Short quick update
Just a quick short update on my trip to Melbourne. In short, it was a very successful trip, the people over there really liked my works and they showcased my muslim mouse image all over the place, of which I am very grateful because NAC will love it and award me with more funding in my future projects. hehehe! Isaac Julien, a famous artist, also came up to me to say that he loved my works. And he told Joe that he went to see my installation a few times. God! And I was talking about how I was so influenced by him esp. when I was creating godeatgod for tns...little did I know that he was in the audience when I was presenting my works at the forum. Also, a few curators told me that I will become really big soon, because I have a unique background and my artworks are really fresh (referring to the geisha film of course).
The museum people also really like the robots that we made. They are all fighting to see who gets to keep it. Of course I have plans of bringing them back and selling them so that we can use the profits and go for a feast. :)
Sigh...I'm glad my hardwork is paying off. But coming back to S'pore is really stressful, cuz I got so many things to do in the next few months. Well, I hope everything goes smoothly, and hopefully, my dream of buying a bungalow in Queen Astrid Park will come true.
Here are just a few pictures from the exhibition, there are more actually, esp. in the multimedia segment, but I shall post them another time cuz got too many liao.
Intro to my exhibition with my fake Chinese name.
Joe in front of the family of mannequins with fencing masks. Underneath the fencing masks are chinese opera masks I bought from chinatown. very creepy but beautiful when you see the multimedia running on them.
My fake "museum pieces", which are actually fake goods I bought from Bugis Market. The Fortune God costume is also fake. The text on top was taken from a tourist brochure of the Penguin Parade Show in Melbourne, which Joe and I went, but I replaced "penguins" with "Asians".
The paper gundam robots, with acupuncture men, which represents a mapping of the body/identity. The 3 men on the wall with one creature had text underneath that read: Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others, with the corresponding percentage ratio of the racial population in S'pore.
Before opening night, the curators were already loving the Geisha film.
Some stills from the multimedia that was shown on the faces of my fake museum pieces.
I realised the reason why I had so many chinese text in Instant Asia! was probably due to the season brochure I designed for ttp which made me learn how to use Chinese software. That girl inside is Wendi, who used to lease my previous studio space in Serangoon Gardens. I'll be working with them end of the year for a new version of Mama looking for her Cat.
Along Little Collins Street where we stayed.
In an alley.
We decided to pose in front of these giant koala, cuz the real ones were just so far up in the trees.
In Federation Square.
At the entrance of the museum.
Just before you go underground to where the exhibition takes place.
At the National Gallery Victoria bookshop.
At the NGV, we went to see fellow Malaysian artist Yee I-Lann's photographic works.
At a beach which I forgot the name liao. But it was sooooo beautiful...we cried.
At an Asian foodcourt.
Aren't you glad you live in S'pore? Look at the prices here...and they are in aussie dollars!!!
On the tram.
I was looking for some good S'porean food, and guess what we found? The fake version of the Serangoon Gardens version. Hehehe!
We went for a nice dinner for Joe's b'day at a Japanese restaurant along Little Bourke St.
The mud pie cake I bought for Joe at Cole's.
At the media launch in Federation Square. I donch know what this creature is though.
At the ultra-glam opening with free flow wine, champagne and lots of beautiful people. I guess anyone who was anyone in Melbourne was here that night!
Joe taking a break outside the opening to get away from the crowds.
Isaac Julien!!!!
Our last day, just before going off to the airport. Sigh...I will miss the room, it was so bloody big, with a living room, a dining area and even a fully-equipped kitchen with a dishwasher.
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 aileron23
2006-02-26 23:55
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The work you are doing looks very nice and you seem very happy! Welcome to Australia. Now just at the other side of this island (5 hour flight) is where I live. (Reply to this) (Thread) |
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aileron23
2006-02-27 04:33
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Everything is expensive here la. Singaporeans enjoy relatively cheap food back home, despite the high standard of living. In time Singapore prices will go up too la. But think about it, we enjoy cheaper homes, cars and free healthcare. Only problem is the lack of nice chinese boys. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
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warg
2006-02-27 08:36
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congrats brian! i like your version of Singapore. quite sinister, but cute enough to be friendly. its nice that we're no longer affected by racial representation such that your chinese text would appear inadequate in this "singaporean" exhibition. since the piece is titled "Instant Asia", i'm reminded of the 60s tourist posters i've seen that use this term. Perhaps back then, we were still comfortably inter-racial, inter-cultural because entertainment was such a multi cultural, instantly Asian enterprise (like Cathay Keris movies)! Its been awhile since i've gotten used to more spontaneous cultural expression that doesn't bother dealing with such CMIO "primary school ethics". It shows that we've moved on, and that the cultures of our country are confident of themselves again. Perhaps this way, inter city dialogue with Chinese cities (traditionally HK), Asean cities (traditionally KL) and even India will assume or even resume some level of vivacity through film, dance, art and culture tourism because they won't be contrived or operated with too much reservations (like that stupid movie Chicken Rice Rhapsody). (Reply to this) (Thread) |
|  Re:
rebel2000ad
2006-02-27 10:16
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Yup, I was inspired by that poster. One thing I realised when I was presenting at the forum that the curators over there made me realise, that I was truly a product of the inter-racial/cultural thing, with my Filipino/Indonesian/Chinese/Malaysian/S'porean lineage. I was telling them how I preferred the idea of "contamination" and hybridity as opposed to purity and segregation; inter-racial/culural as opposed to multi-racial/cultural, and it kind of reflects in my body of work which moves fluidly between theatre, moving image, installation and design/photography/drawing. I showed them the dance video I did of the MacPherson Sec School girls which comprised of students who were all children of immigrants, from China, Thailand, Nepal, Vietname, etc. that perfectly encapsulated what S'pore and the world at large is going through now with all that transmigration happening due to the ease of flying.
However, about culture tourism, i find this phenomenon problematic because I can see it being easily exploited and commodified. Instead of genuine dialogue, it might end up having the opposite effect of only being surface and no depth. And I can see this in the many McChinatowns in all the cities I've been to all over the world.(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| Hello
(Anonymous)
2006-02-27 08:41
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Hello Brian, I bumped into you and asked you some questions during your exhibition. I wondered you remember me? I'm still in Melbourne then and stumbled upon your
your blog. And yes, your exhibition
is attracting more and more people. I went today during lunch time to go NGV to look at the rest of the artists' works. I thought it'll be nice to drop by yours again
for the last time before flying off to Sydney today. I was amazed by the 'queue' leading from the entrance to Patricia's. I hardly managed to get another glance as my flight
was due at 5 pm and I got to rush. Congratulations. Singapore'll be so proud of you.
I didn't know that young boy beside you is your boyfriend. I didn't get to see his face much. But I saw now, you two really make good couple. He's really cool and cute while you're
mature and charming.
I'm flying all over the world to search my soul and true self. I truely hope to find my piece of love too. I'm really envious of you. Singapore's just too small for me
to explore and breath. Okay, I wish you all the best and I hope I'm able to meet you and your boyfriend again, but not in Singapore though as I'm not returning back in the
near future. I also wish to see more of your art works exhibiting internationally too.
Take care.(Reply to this) (Thread) |
| congratulaciones!!!
(Anonymous)
2006-02-27 13:47
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Aiyooooooooohhhh!!! Cover of catalogue some more!!! (or at least one of the versions?
Can't see so well in the bookshop photo.) That's going to be major; that book will be in
every contemporary art museum giftshop from Anchorage to Witswatersraand... truly
intercontinental coverage.
Sigh, now you're all famous and all, sekali you won't have time for us nobodies.... don't
forget to hang out and eat carrot cake with us sometimes...
-yish
(Reply to this) (Thread) |
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