The first edition of focas, Forum on Contemporary Art and Society, 

was the ground-breaking new journal launched in January by  The Necessary Stage. 

focas is a biannual  publication that engages issues of contemporary 
art,politics  and social change - primarily but not exclusively - in  
Singapore and South East Asia. focas is dedicated to 
interdisciplinary, critical exchange among scholars and 
practitioners. focas is the only regular publication that addresses  
issues relating to arts and Singapore society.It is published by  the 
Necessary Stage.

focas # 2 is out in July and includes sections:


I. Precious Little Difference -  Gender. Sexuality. Art

Redeeming Qualities: State,  Sexuality and Asian Boys -- Venka Purushotaman

"You Need to Start  Somewhere." From Everyday Resistances to Global 
Democracies
-- Nirmala Purushotam is interviewed by Lucy Davis

{Navel} 'The Mark Of a  Vampire' -- Susie Lingham

II. Protest, Provocation, Process -  Cultural Activism in South East 
Asia

Forum Transcription The  Necessary Stage 21 January 2001
Panelists Yap Ching Wi, Ray Langenbach & Kuo Pao Kun.

Art Activism and  Cross-cultural Projects in Thailand and Myanmar:   
The Need  to Open up  Structures for Engagement -- Jay  Koh

Performance and Survival --  email correspondence between Ray Langenbach and Yar Habnegnal

Interrogating Engagement --  Alvin Tan is interviewed by Lucy Davis

III Colonialism or Collaboration? -- Intercultural Arts Practice and
International Arts Organisations


Forum Transcription The  Necessary Stage 15 March 2001.
Panelists T Sasitharan,  Amanda Heng, Tan Shzr Ee & Jay  koh

Rates of Exchange: The Flying Circus Project in the Context of Globalisation  -- Paul Rae

Does World Music Exist in  Singapore? -- Tan Shzr Ee

Beyond the Box:  Problematising the New Asian Museum --  Rustom Bharucha

IV Commentary/Feedback

The Fine Art of Gardening: A Decade Of  Nurturing The Arts. -- Susan Loh,Director 

(Corporate Communications and  Marketing), NAC.



Price for one edition:  S$18 (Students  S$15)
For orders and  subscriptions please feel free to
email focas@n... or give us a call at (65) 440-8115.



LIMITED NUMBER OF BACK ISSUES OF FOCAS NO 1 AVAILABLE

Focas No. 1 contains the following sections:
I Who's Afraid of Representation? - Fear of  Representation or the Lack Thereof
[Input from Robin Loon and  Lee Weng Choy]

II Imagined Boundaries -- Community Arts and Public  Interactions
[Input from Adeline Kwok,  Susie Lingham and Lucy Davis]

III Transmedia  Cockroach - The Arts and The Singapore Press.
[With a collection of primary  documents on the "Talaq" controversy, 
input from KK Liew and Alfian Sa'at]