Sarah's Memories...: Artsy Me Part 2: The Museums

Since museum entries are free and I've got nothing much to do, I decided to explore the artsy side of me by visiting the Singapore Art Museum and the Asian Civilisation Museum - hoping to visit the National Museum soon too!

There were new exhibitions for both museums and I was really intrigued by the pieces. Was also happy that I took Reading Visual Images which allowed me to appreciate Buddhist, Islamic, Chinese and Western art pieces better, despite not scoring very well. These are life skills which can't exactly be cultivated outside school and special lessons.

At the ACM, there is a new cross-cultural exhibition which was really interesting - Devotion and Desire, Stupas-Buddhism art and Lacquer across Asia (similar to the exhibition in Wuhan where we saw lacquer pieces). Devotion and Desire is a themed rather than chronological/period exhibition which displays the interactions between people of different cultures shown in the artworks created.

Buddha at the centre of a crucifix?

Looks egyptian

At SAM, I looked through all the permanent exhibitions and also the new ones - Terms and Conditions, Art Garden 2013, President's Young Talents - which I thought were all very interesting! Terms and Conditions displays pieces from Arab artists about the Arab world - rather political.

The phrase “terms & conditions” often refers to the fixed set of guidelines at the basis of any official contract or agreement. While these extensive specifications are sometimes overlooked in everyday practice, their implementation can powerfully dictate the representation and interaction between people, entities and countries, as well as set parameters that appear rigid over time. Yet, taken apart, the words “terms” and “conditions” convey fluid and precarious concepts that can, in actuality, be continually negotiated and modified.

Many artists with roots in the Arab world work simultaneously across different geographic, physical and cultural contexts, making it difficult to define and constrain them to specific identities and representations. Their work is thus a result of a variety of techniques, which enables them to navigate and speak within multiple contexts.
Terms & Conditions presents an open-ended debate into how history and social realities are represented, with an emphasis on the Arab world. One of the first Southeast Asian surveys of contemporary art from this dynamic region, the exhibition showcases works by artists with roots in the Arab world. These artists work across different geographic and cultural contexts, and through a combination of techniques, to produce unique artworks that fluidly traverse and defy social identities and representations.

My favourite piece was the one about 3 women singing ballads about Saddam Hussein. There's something sinister about the song but the way it is sung is so normal that you'll never imagine the meaning behind the song. The art garden was pretty cute but meant for kids to have lotsa fun. It stretches your imagination and makes you feel like a kid once again.