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macan tidur and icon asian arts 2010

THIRTY-THREE SEASONS IN HELL: A PROLOGUE (II)

      Eight years ago, I was interviewed for the magazine BaliSavvy, “the official American Express® guide to the island”.   I found a copy of that 2010 interview recently in an archive of the adversities I have endured since March 2010.  I decided to post it here, in several installments, as … Continue reading

Author : Susi
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Rice paddies, like paradise, but with hell just beneath the smooth surface of the waters

thirty-three seasons in hell: a prologue (I)

  Eight years ago, an interview and profile of me appeared in the magazine BaliSavvy, “the official American Express® guide to the island”. This afternoon I happened on a copy of it in my messy archive of the eight plus years in hell I have endured between March 2010 and now. … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns , The Saga , Tribal Art , Uncategorized
Author : Susi
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The Ten Hoopen Collection of Indonesian Ikat Illuminates Lisbon

When Peter ten Hoopen travelled across the Indonesian archipelago in the 1970s, he was taken by the textile arts he saw along the way. Ikat weaving is a common thread that ties together the diversity of this nation’s myriad cultures and traditions, and unites the layers of history it was … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Textiles , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Nusantara Nobility In Images — Brought To You By Tuan Paul

Paul Kijlstra is a man with a passion. A passion for Indonesian nobility, its history, legacy, and all manner of material manifestations. He’s assembled an enormous collection of images illustrating all things noble, from one end of the archipelago to the other. You can browse the collection here in his … Continue reading

Filled under : Ancient Asia , Bali , Ethnographica , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Long Sa'an documentary film about Kenyak Dayak lands and traditions

Long Sa’an: Film Dives Into Dayak Life in the Deep Forest of Borneo

The Dayak people of Borneo are keepers of the forest, home of their ancestors, and the source of their life and cultures. Says David Metcalfe, an American photographer and writer, “The Dayaks call it Tala Olen, meaning ‘forbidden forest’. They have strict cultural rules about cutting down the trees in … Continue reading

Filled under : Concerns , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 2 Comments

The Beautiful Life of Bruno Piazza (19 January 1941 – 28 October 2011)

BRUNO PIAZZA: MASTERPIECE My beloved husband Bruno Piazza died at home in Bali, at dawn on Friday the 28th of October, 2011 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Bruno lived an extraordinary and beautiful life, and (not surprisingly) he died a remarkably beautiful death. He was not an … Continue reading

Author : Susi
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San Francisco Asian to Hold Major Exhibition About Bali in 2011

A large-scale exhibition entitled Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance will open in February 2011 at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, one of the world’s most respected institutions for Asian art. This is big news. Exciting news. The show includes works on loan from numerous international collections, many which have never … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Textiles , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 2 Comments

BREAKING NEWS: ICON Asian Arts Has a Website (Finally)

Our gallery of ancestral arts, ornament, weapons and textiles in Seminyak has been open for more than a year. Better late than never, at long last we have our website up. At present, there are 66 pieces from our inventory shown in the “collections” area of the site. We’ll be … Continue reading

Author : Susi
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San Francisco Knows No “Low Season” for Tribal Art and Textiles

With museum exhibitions and fairs all over the calendar, San Francisco has no “season” for tribal arts and textiles. The most notable fall fair  Tribal SF 2010 starts later this week. It’s organised by the local independent dealer’s association, SF Tribal, and kicks off with a champagne preview reception on … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Textiles , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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“Sumatra: Isle of Gold” at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore

It’s too splendid to miss. An exhibition of  300 artefacts from Sumatra opened last night at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore. “Sumatra: Isle of Gold” runs from today through 7 November 2010, giving us all plenty of time to plan a Singapore stopover to see the show, which is … Continue reading

Author : Susi
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Macan Tidur Hosts Young Presidents Organization Art Morning in Ubud

Last Saturday I presented a program on Indonesian arts and antiquities for a group of young CEOs in Ubud, at Gallery Macan Tidur. Based on these snapshots it looks like I gave an animated performance – – despite the fact I was on crutches, having only just been liberated from … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Ethnographica , Ornament , Textiles , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Javanese Antique Furniture Enters the Realm of Fine Art

ICON Asian Arts (Bali) and Editions Didier Millet (Singapore) are collaborating to raise Javanese antiques to the level of fine art. The Bali gallery will host on 3 December 2009 two simultaneous events: the opening of the world premier exhibition of the Smith-Tirtoprodjo Collection of Javanese antiques; and the launch of … Continue reading

Author : Susi
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Tribal Art Special Issue on Beyeler Foundation Tribal+Painting Show

Previously, I posted a piece about the “Visual Encounters” exhibition at the Fondation Beyeler, juxtaposing masterpieces of modern painting with masterpieces of tribal art. It’s worth mentioning again, because Tribal Art magazine has just published their first special issue, a volume devoted to the exhibition. It’s 52 pages, full colour, … Continue reading

Filled under : Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Parcours des Mondes: The Ultimate Tribal-Primal Art Fair

If you’re not in Paris right now, you missed it. Parcours des Mondes is now undeniably the ultimate event on earth for non-western art or arts premier *. It takes place in Paris every September, and if you’re not there now, you missed it, because it ends tomorrow. Book now … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Textiles , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Tagged on : art exhibitions , art fairs

Textile Gallery Coming Soon to the Ashmolean

The Ashmolean is rebooting. Big plans and improvements are underway, with 39 new galleries happening, to the tune of £61 million. Among them is a major new space for textiles. Textilism is officially a trend. In recent years numerous upper-echelon museums have created spaces devoted to textiles as art, notably … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Textiles , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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BRUNEAF-BOAF ’09: Solitude, Scant Sales, not a Quantum of Solace

Fine tribal and Asian art gets more attention now than ever, but where are the avid buyers of yesteryear? If the (almost) concurrent BRUNEAF and BOAF fairs in Brussels this June were any indication, there’s plenty of solitude for art afficionados to quietly contemplate the works on offer (like Davide … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 2 Comments

SACM Show Exposes Origins of Museum Booty

It’s a fun theme for an exhibition, “Hunters & Collectors.” And an interesting opportunity to consider the history of collecting itself as an anthropological phenomenon. The age of plundering in the jungles is over, and attitudes toward cultural property and buccaneerism have shifted 180 degrees. Still, you can relive the … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Barbier-Mueller Brings Oceanic and African Masterpieces to the Met

Some three dozen masterpieces of Oceanic and African sculpture from the Barbier-Mueller Museum (Geneva) will be shown at the Met in New York, from 2 June to 27 September. The exhibition, sponsored by Vacheron Constantin, reflects the extraordinary taste and astute judgement of the two individuals who amassed the entire … Continue reading

Filled under : Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Tagged on : art exhibitions , museums

Arts of Ancient Viet Nam Coming to Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Asia Society, New York, offer an unprecedented exhibition of art from ancient Viet Nam—the first U.S. exhibition to address in depth the historical, geographic and cultural contexts of precolonial Vietnamese art. Arts of Ancient Viet Nam: From River Plain to Open Sea will expose … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Ornament , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Rags to Get Glad About @ SF Tribal

In difficult times we need reasons to be cheerful, so here are some rags to be glad about. SF Tribal, a consortium of art dealers from the Bay Area, has posted a slew of new images on their group site. The ratio of textiles to objects is high. Why? SF is … Continue reading

Filled under : Textiles , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Fine Friends: Tribal Art Meets Modern at the Beyeler

A truly outstanding exhibition at a truly outstanding institution. The Beyeler Foundation in Basel offers “Visual Encounters — Africa, Oceania and Modern Art,” through 24 May 2009. The show juxtaposes masterpieces of tribal sculpture with important canvasses of modern masters; van Gogh, Cézanne, Braque, Matisse, Léger, Picasso, Rothko. The result … Continue reading

Filled under : Fine Art , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Predictably Limp Sales at San Francisco Tribal & Textile Fair

Bird’s eye view of Fort Mason during the SF Tribal & Textiles Show 2009 The San Francisco Tribal Art & Textiles Fair is normally the most lively fixture on the tribal/textiles circuit. Held every year in February, the show draws over 100 dealers from around the world and buyers from … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Textiles , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Primarily Primal: SF Tribal at the Presidio

Better late than never, here’s a review of the October group show by SF|Tribal, an association of Bay Area dealers. This year the event, entitled Primal at the Presidio, had a superb venue (Herbst Pavilion), for the weekend show and opening party. Numerous prominent dealers in fine Indonesian textiles and … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Textiles , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Tagged on : art exhibitions , art fairs

Indonesian Weapons and Tribal Artefacts at Auction in Köln

On 27 September a large collection of Indonesian weapons will go on the block at the Kunsthandel Klefish auction house in Köln. Such a large and diverse collection of Indonesian kris, swords, daggers and other blades has never before appeared in a single auction. A number of interesting ethnographic objects … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Tagged on : auctions

Parcours des Mondes: Arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas

The Parcours des Mondes tribal art fair in Paris has been a fixture on the calendars of dealers, collectors and connoisseurs for seven years now. Each year it has expanded and diversified, and this year is no exception. More exhibitors, more spaces. And new directions. Contemporary art and photography are … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Tagged on : art fairs

Get Met Mania This Summer : Radiance from the Rain Forest

Here is another special summer exhibition on at the Met that’s a crowd-pleaser, a kid-pleaser, and also pleasing to serious connoisseurs. Radiance from the Rain Forest: Featherwork in Ancient Peru, which stays up until 1 September. Many of these seventy-or-so masterpieces of featherwork are a millenium and a half old. … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Textiles , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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Tagged on : art exhibitions , colour , museums
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