Crocodilians

Even though Charles Darwin has never set foot in Darwin and has never seen a Territory Crocodile in his life there was no better place and better moment than to set an exhibition about crocodiles in... Darwin. The exhibition currently running makes it for an interesting additional information about the beast and the room that bears an incredible timeline on its four walls make you realise the history of this fascinating reptile. Crocodilians: Darwin’s ultimate survival story is an exhibition demonstrating Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through crocodiles.

Tucker at Heide

The big three: Nolan, Boyd and Tucker. They are like the trio of modern Australian painters which had a huge impact on Australian painting in the middle of the 20th Century. I raved about Sidney Nolan on numerous occasions on these pages. I actually discovered him some years back at the Heide Museum and the others logically followed. There currently is a great exhibition of Tucker paintings called 'Hinterland' covering his memories of the Australian landscapes while he was expatriated in Europe. Such a depth. So organic. So captivating. Another must see.

Photograph: Swans at Metung 1969.

Singapore Arts Museum

I was reading in the newspaper today how the Arts events saw a huge jump of over 25% this year in Singapore. It is absolutely fantastic when more and more people can have an easy access to Culture. Actually, there are quite a few museums in the city with a great potential. They just lack big international exhibitions and many spaces remain underused but it is true that lots of effort are put in to attract the punters and there are many festivals highlighting the various cultural fields all year long (Many music, films, modern arts, multimedia, etc, events). There are also a non negligeable quantity of Art galleries concentrating on the local Asian Art scene, which is extremely vibrant (China and Indonesia being the two hottest things worldwide right now). Another important fact is the number of school groups you never fail to notice in the museums. In my opinion, that is the major factor to develop an awareness to Arts for the future generations.

From Myth to Modernity

The somptuous Asian Civilisation Museum is currently housing an exhibition entitled 'Vietnam: From Myth to Modernity'. It explores the history of Vietnam mostly through its religions but remains an interesting insight into the rich country's culture and diversity. I was fortunate to enter the room at the same time as a volunteer guide was starting a tour. I do not always enjoy the guidance offered through an exhibition but I found that without the explanations and stories given by this lady I would have missed a lot of necessary background information. It actually really helped me to understand the whole chronology better and appreciate some relics that would not have made sense without it.

Post-Dổi Mới

Vietnamese Art After the 1990s is the subtitle of this exhibition currently showing in Singapore. It comes as a good addition to the very big one currently showing at the Asian Civilisations Museum (Việt Nam! From Myth To Modernity). I am yet to see the latter but the former is an amazing eye opener on how vibrant the modern and contemporary Vietnamese Art scene is. It is a primer on the country's artistic development since the Dổi Mới (Renovation) policy of 1986 began to open Vietnam's economy. The exhibition dates from the year the first commercial gallery opened in Hanoi since the communists gained power. Many of the artists grew up during the war against the U.S., often relocated to the countryside for safety. Like their counterparts in China, the artists often explore the effects of the rapid economic expansion that has swept the country - the contrasts between the old and new, the change in people's attitudes, the rise of consumerism. I particularly enjoyed the stunning installation from Vuong Van Thao "Living Fossils" in which the artist has replicated old houses from Hanoi in stoneware and then encased them in transparent resin. The 36 houses are laid out in a street scene along with 36 resin-encased metal poles with loudspeakers from which public messages would have been broadcast throughout the day in the '80s.

Seeing. Feeling. Being: Alberto Giacometti

I was introduced to Alberto Giacometti as a teenager through the Jean Genet biography. I have since seen quite a few sculptures and oils and canvas from the Artist but hardly a handful of drawings. The series that was showing until today at the Singapore Arts Museum based mostly on the 'Paris Sans Fin' lithographs gave me an entirely different perspective into his work. Most of them might look like rough sketches to the uninitiated but they are an excellent insight into his Parisian life, his favourite subjects and representations of man.