SAM

We were museum-free for several weeks & then wham, we went to 2 last weekend. That's how it rolls chez moi.

Anyway there was an exhibition that I've been meaning to check out. The Wu Guang Zhong collection at the Singapore Art Museum. I can easily rattle off names of Western artists but sadly can probably count on one hand, the number of Chinese artists that I know. I really need to change that situation.

You should know by now that I'm a sucker for beautiful buildings. This is one of them. The old SJI. It is especially intriguing when buildings that served a different purpose before get converted into something else. Like a former post office into a hotel, a church into a restaurant & in this case a school into an art museum.

The SAM must have been very pleased to acquire this extensive collection - there were oil & water color paintings, landscape & abstract. Bearing in mind that I'm pretty much a virgin when it comes to Chinese art, it was a thrill for me to see Chinese brushstrokes used in a non traditional way. Definitely worth checking out.



We also enjoyed TransportAsian - a photography exhibition with the theme of you guess it, Transport & Asia. You know it's good when a 4 year old is willing to sit through a video compilation of shots taken in the Japanese subway.



Somebody asked me why I bring a 4 year old to the museums cos she doen't know how to appreciate it. I don't believe that. She may not appreciate the technique but she knows what she likes. She for example are drawn to paintings with lots of brights colours & will tell me why she likes them. It's not about teaching her art or *gasp* telling her the difference between impressionist or cubist.

We were looking at some paintings & she noticed some were shinier than others. The "shinier" ones being oil paintings & thus reflect differently under light. I love that she can tell the difference & that's what it's all about.

Museums are also a great way of showing her a different perspective of the life around us, things from the past & lives that are different from ours.

It's about exposure & it's never too young to start.