Kinetic Rain (2012)

ART+COM's brilliant work, on view at Changi Airport's Terminal 1

I haven't been as mesmerized by a work of art in a long time. If you're passing by Singapore, it's worth taking the SkyTrain to Terminal 1 to watch this in action.

 

Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery

Think of putting the Metropolitan Museum of Manila and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in a new glass-and-steel building. That's what Bank Negara Muzium dan Galeri Seni is, for me at least. There are six galleries, of which two were open during our visit: Art Gallery and Numismatics Gallery. There may be no gold collection to gawk at, but it's well worth a visit.The building is an artwork in itself.

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BNM feels like it's in the middle of nowhere even if it's very close to Dataran Merdeka. There are good views of the forested hills from the Art Gallery.

The current exhibition at the Art Gallery, Then and Now: 50th Anniversary of the Bank Negara Malaysia Collection, is on view until September 19. There is no catalogue, but the bookmark at reception has colored symbols showing the chronology of the artworks.

But the most interesting pieces for me were not the paintings but the collection of money from the Japanese occupation. I don't recall seeing World War II-era money before, so bills from one centavo to 1,000 pesos fascinated me despite the horrors of that time. 

The Numismatics Gallery also has a display of money from all over the world (woefully missing the Philippine Peso) and a display of coins, which has the most number of projectors I've seen used for a single museum display (at least 20).

There is also a reasonably priced cafe at the ground floor with a wide selection of food and drinks. The museum shop is nowhere as good as the Islamic Art Museum, though. 

It's next to impossible to commute here but drop by on a weekend for a pleasantly peaceful hour or two in the heart of the city.

Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery, Sasana Kijang

2 Jln Dato Onn, 50480 Kuala Lumpur

Open daily 10am-6pm

Admission is free

Quotes @ University Cultural Centre + NUS Museum

First visit to the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre.

Found various quotations scattered around the building.

Took a look around NUS Museum.

But what I really went there for was this.

15+ minutes with Andy and Harry

On the ArtScience Museum pond

On this trip, I caught Harry Potter: The Exhibition and Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal at the ArtScience Museum. Realizing that everything is expensive in Singapore, I feel less suspicious of the museum now. However, I am still not completely satisfied with their exhibitions. Maybe my expectations are still too high.


It might not be fair to compare Warhol to Dali, but since their exhibits were in the same space, the comparisons are inevitable. ArtScience appeals to the general public, so a full survey of an artist's body of work is broken up into easily digestible pieces. But I think Warhol's persona can stand deeper discussion.

The Weasleys' Flying Ford Anglia. Wonder if it's the same one that was stolen and recovered.

By contrast, Harry Potter is definitely for fans only. I do love both the books and the films, so this was quite a treat. Quite expensive, though, for a collection of costumes and props. Tip: if the ticket queue is long, cross over to the box office at the ground floor of the Shoppes at Marina Bay and get your tickets much, much faster.

French Art & Film Festival 2012 Kuala Lumpur & Penang

This is coming to KL this month and in Penang in June. Hope to catch a film or two.

http://faff.com.my

Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia: Favourites from the collections

I returned to the Islamic Arts Museum, one of my favorite museums, after nearly four years from the time I fell head over heels for it. Start from the top floor, advised Brandie, who had been there just the week before. So we did.

The first display that greeted me was vaguely familiar

The museum still feels fresh, almost entirely new to my eyes. Growing up Catholic, Islam has always been a mystery to me. It still is, even if I'm living in an Islamic country. But that's what being enamoured is: there is so much to know about your object of desire that you want to learn it hard and fast.

I'd like to believe that Islam is a religion of peace... but the Islamic arms and armour section is pretty striking

The Church has its treasures, and so do they

A very fine chess set

This has to be my favourite sign!

Like Celtic patterns, Islamic patterns are highly mathematical

I'm a fan of the model mosques

Ari, who grew up Muslim, says that the term "islamic" should not be used so loosely as the museum does, that is, for everything that Muslims created. But to me, the adjective sums it up all too neatly: a marker telling me how little I know.

The artefacts I'm fondest of are those on paper

Like illuminated manuscripts, with much bigger borders

The most detailed Moleskine-sized book I've ever seen

United Buddy Bears @ Pavilion KL

These two-meter tall bears must look familiar if you've been to Berlin, where the bear is the city's symbol. But these ones have also been to different countries, representing different countries on behalf of tolerance.

Malaysia

The Philippine bear is a bird! Design by Pierre F. Patricio, sponsored by the Philippine Embassy in Berlin

Guess who?

Each bear was designed by an artist. The bears have been in KL since December and will leave tomorrow. Let's wish them a safe and successful trip. More information on them here.