The trip to SAM (Singapore Art Museum) makes me think about what is art again. During the trip, one of my classmates claims that being an artist is so easy that all they need to do is only to create some abstract works to confuse their audience. Is that true? Art itself is actually the use of imagination to express ideas or feelings, particularly in painting, drawing or sculpture. We have to admit that there are few valueless classics from Asia. Maybe Asia has never really been a fertile soil for arts. But here in SMA we still can see some fascinating works that truly express Asians’ emotions through the thinking about culture, history society and can absolutely inspire the audience a lot.
Much contemporary art in the region, regardless of the genre or medium, continues to examine social, political and cultural issues. In my opinion, modern art should serve the society as a trigger for deep thoughts and exclaim of the real sound of the nation’s citizen. But when I see some items tagged with labels of price for sale. I was shocked. No wonder, according to SAM, the notion of art for art’s sake, has never really taken hold in Southeast Asia. One important focus of them has been the loss of or debates over, culture, tradition, and identity. The desire for art to communicate a narrative or story has also been a main factor behind the flourishing of realist and especially figurative paintings in Southeast Asia. In recent years, contemporary photography has also emerged as another way of painting stories.
One of the works that I appreciate most in SAM is a series of photographs called “horror in pink”. In the pictures, the pink shows up with modern objects while the whole scenario is set in the black and white past. In the series, the artist points to dramatic incidents in Thai contemporary history. The fragment of history at hand is what is known as the “6 October massacre” where dozens of left-wing students were killed when uniformed forces stormed the campus of Thammasat University in central Bangkok in 1976. Here, the artist inserts his mistrial “pink man”, an icon created to critique consumerist culture and capitalist in politics, which according to the artists, pervade Thai society today. Through the awkward juxtaposition of the pink man in historical press images, raising the question of the meaning and ownership of history.
Some of the woks are so easy formed but so hard to understand while some are so complex while the meanings behind them are so clear. Maybe that is the charm of art. Despite of all this, I can’t help but questioning, can we live without art? Yes, we absolutely can. Then why are there still so many works of art and people living on arts? Is it just a game of the rich or the performance of the insane? Maybe these questions themselves are already part of art.
I think the works in Singapore Art Museum is really confusing and hard to understand for me, but we have to admit that our life will be dull without art. Msybe we should try to learn something about art.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Arts should be centered in the current situation and problems in our society. Arts can also be focused on personal problems, but the works are not so meaningful. I believe arts can enhance the improvement of the society.
ReplyDeleteyeah, art is difficult to understand. different people have different feelings out of the same art work. maybe the artist himself cannot say exactly the meaning of the work that can convience everybody. art . art is not essential, but is a natural creation from people's life.
ReplyDeleteArtistic expression is very often not as explicit and blatant as other means of communication such as writing. It is a means by which people express what may otherwise not appear in print or what may be too complex to be described using words. This is especially true where cultures are particularly restrictive about sensitive issues. Art forces people to carefully scrutinise what is being expressed and to try to rationalise their own ideas about the issue.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that we can live without art because food water will definitely keep us alive. However, if we lead a life without art, will it make any sense? We will not be able to understand music, paintings and no visional explosions appears. How dull it is! Anyway, I think your title is a bit weird.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a trend for people like you to think that it is because of your own inability that you cannot understand a piece of art. but have you ever thought that maybe it is really because that this piece of art is truely a bad one? abstraction may be good sometimes,everything has a line. you cross the line ,it is not good anymore.
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