Yesterday we took a journey to the Singapore National Museum and the Singapore Art Museum in a single afternoon. Though we finished the trip in haste, some parts of it still left a deep impression on me.
When we entered the Singapore History Gallery, the very first historical treasure greeting us was the Singapore Stone. Carved with ancient characters, it is believed to contain the earliest inscription of Singapore. Personally I think this statement is doubtful for those characters have not been interpreted yet. Scrutinizing the stone carrying a long history, I could help thinking what if the content dose not match with the precious perception- would that threaten the position of Singapore Stone? Whatever the word is about, this stone bares the ancient people’s thought and that, in turn, become a link between the past and present. No matter the content is major as it is though to be, the characters on the stone is whispering that long long ago, there was someone who lived just where we are now, and was perceptive enough to recorded his reflections. Maybe the decoding of the characters should not become people’s obsession; after all the infinite possibility is a kind of beauty.
The food part of the Singapore living gallery also impressed me a lot. The theme of the exhibition is “eating on the street”. The history behind this relaxing title is quite harsh: works and merchants in late 19th century resorted to street food because they did not get a family in Singapore. The booming of street food was actually the consequence of poor living condition, which is kind of miserable. Nevertheless, the exhibition was pretty thorough and delightful. It was a pity that we have not got enough time to fully appreciate the gallery.
As for the Singapore Art Museum, I admit that I was quite confused by almost every piece of work. In some cases, the illustration of the work even reinforced my confusion. I was irritated by some so called “art”, through which I think the artists have no intention of bring pleasure to the audience.
Personally, I prefer the Singapore National Museum. Perhaps I will visit it again later.
I liked your honest opinions about the art pieces.:) What you saw was modern art, or post-modern art, and it's supposed to provoke a reaction, and like you say, it's not always a pleasant reaction. I'm glad you enjoyed the National Museum. Now I'm curious about the history gallery. I've been there many times, but have always missed that gallery.
ReplyDeleteMostly well-written, you need to read over your blog entry and edit it for spelling and grammar errors, such as ' ...to recorded his reflections', 'dose not match' and ' I couldn't help thinking', not ' I could help thinking.'
I do not really understand art work, though I have visited many museums. I am glad that you have your own idea about art, and maybe you can be a artist someday. Hope that it is not too late to comment this blog.
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