiab Prachakul emerges as an outsider ahead of her game

12 June 2020
Artsy, a New York-based global platform for galleries, took matters into its own hands when the pandemic broke out. (Courtesy of Artsy and Art Central)
Arts

Coronavirus pandemic prompts visual art to turn virtual

Asia's galleries and museums scramble for greater online presence

1 June 2020
The arson attack has not dampened enthusiasm for the studio, as movie goers converged on theaters during the first day of the release of a new film in September 2019. (Photo by Kento Awashima)
Media & Entertainment

Kyoto Animation rebuilds after deadly 2019 arson attack

Studio restarts training program while ramping up production of new films

27 May 2020