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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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Made Wijaya Puts Majapahit Style on the Map

The moment we’ve all been waiting for with bated breath has come at last. Made Wijaya’s Majapahit Style has been released (the party vid is here), and what a book it is. More than a book. Like Made’s earlier masterwork, The Architecture of Bali, it’s encyclopaedic and opens many doors … Continue reading

Filled under : Architecture , Bali , Design , Ethnographica , Ornament
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 2 Comments

A modest studio in Bali with a big following

Yes!! Bali Creative Economy. Gaya ceramics studio is brilliant, and has been seminal in transferring skills, techniques, and launching the ceramic arts careers of local young people. The Wall Street Journal is writing about it.

Filled under : Bali , Design , Interiors , Ornament
Author : Susi
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Fine Art Asia Fair 2012: Fairest of Them All

Opening in Hong Kong this very minute (vernissage tonight) is Fine Art Asia, a fair that seems to get more interesting every year. Stands to circle on your fair map include: Galerie Christian Deydier (we are lusting after his enigmatic mat weights, above, in gilded bronze, created two millenia ago). … Continue reading

Filled under : Ornament
Author : Susi
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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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“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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Ebon Heath at Kendra Gallery Bali: We Listen with Our Eyes

Stereo.type, the subject of the current exhibition at Kendra Gallery, is one of the myriad projects of artist-designer-activist Ebon Heath. It consists of metamorphosed typography which transmits subtle messages about printed words themselves and their broadest meanings. The title Ebon selected for his website, “listeningwithmyeyes” voices eloquently the peculiar effect of freeing … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Fine Art , Ornament
Author : Susi
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Blog Backlog: Huge Hoard of Anglo Saxon Gold Found in Staffordshire

Afficionados of ancient ornament, take note. In the middle of last year, a hobbyist who enjoys combing the countryside with a metal detector discovered the most important early medieval gold hoard ever. The hoard’s website includes 659 photos of the find and news about its disposition and plans for future … Continue reading

Filled under : Ornament
Author : Susi
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Tagged on : buried treasure , gold , jewelry

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 … Continue reading

Filled under : Design , Ornament
Author : Susi
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Tagged on : gold , jewelry

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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Be Bedazzled: Ancient & Antique Jewelry at the Walters Museum

The jewelry collection of the Walters Museum in Baltimore is vast and diverse, spanning five millennia and a broad spectrum of world cultures, yet most of it is rarely seen. Here’s your big opportunity to ogle over 200 pieces from the collection, many never before shown publicly. Bedazzled: 5,000 Years … Continue reading

Filled under : Ornament
Author : Susi
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Tagged on : buried treasure , gold , museums

San Francisco Asian Art Museum Supporters Visit Macan Tidur

The “Jade Circle” of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum visited Macan Tidur last week during a cultural tour of Bali. Accompanied by chief curator, Forrest McGill, they arrived dressed in Balinese adat clothing, looking elegant. It wasn’t “fancy dress day” for the Jade Circle, they were dressed to attend … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Ornament , Textiles
Author : Susi
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Ogle Great Gold Online

The Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore has an impressive collection of ancient ornament from South and Southeast Asia. Early Javanese pieces like this large Sri ring (7th-9th century), are one of the collection’s strengths. Many of the most beautiful gold ornaments exhibited, including this ring, were part of a substantial … Continue reading

Filled under : Ornament
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 1 Comment
Tagged on : gold , museums

Better Than Bling: Pyu Gold

The Pyu Empire was a network of  city-states which held power in what is now Burma, from the 3rd to the 9th century AD. The Pyu were Buddhists, and had a rich material culture which left behind, among other things, a wealth of gold beads and jewelry. The armlet above … Continue reading

Filled under : Ancient Asia , Ornament
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 2 Comments

Brussels Oriental Art Fair 2008

The Brussels Oriental Art Fair (BOAF) is an annual event that takes place in early June, concurrent with the Brussels Non-European Art Fair (BRUNEAF) and the Brussels Ancient Art Fair (BAAF). All three fairs are centred on the Sablon district of Brussels, which is a divine place to spend a … Continue reading

Filled under : Ethnographica , Ornament , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
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