Photography in Bali: Mixed Bag of Goodies at the Alila
Last night we attended the opening of a photography exhibition by a dozen or so emerging Indonesian imagemakers at the Alila Ubud. The show was a pre-event for the Bali Photography Festival 2010, (which seems to be identical with BLIPFest, but I can’t tell for sure).
The most impressive works on the wall last night were those of Muradi (above), whose original eye, technical rigor, and intrinsic involvement with his (her?) subject matter is extraordinary. The rest of the exhibition was not quite as strong, but the talents and potential are there. Bearing in mind that these are young photographers, I wasn’t surprised to see some over-obvious devotion to the global pantheon of popular imagemaking. I also sensed ambitions to get ahead in advertising. Much of the work exhibited evidenced a lack of courage, and perhaps too much concern for future commercial success.
In summation, I think these young photographers may be looking at too many magazines, when they should be looking more at the world, and with more scrutiny and an independent eye. “Toss the icons, trust your eye, and train it,” I would say.
Worth mentioning here are three other photographers in the show who had something tangible going on . . . Read more…
Jewelry as a Tactic: Madeleine Albright’s Brooches
There’s a beautiful and unusual exhibition on at the Museum of Arts and Design (New York), showing over 200 brooches from the collection of former US Secretary of State, Madeline Albright. Her use of brooches as signals in diplomacy was truly extraordinary. She drew from her vast and expanding collection to send a wide repertoire of signals, sporting pin-on insects, weapons, angels, and even a snake (above), which she donned for a meeting on Iraq in 1994, after Saddam Hussein had called her a “serpent.” The full story is in the Christian Science Monitor here.
The exhibition, which runs through the end of January 2010, coincides with the publication of Albright’s book of her memoirs, ”Read My Pins: Stories From a Diplomat’s Jewel Box” (HarperCollins, 2009). Photo: John Bigelow Taylor
Photography in Bali: Imagemakers of the Future at the Alila Ubud
Come up to the Alila on Saturday for an exhibition of emerging Indonesian photographers, “Imagemakers of the Future”. It looks very interesting indeed, with about a dozen young photographers exhibiting. Their work spans a huge spectrum of styles and approaches, so this will not be a boring show by any stretch of the imagination. It’s more likely to stretch your imagination past its present limits. Read more…
Bali High in the Low Season: Three Gig Night (Gaby, Oka, Warisan)
The gay mad whirl of the Bali High Season is supposed to end in September, but it seems we’re not having any of that! Last night there were three unmissable events on our agenda, and we made it to all three.
Korakot: A Direct Flight from Chula Kites to High Design
His grandfather was a master Chula kitemaker, now Korakot Aromdee makes masterpieces of bamboo using the same fine materials and craftsmanship. His work includes large-scale sculptures, lighting, decorative accessories and architectural pieces. Read more…