Art for the masses need not be crass but this time it is because of the way the public interacts with it.
Rockbund Art Museum
I am in love with the gorgeously-restored 1932 Art Deco building which houses the musem and I always find it inspiring to go there for a few quiet hours in the afternoon. The museum is not big so its exhibitions are in turn bite-sized and digestible even for those allergic to contemporary art. Oh, and a cuppa at its roof terrace cafe is a must.
上海外滩美术馆 Rockbund Art Museum
No. 20 Huqiu Lu (near Beijing Dong Lu), Huangpu district, Shanghai, P.R. China
中国上海市黄埔区虎丘路20号（近北京东路）
+86 (21) 3310 9985
Cai Guo-Qiang: Head On
If the name Cai Guo-Qiang rings a bell, it may be because he recently curated “Peasant da Vincis”, an impressive showcase of Chinese peasant inventions, at the equally impressive Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai.
“Head On” was Cai’s earlier work, first exhibited in 2006 at the Deutsche Guggenheim as his debut solo show in Germany. It consists of 99 life-size replicas of wolves running and flying into a glass wall. Trust me, it’s definitely something one must see in person to grasp the magnificence of the work. Definitely worth a trip to the National Museum of Singapore for those in town !
Cai Guo-Qiang: Head On
Venue: National Museum of Singapore
Date: 2 July 2010 – 31 August 2010
Time: 10am – 6pm
Admission: Free
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Was asked yesterday: “How come your blog seems delayed ? Until now still posting SG related stuff ?” Whoops, I’ve already posted the bulk of it. Be patient with me, just a little more. Trying to hang on to memories of good times in Singapore what !
Speaking of which, here’s how I spent one rainy afternoon in Singapore viewing contemporary photography from Germany with the sister. I really like it that the gallery has preserved the original cement floor and its fading hopscotch courses.
La caroleuse
‘La caroleuse’ is actually part of a larger series by Shanghainese artist Zhou Tiehai entitled ‘Desserts’, comprising of invented and re-invented French desserts such as diplomate, juge, ministre, prof, commissaire, sycophante, caroleuse, blancheresse and financier.
We browsed the 400 pieces that were on display and I think it would have been more interesting for me if I were French because there are so many cultural and historical references, along with word plays, that escape me. Intriguing nevertheless, I left wondering if Zhou had stipulated a particular sequence for the 400 pieces because the sequencing seems tongue-in-cheek at times (see fifth photograph below).
In case anyone was wondering, that hand photograph was only because I was trying to capture my new (barely noticeable) sheer nail polish (with glitter bits !) in natural light at the museum not because I was bored. My nails still look as frumpy, regardless of nail polish bah !
