ANDY WARHOL: 15 MINUTES ETERNAL

"In the future, everybody will be world-famous for fifteen minutes." - Andy Warhol 

Hello, You Tube! 

Out On A Date at the Andy Warhol 15 Minutes Eternal
ArtScience Museum, Singapore

No photography allowed inside the exhibit.
So sa entrance lang kami nag-picture.

Hubby and I will be eternally grateful for having the chance to see the Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal exhibit at the ArtScience Museum. It features the largest collection of iconic works by pop artist Warhol, including Jackie, Marilyn Monroe, Campbell's Soup, Silver Liz, Time Capsule 51, The Last Supper.

It was such an overwhelming experience. We've always been Warhol fans. I love how he saw the beauty in everyday, ordinary objects. Pieces that we only got to see in books and the internet were 'in the flesh,' right before our eyes! Amazing.

The most revealing piece for me: The Time Capsules. They are boxes containing meaningful items collected by Warhol throughout different periods of his life. Although various studio assistants handled the boxes over the years, few people recognized the mass of materials as anything but "Andy's stuff." The boxes actually reveal new and important information about the artist's life. But only one box is open for viewing in this exhibit -- Box #51, which contains fashion magazines (including Vogue and Glamour) and fashion books.

There's a gift shop at the museum selling Warhol reprints. But Hubby and I opted to buy shirts from Uniqlo instead, see here.

Andy Warhol's Shoes
I have a hard-bound journal and stationary with this print.

The exhibit will be up until 12 August 2012.

Ticket price: SGD15 per adult (around Php480 each)

For details, visit the ArtScience Museum website. 

HARRY POTTER EXHIBIT IN SG

I know a few people who'll go crazy over this.

A first in Asia: the Harry Potter Exhibit at the ArtScience Museum, Singapore. Tickets on sale by May 1.

Check the museum website for details.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Food For Thought. Good Food for a Good Cause.

#8 Queen Street, Singapore

(It's at the Sam at 8Q complex.)

Give clean water, make poverty history, inspire kind acts while you eat. Bongga. Game kami sa 'dating for a cause' so we tried Food For Thought. We had dinner here after seeing the film "Water Hands."

The facade.

The headless art installation (right in front of the resto and on top of the building across the street) is from another artist (name to follow), different from the one who created the headless Superman in front of the Singapore Art Museum. Headless as theme - Creepy? Artsy? Deep? All of the above?

The piece on SAM at 8Q reflects people's worldly and empty (thus mindless, headless) pursuits.

540 Jars hanging from the resto's ceiling. Read about the amazing light installation story here.

Zero-guilt indulgence? Hubby had the Crispy Curry Chicken with Spicy Chili Fries, Buttery Corn Salad and Roasted Tomatoes (SGD18, around Php630) on a placemat that says "Make poverty history." It was good. It's basic fried chicken with a twist -- nasa curry flavor ang twist. Big serving siya. It was actually good for two. Had we known na ganito kalaki, nag-share na lang kami.

I had the Calamari, Prawn & Salmon Risotto (also SGD18). It was good. Naumay nga lang ako. 

My placemat.

The food was good. But we're not raving. We're happy to have tried the place. And we got to help along the way so no complaints.

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

Through the toughest of times...

AT THE SAM

"Wish you were here." 

That's the overseas text message I sent Hubby when I visited the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) on my own last month. (See earlier post about it.) 

Headless Superman.
"No One Can Save Us." Mojoko + Eric Foenander

So when he came back from Manila, I made sure he'd see the wonderful SAM exhibits too. To me that's among the signs that you really love someone - you want everything to be shared experiences. 

We had a SAM date one Friday. Yes, I made sure Friday night (6-8pm) para free admission uli, yey!

Silly at the SAM
(Di kita pose ko.)

Amazing LED lights installation. 

"V" by Li Hui.

More from the Chimera exhibit.

From one of the Learning Galleries.

From the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize.

India's entry.

Korea's entry.

The winning entry from the Philippines -- Rodel Tapaya's Pinoy folklore mural.

At first glance this seems like an ordinary Persian rug right?

"Red Carpet," Rashid Rana (Chimera exhibit)

Up close, the artwork reveals photos of slaughtered animals.

Extreme close-up: Extremely bloody!

Now, for the piece that moved me the most. 

"Ash Color Mountains," by Aida Makoto of Japan. It's among the Jurors' Choice Awardees in The Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize.

"From afar, this monumental painting appears like a traditional Eastern landscape painting of the perennial misty mountains."

"However, the details reveal a different story altogether, for the mountains are composed of masses of office workers piled up high." 

"Like many of (the painter's) generation, he was a child of a 'salary man,' many of whom were often absent from the family because of the demands of work."

OMG. Major. Heartbreak. Moment.

Of course I remembered my Dad. He's been an OFW, one of the most talented Civil Engineers / Project Managers in the Middle East, almost all his professional life. We see him only once a year, for 45 days. Good thing we all make the effort to stay close. Snail mail, overseas calls, cassette tape recordings nung '80s!. Skype, Facebook and Face Time ngayon. So although we're physically apart, he's very much present in our lives. And we're close. Surprisingly even closer than some fathers and daughters who've lived under one roof all their lives. Good thing my Mom and Sister have been granted visas to move with him.

I also remembered all my mommy officemates. They'd always wish for more time with their kids. But like the men in the painting, they're forced to be away from the family because of the demands of work. 

Bilib ako sa artwork na ito. Ang tindi ng details! Pero ang mas matindi - the memories and emotions na hinugot niya from me. 

I tried so hard not to cry the first time I saw this. But it was just too powerful. 

We love museums. 

ON MY OWN

(Very late post.)

Another first: exploring a foreign country on my own, for days. Yey!

I've experienced exploring a new place on my own for a few hours. Kanya-kanya then meet up na uli. So for the first time, feel na feel ko ang pagiging solo traveler. Got to enjoy Singapore on my own during Hubby's short trip to Manila last month. 

The highlights:

1. Taking Bus 83's route via foot. 
2. Exploring the Tiong Bahru area.
3. The Singapore Art Museum exhibits. 

BUS 83

Hubby and I take Bus 83 from Punggol to the next town, Sengkang. It's cheaper and more convenient (no more transfers from the LRT line to the MRT). Out of curiosity -- how many steps from Punggol Field to Sengkang's Compass Point mall? -- I decided to take the bus route via foot. The answer: almost 2,600 steps. I enjoyed the 40-minute pasyal-pace walk (15 minutes lang via bus). The experience confirmed: "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." 

Things I never saw from the bus:

My usual view of the Cove@Punggol sails...

Ganito pala ang likod nila, hehe.

It was my first time on this pedestrian bridge, along Punggol Road.

I stopped to watch the busy highway. 

First time through this walkway.

First time at the Sengkang Sculptural Park.

That's the Sengkang LRT.

Sengkang's Compass Point mall: the nearest MOS Burger, Mr. Bean, Yoshinoya branches from our "province" of Punggol. Hehe. We also like Kopitiam's stalls here. Our favorites: the one that serves Taiwanese fare, and the chicken rice stall.

TIONG BAHRU

Explored one of the oldest housing estates of Singapore, Tiong Bahru (green line). According to Wikipedia, "It was the place of choice of the upper class and the place where the rich and powerful kept their mistresses." Pre-World War II era. I got intrigued after seeing an episode of Anthony Bourdain's newest show, The Layover. 

What to see: Tiong Bahru's Art Deco homes. It was like being transported back in time. Aliw!

The Tiong Bahru Market is supposed to be among the most popular hawker centers in Singapore.

But it was empty on a weekend.

For the list of the best food here, see Lady Iron Chef's blog. Anthony Bourdain liked the Chwee Kueh in The Layover episode I saw. But I wasn't hungry. So I just ordered lemon iced tea. It was perfect, especially after so much walking under the SG sun.

SAM: SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM

Loved the exhibits at The SAM. I'm especially ecstatic to have discovered that admission is free (Yey, free!) every Friday, 6-8pm. I vowed to take Hubby to the exhibits. Gusto kong ma-experience rin niya ang na-experience ko. I was in awe with most, if not all, of the artworks! I'll blog about our SAM date separately. 

V by Li Hui. 

Installation with laser lights. 

Pinoy Pride: Rodel Tapaya's mural won Grand Prize at the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize. Mabuhay!

Although I missed my Hubby so much, I was very grateful for the opportunity to explore SG on my own. Traveling alone is something every woman should try at least once in her lifetime. And for those who do it regularly, bow ako sa inyo. At happy ako to be among you now. 

Another item off my Life List. 

Thank you, God. *big smile*