ABOUT CEX
The CausewayEXchange (CEX) arts festival returns to Singapore for its 10th iteration, deepening its focus on the role of the arts in health and for special needs children as well as celebrating the colour and diversity of Malaysian life with Malaysian Film Festival (MFF) screenings. This year, CEX will continue its collaboration with Malaysia’s health institutions Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Kuala Lumpur for its arts and healing programmes.
CausewayEXchange (CEX), the annual arts and culture festival celebrating Singapore’s and Malaysia’s heritage, is celebrating its 10th year anniversary this year. Founded in 2010 with the intent of providing an annual festival for artistic and cultural exchange between Singapore and Malaysia, CausewayEXchange (CEX) has welcomed more than 38,000 visitors over the years, and has given 356 artists and counting, a platform to showcase multiple forms of art genres.. The festival, which alternates between the two countries in the past years, showcases the shared heritage between both nations – displaying the many similarities and distinct differences of both nations.
To date, CEX remains the only regular platform for cross-cultural exchange, which alternates between Singapore and Malaysia.
CEX celebrates the diverse cultures of Singapore and Malaysia, who despite being separated by a causeway, share an undeniable link in their arts and cultural heritage. This year, local artistes such as Hossan Leong, Flame of the Forest and students from local institutions (LaSalle and Republic Polytechnic) will be travelling to Malaysia to participate in various performances and activities.
Key Singapore artists featured in CEX have included: Cultural Medallion recipient and founder/artistic director of The Necessary Stage, Alvin Tan; renowned comedian Kumar; well-known percussions ensemble Nadi Singapura; established music ensemble Siong Leng Musical Ensemble; photographer Edwin Koo and short film director Sanif Olek.
Key Malaysian artists featured in CEX have included: Harith Iskandar, the Godfather of Malaysian stand up comedy; Prudential Eye Award winner, Sherman Ong; Poet, Jamal Raslan: Boh Cameron Award winner Freddie Tan, experimental world music band, At Adau and many more
ABOUT DMR PRODUCTIONS
DMR Productions is a subsidiary of DMR Advertising & Promotions, a leading and well-established advertising & marketing company headquartered in Singapore. DMR’s track record includes introducing the unusual to Singapore’s audiences. In 2003 DMR introduced “live” Improvisational Comedy in Singapore as part of the Guinness Comedy Showcase. Improv troupes from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and USA soon followed. In addition to group comedy, DMR is renowned for its stable of “one-man” full length feature stand-up comedy shows, with international names like KAREN LOFTUS (USA), PINK (NEW ZEALAND), REX NAVARETTE (USA), DAN NAINAN (USA), PAUL OGATA (USA) performing critically acclaimed full length feature shows.
DMR are also the owners of CausewayExchange (CEX), an innovative arts platform to foster greater collaboration between Singapore and Malaysia. CEX is moving into its 9th year in 2018.
Testimonials from Participants
I feel privileged and honored to have been invited to perform in Singapore CEX, a program where doctors also showcased their talents as musicians. I shared my experience as a Pianist and as an Ophthalmologist and shared the similarities between both fields. The audience was a very appreciative one.
Dr Thevi Thanigasalam,
I had a great experience participating in as a speaker of the Healing through Arts forum in Singapore which was organized by CEX. It was great to have had the opportunity to spread the awareness of Dramatherapy in a hospital setting in Singapore. As it is in Malaysia, in Singapore, Dramatherapy is still fairly rare as compared to other forms of art therapy and other forms of talk therapies. It was wonderful to connect with the other Art therapists who are practicing in Singapore and to learn about their practices there. The evening entertainment, especially the indigenous music from Borneo and the stand-up comedy were excellent!
Vanitha Chandrasegaram, Dramatherapist,
CEX 2016 in Singapore was Anomalist’s debut to stage our play outside our home, and it opens up a lot of other opportunities for us. Not just we can stage our own voice from Malaysia, about Malaysia, in our neighbouring country, but we found that Singaporeans appreciate our craft in a unique perspective, that we never had when we staged it in Malaysia. We now have a broader ideas to how art should and can evolve, and one of it is by taking the art out from the hometown, because then we can grow and be something better, we become part of the world.
Khairi Anwar (Anomalist),
I had a brilliant time at the CEX Festival in Singapore last year. I worked with closely with CEX and Word Forward to revive the CEX Poetry Slam, and managed the Malaysian contingent of slammers. It was a great experience, not just because we won, but for the fact that CEX did not let the slam die out from its hiatus and approached us to help revive it. Working with CEX was easy and I hope the slam will remain a fixture in CEX, and become a celebrated annual poetry event between Singapore and Malaysia!
Jamal Raslan (Poets Passport),
“It’s a rare chance to mingle with our neighbors through art. We are so close to Malaysia culturally, it’s almost like bringing art to another home. More of such exchanges need to take place, and CEX fills in this gap.”
Edwin Koo ,
“Thank you to all our friends in Johor Bahru and Singapore who joined us at our gathering held in conjunction with the JB Arts Festival and CausewayEXchange last year! 2015 is a special year for us, as we celebrate Singapore’s 50th National Day and the 50th Anniversary of Singapore-Malaysia relations. We hope all of you enjoyed the performance by NADI Singapura, and we had a wonderful experience of good food, art, friendship, and fun with the whole family of CausewayEXchange One word to describe, AMAZING.”
Mohd Yaziz,
“CEX has been a truly enriching and fulfilling experience for me. As an artist, CEX has enabled me to open up new avenues of collaborations and opportunities to develop my practice and connect with a wider and unexplored audience base for my work.”
Sherman Ong,