Friday, April 01, 2005
Artist Talk
Topic: As I wish to listen for the sound of the earth turning
Speaker: Masato Tanaka
Date: Fri, 1 April 2005
Time: 2.30 - 4pm
Venue: Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
NAFA Campus 1 Wing B
Headquarters & School of Visual Arts Building
#03-04
80 Bencoolen Street
Singapore 189655
Admission: Free
Synopsis:
Masato Tanaka's kinetic sculptures draw upon the plurality of technology in
modern society. For the sculptor, although
technology brings on the acceleration of modern life, it also contains a
sense of hidden natural beauty. Indeed, while at
first glance, the inorganic materials like steel and motor magnets that
Masato incorporates into his sculptures could hardly
be thought of as calming or natural, the genius in his work stems from the
sculptures' poetic reliance on kinetic energy for
free movement. One realises it is wind and gravity that balance the artist's
skillfully assembled mechanical components.
Time takes centre stage. It becomes a graceful glide that has surrendered to
moving air and gravitational pull, expressing
the artist's insight to "natural rhythm and 'time' as a range of moments".
Through Masato's hands, the traditional eastern
poem of tranquility emerges from modern instruments of technology. During
the talk, the artist will discuss his interests in
kinetic art and his involvement in multi-disciplinary art forms across Asia
in recent years. Masato will also talk about his
artistic evolution: from being a trained-designer to fine arts practitioner
of three-dimensional expression. In his works,
Masato has continually explored our physical experiences of time, space and
rhythm.
About the Artist:
Masato Tanaka obtained his Master's degree in Design from the prestigious
Tokyo University of Arts in 1987. Upon graduation, Masato
developed his artistic career through numerous solo exhibitions in Tokyo,
Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen and Singapore. As well, he
participated in group exhibitions in Japan and Hong Kong. Masato's
involvement in the arts is not confined to sculptures; in the last six
years, he has increasingly collaborated with live stage performers to create
multi-disciplinary art pieces. Masato Tanaka is the Artist-in-
Residency at Sculpture Square this year. His exhibition will be opened to
the public from 31 March to 17 April 2005. On Saturday 02
April (3pm - 4pm), the artist will conduct a gallery talk at the Sculpture
Square Chapel Gallery.
INK
A photography exhibition on BODY & ART
1ST APRIL 2005, FRIDAY, 630PM
@ CLUB 95 on 95 Club Street
T: 6423 4695
FREE FLOW OF WINE AND HOUSE POUR FROM 630PM 8PM ON OPENING NIGHT!
THERE WILL ALSO BE A LUCKY DRAW AT 9PM!!
This exhibition runs through to 23rd April 2005.
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The works are available for viewing from 1st 23rd April 2005 at
Club 95 on Mon-Thurs: 7pm-2am & Fri-Sat: 7pm-4am.
Closed on Sundays.
For more information on the exhibition, please contact UTTERLY ART at
T: 6226 2605 / E: utterlyart@pacific.net.sg
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Beverage Sponsors: CONCHAY Y TORO & HOCK TONG HUAT Pte Ltd
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This is to alert you to new 'lobangs' and event postings on our website. New calls for submissions (artwork, artists' statements, papers & articles) from prestigious peer review publications (honorarium too!). New exhibitions. Special women-focussed films in the 18th Singapore International Film Festival in April. Quickly now, go click click
WITA
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Kesavadas Rajagopal, 39, joined the Plum Blossoms International art gallery in Singapore as a marketing executive when it opened here in 1991. By 1999, he became the general manager.
Between 2001 and 2003, he stole nearly $170,000 of his company's money and used a large portion of it to help the needy. Kesavadas sent much of it to India to pay for the education, housing and care of 10 orphaned children and to help strangers who were unable to pay their medical bills. The rest of the money settled his credit card bills, mobile phone bills and insurance premiums.
In December 2003, his Hong Kong-based managing director, Mr Stephen McGuinness, 53, asked him about an e-mail from a New York lawyer demanding payment of US$76,400 (S$123,900) for paintings consigned to the gallery. Kesavadas then confessed.
District Judge Aedit Abdullah, perhaps in recognising this unusual case of philanthropy, sentenced him to one year and eight months. Facing two charges of embezzling a total of $84,000, Kesavadas could have been jailed for up to seven years on each charge. Another charge of cheating his company of $85,172 was taken into consideration, along with 16 charges of forging his managing director's signature on reports to auditors from 1998.
Kesavadas' lawyer, Mr Anand Nalachandran, said: 'While it is admitted that our client did use some of the money to pay his personal expenses, which he deeply regrets, most of it was used for the benefit of others, strangers, in fact, who were in difficult circumstances and were in need of monetary aid.'
Plum Blossoms Singapore remains defunct.
Block 43 New Art Courses
Artist Feature
bthiam - visual artist who uses photography and film media
bthiam is winner of Best Photo Essay in US ASEAN Film and Photography Festival 2003, Washington DC. As Chairman of nu(STUDIOS) Film Productions in NUS, he initiated the Singapore Shorts Project between prominent film makers in Singapore and university students. Shelter, the first film he wrote and directed, is a result of this project. He also recently served as jury and advisory board to the United Nations Association Film Festival, which promotes films on human rights issues. In 2005, he co-founded the Asian Film Archive to save, explore and share the art of Asian Cinema. He is a graduate of the National University of Singapore and spent his final year in Stanford and Silicon Valley under the NUS Overseas College Programme.
Email: bthiam and followed by @asianfilmarchive.org
Url: www.bthiam.com
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