Art 01 (Aug 08 - Nov 15)

[helios]

worthwhile to go and look/ see ...


15 October 2008 - Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and the National Arts Council (NAC) are proud to present HEARTLANDS: Home and Nation in the Art of Ong Kim Seng, a major exhibition of Singapore’s foremost watercolourist Ong Kim Seng. The show features 35 paintings, together with a companion book and video presentations, of significant places present and past in Singapore’s urban heartlands. The exhibition is supported by the Housing and Development Board and the Standard Chartered Bank.

The exhibition opening will be officiated by Guest of Honour, Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development on 15 October 2008, Wednesday, 7pm, at the Glass Hall, Singapore Art Museum. Media preview led by the curators will be held on the same day at 11am at the Glass Hall.

The exhibition, HEARTLANDS: Home and Nation in the Art of Ong Kim Seng, focuses on the public housing estates built by the Housing & Development Board since 1960, the “heartlands” where the soul and spirit of Singapore are grounded. The exhibition comprises an exclusive selection of 23 early paintings and 12 new paintings specially executed for this project. The exhibition, book and video are accompanied with photos, interviews, poems and archival materials to capture the heritage of the Singapore’s public housing landscape as well as of the creative process of this innovative and landmark project.

Says Ong Kim Seng, “I live and breathe, sense and feel, in an estate like so many other Singaporeans. I have had the chance to observe and live through the birth and development of housing estates in Singapore to date. I personally experienced landmark events including the Great Bukit Ho Swee Fire and the springing up of the first estate in Queenstown. There are a myriad of facets about life in HDB estates that can be discovered, and that deserve to be preserved for posterity.”

Says Director, Singapore Art Museum, Mr Kwok Kian Chow, “SAM is pleased to work together with NAC to present Ong Kim Seng's first solo show at the museum. This show is groundbreaking at two levels. Firstly, it provides us an opportunity to see Ong's works from the 1960s and 1970s, which have never been exhibited publicly before. Secondly, this exhibition also features the artist's bold, new approach in painting where he combines contemporary scene with archival historical images.”

Says Chief Executive Officer, Housing and Development Board, Mr Tay Kim Poh, “ HDB is proud to be a sponsor of Mr Ong's exhibition. As a renowned artist and an HDB resident, he has captured the essence of Singapore's public housing landscape through his paintings and preserved its wonder for all generations. Through his paintings, HDB residents will be able to enjoy the beauty of their heartland home. “

Says National Arts Council Director of Visual Arts and Director of Resource Development, Mr Lim Chwee Seng, “The NAC is proud to work with and support Mr Ong Kim Seng, our Cultural Medallion recipient, in presenting this exciting and meaningful exhibition that showcases through art the heartlands of Singapore. This is a subject that is close to the hearts of Singaporeans and which I believe most of us can appreciate and identify with.”

Says Chief Executive, Standard Chartered Bank Singapore, Mr Lim Cheng Teck, “Next year, Standard Chartered celebrates 150 years in Singapore and we are delighted to celebrate our long partnership and history in the country by supporting an artist who truly captures the essence and heritage of Singapore’s changing urban landscape. “

HEARTLANDS: Home and Nation in the Art of Ong Kim Seng is a parallel programme of the Singapore Biennale 2008. The exhibition opens to public on 16 October and ends on 30 November 2008.

Source: Press Release SAM and NAC, Singapore

[la papillion]

Question: is this picture happy or sad? reasons?

[helios]

Sad. bad teeth.

[Cheng]

Question: is this picture happy or sad? reasons?

*faints*

[la papillion]

I absolutely adore the works of M.C Escher. His works are mind boggling, seemingly impossible yet optically possible. His art drawings pushes the boundary of 3D art form on a 2D paper, at first flirting with the plays of light and shadows, then playing with the mind's eye in viewing isometric drawings.

Here's a few of his works:





There's a few that I like but I can't seem to be able to post it up here. I like his works because there's a lot of things that I can observe from his works. I like his detail-ness. The 2nd picture I posted is such a meaningful one too - A hand that draws the hand that draws the hand, ad infinitum.

[helios]

yo guys,

by any chance, if you were heading to Joo Chiat, do visit Black Earth Art Museum ... 黑土地艺术馆 @ 352 Joo Chiat Road.

Yesterday, i happened to be in the wine tasting shop [downstream] & thus, i gate-crashed into the Launch of this museum.

some of the art pieces by Sonny Liew were very good. he captured the heritage of singapore in arty and funky manner.

i personally like the "ah mak" (grandmother) painted by another illustrator and comic artist mr. Koh.

the museum was supported by National Arts Council, i think ... and in any case, the shophouse owner was actually the boss of 何记包 (F&B biz selling steamed buns) ... i actually interviewed him, but he prefers to be low-profiled (as you can see him dressing in casual shorts and T-Shirts, running across the opposite kopitiam which was famous for the big prawn noodles).

a curious thought would be: why would a businessman set up an arts encave in the mist of Joo Chiat Street?

let me know if anyone of you are keen to visit, coz i plan to go there again to look at the 2nd storey installations. Yesterday, i only had time to browse through the 1st storey art pieces ... dragging 2 bottles of wines with me ... ho ho ...

[kennynah]

a curious thought would be: why would a businessman set up an arts encave in the mist of Joo Chiat Street?


many reasons.... a possible tax haven.... reason to the wife to always visit joo chiat.... wants to be arty ..... give his girlfriend something to do.... pathing the way for his children to get into arts.... 1001 reasons... we can only postprandial speculate...after a sunday lunch

[durio]

I like the works of Thomas McKnight
http://www.progressiveart.com/mcknight_page.htm

[winston]

Indian artist has brush with his fakes

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Acclaimed Indian artist SH Raza inaugurated a show of his paintings in New Delhi at the weekend -- only to find most of the exhibits were fakes, the Mail Today paper said.

Paris-based Raza had contributed some drawings to the show at a well-known gallery that had put together more than 30 of his early paintings, the artist wrote in the newspaper.

"When I reached the gallery and started looking at the canvases on the walls, I was stunned," Raza wrote. "As I moved from one canvas to the other, I realized that the works were just not mine, they were all fakes."

Raza, regarded as one of India's foremost artists, is best known for his abstracts and brilliant colors.

His works have commanded high prices internationally, with a painting going for about 1.3 million pounds ($1.9 million) at a Christie's auction in London last year.

"I was stupefied and stunned ... I will turn 86 next month. At this stage of my life, this was the last thing I wanted to do -- grace an exhibition of my own fake paintings," Raza wrote.

The gallery, which closed the show shortly afterwards, said it had been duped.

Indian art has boomed in the past five years, driven by fast-paced economic growth that encouraged the newly-rich to chase after symbols of affluence.

[kennynah]

hahaha.....copying is the highest order of compliment.... at 86, he should be pleased that there are people willing to forge his paintings....