Nibbles – artistic sides to supplement the main course

Probably I should keep a closer eye on the art scene here, learn a bit more and move beyond just looking out for people painting flowers and landscapes. Besides the Impressionists, there were a couple of smaller displays to enjoy.

Fernando Zobel: Order is Essential (National Gallery Singapore)

This is the first solo exhibition of works by Fernando Zobel (1924-1984), a Filipino artist with a cosmopolitan spread in his experiences and art.

Zobel's interpretation of van Gogh's A Wheatfield with Cypresses

Penitentes

Also on display were works by artists connected to him and by other Filipino artists.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Alfonso Ossorio (Zobel's relative and friend)

San Vicente Ferrer (artist unknown)

Jose Joya

And yes, order in art, please.

Verse: A View of Things to Come (The Arts House)

A very interesting collaboration between art and poetry (my friend FS tells me it’s called ekphrastic poetry), with the artwork done by former prisoners and poems by seniors.

The artists from Canvas learnt art while in prison and continue with this passion now, strongly encouraged by their mentor Barry Yeow, who taught them in prison and still teaches art there. He himself has an inspiring story.

The poets were mentored by Aaron Lee, in sessions organised by one of St Luke’s ElderCare’s active ageing centres.

Producer: Phan Ming Yen

The old golden day, Anwar Ahmad

Hope in uncertain times, Khai

Albab (The Door), Ibrahim Bin Aman

A house can't serve two masters, Amos Wong

This was memorable and I have to thank my neighbour LK for asking me to tag along!

Both exhibitions are over, but National Gallery waits to be explored further.

[that's not me 😄]

More morsels coming up, hopefully!

Comments

True train school

‘Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire. These are the things to fear, said the headmaster.’ How would you like to have such a headmaster? I finally re-read (read it first as a teenager) Totto-chan, The Little Girl at the Window , a ‘school story’ by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, translated by Dorothy Britton. Totto-chan is the name Tesuko Kuroyanagi called herself, and the book is about her life during her school days at Tomoe Gakuen. Totto-chan was expelled from her first elementary school because of her ‘disruptive’ behaviour, which included constantly opening and closing her desk top (because she was so thrilled by it), ‘vandalising’ her desk (because there wasn’t enough space on the piece of paper to draw) and standing by the classroom window waiting for street musicians to pass by or talking to swallows. Her mother, although probably alarmed about the ...

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse (2023)

The title has an airy, genial feel and the show does have its airy, genial side, but I also think of it as TRAPPED, since everyone was trapped by the past. It was fun trying to figure out who was who, who was on whose side and how the awful king would fall. The scholars It wasn’t too hard to guess that Kang San (Ryeo Un) is the deposed/missing prince and that he isn’t really gruff and disinterested although he’s exasperated and rolling his eyes most of the time. Shi-yeol (Kang Hoon) has the best ‘disguise’, with the nice contrast between his highly-skilled fighting and loyalty versus his silliness. It felt at times that Yoo-ha (Jung Gun-joo) was an extra but finally, he gets that one brave act of letting himself be captured to protect the rest. Shi-yeol identifying himself to Kang San as his watchman was dramatic but the most shocking revelation in the show was that the Old Guy (Shi-yeol’s mentor) is the king’s watchman! Ho...

No wonder

According to a poll of about 300 people, reported in yesterday's Sunday Times, (how come nobody ever asks me these things?) , the Seven Wonders of Singapore are (in order of merit): 1. The Esplanade (a whopping 82 votes) 2. Changi Airport (53 votes) 3. Sentosa 4. The Merlion 5. The Singapore River 6. Food 7. Mount Faber and LKY (tie - 10 votes each) Some 'offbeat choices' which didn't make it to the top 7: aunties selling tissue paper at coffee shops, Singlish, kiasuism, 4D-Toto outlets and Newater (said someone of Newater: 'We are probably the only country with branded recycled sewage.' Well said, ha ha.). Maybe it's a personal bias but I feel that a 'Wonder' must also have strong historical and cultural/social value (so I'm rather miffed that Angkor Wat didn't make it to the 7 Wonders of the World; in fact it was never in the running for the top 7). Therefore, these choices are a little too modern for me. The Esplanade, for example, is a...

my ajumma notes

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