ishot: Panorama I

Panorama: Recent Art From Contemporary Asia, an exhibition comprising works in painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, video and installation by 24 artists from eight Asian countries that Singapore Art Museum had acquired over the past three years.

Panorama offers a wide lens to examine our world and chart some of the issues pervading contemporary art-making in Asia today - the negotiation over values, social and political change, escalating urbanisation and the subsequent pressures on nature.

Currently being exhibited at Singapore Art Museum from now till 25 December 2012.

Bajaj Pasti Berlalu : This mode of transport for the common people is disappearing fast today. Vehicle is embellished with decorative symbols drawn from the Mahabharata epic to projects a distinctively Javanese aesthetic and identity.

I Want to Live Another Thousand Years : A pop and rock hall of fames alongside decreased legendary figures, all shown smoking cigarettes with new ‘left’ hand that is superimposed on the portrait.

Crowd of Bystanders : A series of ten clay-animations, each showing a scene from recent history – ranging from a boxing match to Saddam Hussein’s trial and buildings collapsing on 9/11 – from a small black and white TV. The finished mini-sculptures of the scenes are displayed in front of each TV.

Microcosm : A reconstruction and interpretation of a famous 15th century work using 3D computer technology.

Electricity (Neon) : Cities have a palpable energy that seems almost electric (hence the title of the work). A collage of various urban motifs and distinctive architectural elements drawn from cities all over the world is created, and is lit up and brought to life by the power of electricity.

Cloud Nine : Look into the dreams of wild street dogs commonly found on the streets of Thailand.

Smash the Cool, No. 6 (Death by the Most Holistic Influential Utopian Goals) : A statue of a struggling artist lies dead on the floor, sliced in half by a large painting of popular icons. It’s really tough to be an artist today if you don’t produce commercial art…

CYMK Soft Sculptures : Humanoid cushions

Eat Fast Food Fast : Video by Justin Lee at a table with a McDonald's fish burger, fries and Coke, he pours them into a blender and starts whizzing, and when the entire meal has become into brown slush, he lifts the blender and gulps it all down. Disgusting!... but the message of people’s obsession to do things faster and for instant gratification does get across.

ishot: Lyrical Abstraction

Lyrical Abstraction: Works by Jeremy Sharma & Yeo Shih Yun is a parallel exhibition held in conjunction with Seeker of Hope: Works by Jia Aili. In this exhibition, the works of two young Singaporean painters with very different painting styles will be showcased – Jeremy Sharma with oil on metal panels and Yeo Shih Yun with contemporary ink and new media.

Jeremy Sharma’s painting installation, Kurosawa, offers a different view of painting, to oil on canvas paintings. Paint is poured on aluminium panels rather than on a cotton canvas, and allowed to drip at varying speeds.

Photo slide show to see how the artwork is made

Yeo Shih Yun create marks done in Chinese ink by tying hair brushes to trees and allowing the natural swaying of the branches to create the marks. She then processes these ‘acts of nature’ on silkscreen, and combines them to create a completely new work that while abstract in nature, looks remarkably like a traditional Chinese ink painting.

Video to see how the artwork is made

ishot: Seeker of Hope

Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and Credit Suisse are proud to present this exhibition of works by 33-year-old Beijing-based artist Jia Aili who contemplates the country’s social and cultural transformation in Chinese society after 2000 through a series of 50 artworks, including epic-scale oil paintings, video installations and delicate paper works.

Born in a time of open economy and increasingly prosperity in China, Jia Aili represents a young generation worried about losing age old traditions and values in a fast evolving world. The solitary figures in his epic-scale and visually stunning works seem to be searching for hope amidst the ruins of modern civilisation. In the midst of his desolate landscapes, there exist a yearning and hope for a possibility of redemption and saving.

Currently being exhibited at Singapore Art Museum from now till 23 September 2012. Do check out SAM website for educator guide and activity worksheets.

One of the videos of the launch of China's first astronaut into space in Shenzhou V spacecraft on 15 October 2003

Good Morning, World
The title of this art work reflects the feelings of the astronaut as he ascends into space for his mission

Artist's fascination with space travel and the astronaut as a symbol of hope

Painting of an aftermath of an airplane disaster

Serbonian Bog
The idyllic scene of a water lotus pond is marred by a figure wearing a gas mask, suggesting a poisonous environment that is invisible to the naked eye. The stillness and stagnancy of the pond is more of a swamp rather than fresh water. The figure carries items such as a book, which could represent the traditional means of knowledge, versus the television, as a modern day source of knowledge (and also of pollution after its discarding). Nature, however, still trumps Man, with the lotus flower growing in the background.

Painting seems to suggest a sense of loneliness and separation from others, seen through the solitary figures featured as well as the use of dark colours

Scenes of wastelands, desolation and industrial junkyards form the backdrop of many paintings

HK Day 5: More Tsim Sha Tsui, Home

Last day in HK! Had about 2 hours to spend before our flight and we decided to check out the museums in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Hong Kong Museum of Art

Hong Kong Space Museum

Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Clock Tower

The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong

Sheraton Hotel Hong Kong

We figured there wasn't enough time to visit Hong Kong Museum of Art as it opens at 10:00 and Hong Kong Space Museum is closed on Tuesday (yesh, it's Tuesday today, how unlucky!)... and so we decided to go for dim sum breakfast (again). hahaha...

Serenade Chinese Restaurant is located on the first floor of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (go up the giant flight of stairs) and belongs to the same restaurant chain as Maxim's Palace (see previous post).

Fantastic views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island.

Dim sum that we ordered.
Food was good and very reasonably priced. Ordered similar quantity of food as the day before and bill came up to abt SGD40. Wow!

Our luggage and shopping.
Erh, is that a racket... from HK? Yesh, you are right! hahaha

HK Day 4: Hong Kong Island

Another rainy day! =( We took ferry across to Hong Kong Island and went for...

Dim sum breakfast at City Hall Maxim's Palace

Excellent view from restaurant.
A pity that construction work is going on now near the harbour =(

This enormously popular restaurant is located on the second floor of City Hall.
Look at the lunchtime crowd!

You can order dim sum straight from the trolleys...

... or order them using an English menu with photos and prices.

Dim sum that we ordered.
Average quality (perhaps we had high expectation?) and prices are on the slightly high side.
Bill came up to abt SGD50 for 8 dishes plus tea.

We then went to explore Central and vicinity.

Lanes off Centre Street are only accessible to pedestrians, and contain stairs with small stores by the sides.

Mid-Levels Escalator is the world's longest covered outdoor people-mover used to ferry thousands of workers between the bedroom community of Mid Levels and Central Hong Kong. From 06:00 - 10:00 the escalator moves downhill and then uphill from 10:15 -00:00. The complete system of several escalators runs for 800m and climbs a total of 135 meters, some of the ascents can be very steep.

Along the way, you can see Central Police Station with its main building facing Hollywood Road. Built in a classical style, it has four storeys and a grey and blue colour scheme, with Doric-style columns.

Get off at Staunton Street and you can have a tea break in one of the many restaurants and bars in the booming Soho district.

Graffiti art spotted on the street.

The largest Man Mo Temple in Hong Kong is located in Sheung Wan. Literally, 'Man' means 'Civil' and 'Mo' means 'Martial'. It was built in 1847, for the worship of the civil or literature god Man Tai/Man Cheong and the martial god Mo Tai/Kwan Tai, and is part of a complex that comprises three adjacent blocks namely Man Mo Temple, Lit Shing Temple and Kung So.

Temple door

Gold-plated sedan chair made of elaborately carved teak wood, encased in glass at the altar, and used for carrying the statues of Gods in parade.

Air is thick with sandalwood smoke from the giant incense spirals hanging overhead.

Lit Shing Temple is created for the worship of all heavenly gods.

Ladder Street was built between 1841 and 1850, starts on Queen’s Road Central and extends straight up the hillside like a ladder. It's 350 meters long! Must be pretty tiring to climb up the stairs everyday!!

Man Wa Lane is lined with chop-makers who carve intricate name stamps from small blocks of ivory, jade, stone, or wood. These chops are a traditional Chinese craft that are still used by businesses and personal individuals.

Time to take a tram ride to go Causeway Bay!

Travelling by tram allows one to get excellent views of the lively street life; pretty cool.

Had a late lunch at Yee Shun Milk Company where we ordered ham and cheese sandwich, luncheon meat mee and steamed milk and egg custard. Yummy!

Spotted this luggage storage facility at the shopping mall; really cool concept! I wish SG malls have this as well =P

Times Square is a major shopping centre and office tower complex in Causeway Bay.

Look at the crowd!

Dinner (shrimp dumpling noodles and fish ball noodles) at one of the restaurants along Jardine Crescent Road.

Egg tart from Tai Cheong Bakery. Delicious!