Wu Guanzhong Collection

On Saturday, Grandma and I took an excursion to the Singapore Art Museum, and we were completely dazzled by the Wu Guanzhong collection. I had never heard of this artist before, but apparently, he is one of the most famous contemporary Chinese artists. I was seriously blow away with what I beheld. After studying many years in Paris, he is particularly famous for his fusion of Asian and Western techniques. Mastering both ink and oil, traditional and abstract-- Guanzhong's work is diverse, and yet his style is distinct and original.

I believe that our guide told us that there was a time in China (I think it was the Cultural Revolution) that Guanzhong was not allowed to paint people. His subject matter then became trees, but she believed that these resembled human-like qualities and that human feeling emanates from Guanzhong's trees. As soon as she said that, the tree above became something very new in my eyes. I suddenly felt the tree was a person observing the rooftops below. It suddenly did become human.

Such bold texture.

His more abstract pieces were very appealing to me because they seem very deliberate. After reading about him, it is evident that it was very important that his audience have some sort of grasp on his art. He compared this to an "unbroken line" of a kite string. He must not fail to grasp the connection between his work and his audience, or else it would fail.

This one is called "Roots." When observed closely, the roots looked like hands.

More paintings that I retrieved from Google images. Strangely, very little results pulled up from the search.

These cranes were just stunning in person.

Look at that! Pink Ink! And green and yellow! Traditional Asian ink only uses black and red. Who knew it could be so vibrant?

Something about this exhibit-- Guanzhong's work-- was so magical.

The other exhibits at the museum were nice as well...

This one was an issue piece. The whole room was painted black with these white girls' dresses hanging from the ceiling. We entered through a black door and then pulled a message attached to a red string from the ceiling. Inside the message, we read a statistic or fact regarding the abortion of baby girls in Asia. It was alarming. One said, "in the year 2020, there will be one million more men in China than women." yikes.

You don't find any warnings like this in Europe. Nope.

The Museum itself was very beautiful. It was once a Catholic Boys' school and had a very lovely chapel in the center.

The SAM.

Singapore Art Museum

Asian Theatre

Or perhaps, better said, Western Theatre Asianized.

Already, I have had the pleasure of seeing two plays in Singapore as a part of the Singapore Arts Festival that just concluded last night. Last week, my aunt took me to see Electra at the Victoria theatre. Well, it is not that often that you get to see a Greek tragedy put on by a professional troop, and it is even less often that you get to see a Greek Tragedy performed in Japanese (with English surtitles).

The director, Tadashi Suzuki took a very melancholy approach to his production of Electra-- even for a tragedy. In fact, the setting of the entire play took place in a mental asylum. The Greek chorus (featured above) was make up of mental patients in chairs, who wheeled around the stage in the most calculated movements which gradually grew into furious pow-wow of speeding chairs and shouts. All of this, to the rhythm of Japanese drums. This painful display of human helplessness, reflected the director's own dark world view. In the director's note he states, "All the world is a hospital and all men and women are inmates of that hospital." Though austere, I thought Suzuki's approach worked well for this tragedy-- centered around an incarcerated woman who fantasizes of impossible revenge. The effect was bone-chilling.

Though it was more challenging to follow the English surtitles while being engaged with what was taking place on stage, I thought seeing the play in Japanese actually gave it something-- something mysterious, otherworldly, even more severe. This was probably the best experience I have had thus far with Greek Tragedy. It was dark, eerie, and hopeless. . . in the best way.

The shimmering dome above is the Esplanade Theatre--Singapore's version of the Sydney Opera House. There, my Grandma and I attended Chekov's The Cherry Orchard in Chinese (again, with English surtitles).

Okay, it was much harder to follow Chekov's language in the surtitles-- the interuptions, indirections, and unconnected speech of his characters made my head spin as I read along. Thankfully, I read the play in English only hours before the performance, which helped me along. Once I got used to it, as long as I could tell what part of the play it was, I could focus on the action taking place on the stage. Still, I couldn't help but notice that we seemed to be the only Westerners there. The rest looked-- well, Chinese.

Still, this was a fantastic production. The set was just so eerie with its muddy-looking drapes, the barren trees, and its jaundiced glow. Is this really the same lovely orchard the characters are longing for? This director, Lin Zhaohua, not only emphasized the dying Russian aristocracy and change in social tides, but the isolation and alternate realities that each character lives in. They talk at each other, but fail to communicate. The lead woman, Ravensky, is warned of her fate and the fate of the cherry orchard, yet she refuses to face reality. The meaningless of the characters' actions finally spirals into the destruction of the orchard as the play concludes with the sound of an axe chopping down the trees.

Both of these performances were absolutely entrancing. A completely new theatre experience for me.

My Week in a Blogshell

Oh, boy!

Where do I begin?

My first week in Singapore has been such a delight.

Don, Purni, and the cousins have done such an incredible job of introducing me to Singapore, especially the local food.

Just like Gilligan's island right? I was really stoked to try drinking the juice straight from the coconut. (the humidity makes my bangs look ridiculous. I have given up on them.)

Oh my. What a delicious meal. Purni ordered an array of dishes for me and grandma to try from the various vendors at the food court. In the pic you can see the coconut drink, a pink drink called bandung (rose milk), in the front is laksa, the small rolls in the middle are called popiahs, and in the back are the chicken and beef satays. They are kind of like small barbecued kebabs with incredible flavor that you dip in this mouthwatering, tangy peanut sauce. Are you drooling? I was. Singapore is all about shopping and FOOD-- but mostly food.

A view of the food court by the coast.

Lots of people camping out here by the beach.

At a nearby cable ski park, my cousin, Kris, practiced his wake-boarding skills.

Nice pose!

Kris Kross Apple Sauce.

The next day, Grandma and I took a cruise on the Singapore River...

A view of the city from the boat.

And what did I find along the river walk?

A Botero! They are hard to miss, but always a pleasure when one strolls along such a magnificently bloated figure. Look at that bird's galumphing feet! Can he possibly take flight?

Hello, Botero.

After our river walk, Grandma and I explored the Raffles Hotel-- a lovely colonial structure, marking Singapore's move toward modernity.

We met these charming fellows on the way...

Grandma suggested we have a drink at the historic long bar at the hotel.We had a non-alcoholic Singapore Sling. Singapore's signature drink. Tasty!

Speaking of drinks, take a look at this. . .

Isn't this way too cute to be a sports drink? A peach-flavored, vitamin-infused beverage with a darling illustration that made me feel about ten years younger. How could I resist a Pink Dolphin?

The Next day G-ma and I took the "End of the Empire" tour, in which we visited WWII sites. Our guide was excellent, And I learned so much about how the war affected this region of the world. Things I really had no idea about. It was very eye-opening.

Here is the view from mount Faber-- once a strategic lookout for the military watching the arrival of the enemy in WWII.

This is the Kranji War Memorial Cemetery. Here lie all the allied troops who died at the Battle of Singapore and during the Japanese occupation of the island.

The Big Guns.

This thing is the real deal. The men on the tour were very obsessed with it.

The Merlion.

haha. . . this mythical creature is Singapore's icon.

These statues are all over the place. I think it is funny.

Did you know that the name Singapore means "City of Lions?"

Well, this post really did not even come close to capturing my week.

More posts to come! I need to catch up!

Day 1: Tea in Botanical Gardens

Day one in Singapore went as follows:

1 AM- Arrived at Changi Airport in Singapore.

2 AM to 3 AMish- mingled with Don, Purni, and Kris at their home where we will be staying for the six weeks. Purni treated us to the most refreshing peach aloe vera juice. Tasty!

9:00 ish- woke up to to a lovely breakfast of papayas, blueberries, some Asian fruit that I don't know how to spell, orange juice, indian tapioca, plus eggs and toast.

Later Don gave me a tour of their complex, and we spent the rest of the day relaxing to let the severe jet lag fade before we took an excursion to the Botanical Gardens for afternoon tea.

The protocol was the same, but this tea was a more exotic version of what I experienced in England-- with apricot ginger jam on the scones, a tangy kiwi tart, and an herbal infusion of peach nectar and rooibos tea blend.

Grandma also let me try her Pink rose and marigold tea, which was lovely as it sounds.

Food shouldn't look this pretty.

The Botanical Gardens were breath-taking!

Goodbye desert. Hello equatorial lushness?

We took a stroll through the lovely orchid gardens.

Get ready for a floral pic overload.

I feel underdressed surrounded by this spectacular host of flora.

This one is carnivorous!

Looks that kill. . . literally.

The sights and the smells!

I think I have quite a bit more exploring to do here.

Well, today I learned a few things. . .

1) Wow, it is humid here. I might need to lose the long pants I am sporting in these pics, or wring them out in the tub tonight. BUCKETS O' SWEAT. No, just playing. But seriously. . . very humid. I'm dealing with a completely different environment and infrastructure than I am used to.

2) Jet lag is conquerable! I'm 15 hours wacked out, but I'm soldiering on. Turns out, Jag lag isn't that bad. In fact, it is almost a nice weird feeling.

3) I'm mentally and physically prepared to try anything and everything strange and exotic this place has to offer me.

Stay tuned.

Singapore, Here I Come!

Mon June 1: Depart from PHX
Arrive in Orange County

Thurs June 4: Depart from LAX International
Layover in Tokyo
Arrive Here....




Many more Southeast Asian adventures to come.

Stay tuned!

My New Summer Theme

How I love the Take Away shows from La Blogotheque. How I love the timeless American spirit of the songs of Fleet Foxes. The two combined... Simply Dreamy.