Singapore Art Book Fair Curation

“We obsess about who they look like - the papa, the mama, a cousin, one or other of grandparents.

Mostly, they look like each other. Or like bugs. Or burritos.”

What does it truly mean to be a grandparent — to care for and nurture young life as you look back on your own, and experience the world afresh through their eyes?

The Art of Being a Grandmother: An Incomplete Diary of Becoming is an honest and heartfelt exploration of self — as a mother, grandmother, visual artist and writer. Following her acclaimed autobiographical play, Still Life (2019) with Checkpoint Theatre, Dana Lam invites you into her world as she chronicles the process of becoming a grandparent through her art and writings. The careful interweaving of candid, meditative journal entries with stunning watercolour and ink renderings of scenes of her daily life deftly captures the unique pleasures and challenges of grandparenthood. Poignant, tender, and funny all at once, this volume will delight readers of all ages with its warmth and wonder.

“Being a mother is, arguably, a choice for some.

Being a grandmother is a decision made for you by someone else.”

A 200-page visual journal by Dana Lam; edited by Huzir Sulaiman, with curation, design and layout by Marc Gabriel Loh.

Author's Bio 

Dana Lam is a visual artist and writer, and an Associate Artist with Checkpoint Theatre. In 2019, she performed her play Still Life, which she developed with Huzir Sulaiman and Claire Wong of Checkpoint Theatre over three years. It included a year of exploration and painting in her studio.

She most recently wrote and performed the erotic monologue Why Not Sex in Not Grey: Intimacy, Ageing and Being as part of the Festival of Women: N.O.W. 2021, directed by Noorlinah Mohamed for T:>Works.

Dana has performed in Jerome Bel’s Gala (TheatreWorks, 2016), Joavien Ng’s Incarnation of the Beast (TheatreWorks, 2015) and Dream Country – A Lost Monologue (Singapore Arts Festival, 2012). Her writing credits include the book Days of Being Wild: GE2006 Walking the Line with the Opposition (Ethos Books, 2006). Her visual art has been shown in the Singapore Art Museum and the Substation Gallery. Her 500-piece installation work When Bellies Speak: You Are Your Own Work of Art was held at Hong Lim Park on 8 March 2015.

Outside of performance, Dana has worked as a newspaper reporter and volunteered with AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research), serving as its President from 2000-2002 and again, from 2009-2011.

Evocative and detailed, poetic and reflective, "Shaolin and You" takes a plunge into the pugilistic and epic world of Shaolin, bringing readers on a colourful journey to discover an ancient craft rooted in history and tradition.  A tribute and celebration of Shaolin Kung Fu, "Shaolin and You" delves into its history, origins, little complexities and lessons through a delightful feast for the senses - where chapters are stuffed with snippets of art, photographs, poems, anecdotes and illustrations of all things Shaolin.

Author's Bio 

Poon Yew Fai started practising pencil drawing as a serious hobby only after entering the workforce, despite having a love for it while growing up in Singapore. He also enjoys Hong Kong action, Kungfu and Wuxia films, especially those from the mid-1980s to 1990s - widely considered to be the golden age of Hong Kong action films. Yew Fai considers his blending of graphite drawing with digital effects an ongoing personal experiment, and is never quite sure how his next Kungfu artwork could turn out. Shaolin Musings is his first self-published collection of Kungfu artworks.