I'm Independent! I have no income came from my blog posts!

Just feeling a bit emotional today, that I was doubted by somebody that I was given a fee in order to write something. NO! For your information, my blog not even hit 500 views (including counting of my own IP) since the day this blog was created! 

I pay for all the art exhibitions, and I do really sincerely love the things I try to promote in this blog. Yes! I love Bjork and a lot of things that are not in the main stream popular market. The paintings I commented, are simple and sincere. I am not a professional curator or a good journalist. I have a job which is completely different in this professional field which I had heavily discuss about in this blog. Peace!

Singapore Art Stage 2015: Avichen's Selection.

Why can't they just put the right price tag on the banner? This is the first bad impression I get for the Singapore Art Stage 2015. If the ticket is S$35.00, just put the correct price on the banner. I really wonder why the organizer had to put S$32.00 on public where the actual price for the ticket is S$35.00. 

My overall experience on the one day visit, I spend 4 hours in the exhibition. The art works displayed are not really impressive. Majority of them are in "Sale Quality", not really heavy in artistic value. A lot of huge names like Botero and Andy Warhol. A lot of "Wannabe" artists. For all those Wannabes, please, get over it! Create your own style and art! Stop copy the styles of other masters! Thus, I do not enjoy the show. Too many masters wannabes. I was expecting emotional and thought provoking experience like Singapore Biennial 2013. Well, it is an art market, in an a bit "atas" set up. Things are like screaming "Buy Me!" or "Look! I'm good for your large expensive living room!", but very lack of that artistic side. 

Here are some of my favourites: (Which are the pieces you might not want to buy or put in your living room as decorations, but they are really thought provoking and emotional!)

Jake & Dinos Chapman

Perfect Day at Sea! (2014)

The KKK members at sea, the only salvation is the Mc Donald's.
Details on the artists: http://jakeanddinoschapman.com/

Chan Kok Hooi

So Close Yet So Far (2014)

This piece is emotional for me. Especially for Malaysian. 2014 is a year of flight disaster. The MH17 and MH370 plus the QZ8501 accidents. It seems like the artists trying to paint the view of the victims. Where in the end, they reach the "Top of the World". It is emotional indeed, for the last piece, there are Chinese goddesses, symbolize the reaching of heaven. http://www.chankokhooi.com/

Chisato Tanaka

Unknown Country In The Deep Forest (2014)

This piece caught my attention, I don't know why. The gaze of their eyes are so haunting. They are like sucking my soul into the environment of the painting. The artist have other paintings in similar style, but only this one brings some feelings to me. http://www.tanakachisato.com/

Fadilah Karim

The Lonesome Painter (2015)

Painting is a lonely thing to do. I feel that deep in my heart. I love to paint alone, and paint and paint and paint until exhausted. Sometimes, I forgot about breakfast, lunch or dinner. Sometimes not even sleep at night. Until I finish the piece, I feel accomplished and fell asleep. This is a painting which speaks out the life of an artist. Fadilah Karim's Portfolio

Kow Leong Kiang

Sea Breeze (2015)

This is the best in my POV. A portrait of a young girl facing against the wind, with her eyes so full of hope. With her face angle like marching towards the future. There's motion and emotion in this piece. The artist have a lot of similar paintings (portrait of young girl in baju kurung) but this one is unique that it has more motion element in it. Kow Leong Kiang's Profile

Björk's Vulnicura

Post by Björk.

Björk new album is out! I just have the opportunity to listen to her new album today. I don't care if you call me weird, I love Björk since Medúlla. Thus, I am not expecting her to create something pop. While I'm still playing her Biophilia on my car radio, Vulnicura came out unexpectedly early. For my first experience on Vulnicura, I DON'T LIKE IT! And not to deny, Björk's musics takes time to digest. I don't like Mutual Core at first when Biophilia released. Slowly the tunes get into my mind and now I totally love it. Thus, I would like to categorize Vulnicura into different categories. 

1. Love in first heard: Stonemilker, Family, Atom Dance 

2. Slowly getting to enjoy it: Black Lake 

3. Need more time to digest: Lionsong, Not Get, Mouth Mantra 

4. Totally couldn't get the tune: History of Touches, Quicksand 

Atom Dance is my favorite so far. I'm looking forward to her live performance and the Deluxe CD!

Charlie Hebdo: Art? Freedom? Insult? Where to draw the line?

I know, everybody is talking about it. I had tired of the news coverage about the Paris attack. Let's just forget about what the experts said and here is my own shallow point of view.

I born and grown up in Malaysia, a peaceful country where 70% of the population are Muslim religion. I have no problem living with Muslim people. They are generally peace loving people. Although I never really study about Quran, I had read some Haddith translations and I do like the literature. The messages are clear and a little emotional. Generally, Quran is very similar to Bible, and it is just a little more dramatic. 

I do not call Charlie Hebdo a satire, I call it an insult. It is still an art, a very low level dirt pieces. I don't think its funny and I could never understand why some people think it is funny. I do believe that a normal peace loving person won't think it is funny either. I don't like it. I do hope that this thing never exist. Enough stories. I pray for the victims, and I pray for the resilient of France. Amen.

Sometimes, art will be a little intimidating. I believe whatever it is, there must be a line between yes and no. May be the line isn't that clear, but Charlie Hebdo is clearly crossing over to the "NO" side. That's all. Peace!

An Airplane Disappear... AGAIN!

Malaysia really have some bad luck year for 2014. After 2 MH planes gone, another Malaysian plane was lost today morning. I ended up stuck in Qatar's Hamad International Airport due to security precaution. Thus, I have plenty of time blogging and thinking, luckily the wifi access is unlimited. 

I have a bad flight today from Milan to Qatar. I was annoyed by the lady sit next to me. She keep on talking to her phone when the flight is about to take off. When she saw the flight attended came near, she just put down her phone and then continue to talk non stop. While I try not to be judgmental, but I am still phobia about the effect of wireless communication during flight take off and landing as mentioned in my blog post in July this year: here

I know, many so-called "highly educated STEM people" will oppose my view and see me as being phobia. The thing is, sometimes when it is involve human souls, we have to be "kiasi". STEM cannot be 100% right. It is not 100%. That's why I still have minimum 0.1% reserved for God. 

I have joined a few online STEM community, which most of the people there are so ignorant. Yes, most of them argues and give reasons. They may win the argument, as a research engineer on designing protection equipment, I hold strong on the concept of even having slightest doubt, I don't do it. 

By the way, besides the phone incident, I also a bit annoyed by the mak cik next to me because she took away the blanket which is supposed to be returned after the flight. But I always ask myself not to be judgmental, because she looks like a kampung auntie who doesn't fly much. I'm just glad that she didn't open up the plane exit to get some "fresh air"...

At this moment... I really hope to get back to Malaysia as soon as possible and enjoy a bath and sleep like a pig for once. I do not have much holiday left to settle my stuff and get back to my busy working life.  

Success is all about Resilient

While the success story about young successful entrepreneurs are highly celebrated by western medias, Asian audiences prefer those success stories  about an person who walk through all the hardship and insults, able to find their resilient and gain the final success. There is a viral photo spreading among the Chinese people about Jack Ma. Although the story had been said its not true, I would like to share a REAL story about how great entrepreneurs rejected, and looked down by people before they became successful.

This is the realistic example which were recorded by a reality TV show. In year 2006, Rob Law brought his samples to the show, looking for an opportunity to gain some funding. However, it is clear that he failed to get the funding. Today, Trunki has grown into a successful products and it's brand value worth more that any of the Den's CV could imagine. What can I say? It's the power of finding self resilience after the painful insult and rejection.

Another real life recorded story, is something I just found out today while watching the 2013 Fashion Fund. I notice that Brett Heyman of Edie Parker appeared on the show, and she wasn't selected as one of the 10 finalists. I was puzzled and shock! When I try to google about the event, I found that Brett had been chosen as one of the 2014 Fashion Fund 10 finalists. She never won anything, but her products were already so popular, many celebrities were captured in photo carrying her bespoke clutches.

What's in my mind is, she's totally doing her thing with persistence and never easily gave up! It seems like a normal old fashioned clutches, a lot of them can be simply "Made in China". I can sense the process of success in the making. Link to Edie Parker

What is Art on the Street?

May be you just don't know why artists are doing things like street art. It's not always for the money. It rarely happen in Malaysia or Singapore. When there is an artistic activity on street, people tend to see it as begging for money or vandalizing.

Nothing describe art more than this video shared by Can Okuroğlu. One person may just perform his piece on street. And then a random stranger who share the same artistic sense will join. And the whole process is like a chemistry for creativity. It is an evolution, unpredictably fun.

So what do the street artists looking for? The best term to describe is "知音" in Chinese, it means somebody who knows about your art! To seek an audience who will bring you positive feedback about what you do. And the process is amazing... There are many people doing open source, and street art (visual or performance art... whatever it is...) is just an artistic form which is similar to that.