The Sovereign Art Foundation has announced the list of 2010 finalists: They include Singaporean photographer John Clang, Vietnamese artist Pham Ngoc Duong, Japanese photographer Ken Kitano (photo left), Singapore painter Ong Hui Har (with a family photo of Lee Kuan Yew rendered in Pop Art style), Thai artist Jirapat Tatsanasomboon, who is giving a Thai traditional statues the Playboy make over with the famed bunnies. To be frank, nothing is really jumping out saying vote for me. Take a look on http://www.sovereignartfoundation.com/ The Sovereign Art Foundation has announced the list of 2010 finalists: They include Singaporean photographer John Clang, Vietnamese artist Pham Ngoc Duong, Japanese photographer Ken Kitano (photo left), Singapore painter Ong Hui Har (with a family photo of Lee Kuan Yew rendered in Pop Art style), Thai artist Jirapat Tatsanasomboon, who is giving a Thai traditional statues the Playboy make over with the famed bunnies. To be frank, nothing is really jumping out saying vote for me. Take a look on http://www.sovereignartfoundation.com/ Edouard Malingue Gallery, the first Hong Kong gallery dedicated to impressionist and modern art, has just opened with a large Picasso exhibition (which will run until Dec 4). Most of the paintings and drawings on view are appearing for the first time ever in Asia, so this is a great opportunity to get up-close with iconic works by one of the greatest master of the 20th century. Taking centre-stage is Study for Two Nudes, a captivating watercolour featuring the iconic palette of the Picasso’s Blue Period. It is a study for the painting Deux femmes nues (Two Nudes), which belongs to the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and stands at the nexus of Picasso's diverse pictorial investigations from 1906 to 1907. Equally noteworthy is Head of a Woman with a Hat. Completed by Picasso in 1962 at the age of over 80, this portrait of Jacqueline Roque - his second and last wife - is evidence of an unprecedented artistic vitality in the late period of Picasso's career. Edouard Malingue Gallery is founded by the French art dealer Edouard Malingue, the elder son of Daniel Malingue, the founder and director of the renowned Galerie Malingue in Paris and a legendary art dealer. The new Edouard Malingue Gallery is located on Queen’s Road.
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A clear blue sky, sanitized environment, colourful birds and plenty of shopping opportunities, if it sounds like Singapore, it’s because the new works of Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra are exactly about that: describing the perceived paradise life one can experienced in the city-state. The dynamic duo, better known as Thukral + Tagra, used to create ads for the Singapore Tourism Board when they were working for Ogilvy, and are still obviously drawing on their background in advertising, by using slogan in their works ('children eat free', 'open 24 hours'), as well as using a rather tongue-in-cheek advertising format. But if the works allude to Singapore as a “Disneyland’ of sorts, an ideal family vacation destination as perceived by the rising middle class of India, grate the surface and the commentary is a bit more subversive. Happy shoppers are standing behind bar code, confined and imprisoned in their environment. Several works include mechanised and automated parts that animate the figures in a stop motion effect – a reference to our sometime programmed and robotic consuming behaviours. These latest print works are very complex - and technically challenged the Singapore Tyler Print Institute – but the result in Low-Tech Family Vacations, now on show, is definitely worth a visit.
33 Auction will offer on October 9 more than 200 works by prominent Asian artists with a total estimate in excess of S$5 million. The sale includes a vividly coloured painting of beautiful dancers by Indonesian master Srihadi Soedarsono, along with works by other Indonesian great such as Affadi, Hendra Gunawan, Widayat and Sunaryo. Although I’m not a huge fan of Zhou Chunya’s green dog series inspired by his pet dog, a German shepherd named Heigen, there is a very interesting one, which has an unusual background for the artist, a pathway with grass field, instead of his usual plain and monochromatic backgrounds.
ION shoppers are in for a treat; Opera Gallery has just opened its Beyond Limits exhibition. There are fewer of Marc Quinn’s works than predicted because apparently many sold as they were being put up on the walls, but what is Quinn’s loss is Mr Brainwash’s gain. The gallery is giving big play to the controversial and ‘mysterious’ street artist, who was featured in Bansky’s film. When I was visiting the gallery one collector walked in, briefly looked around and promptly reserved two, including this Statue of Liberty, which I really love! There is also a big Charlie Chaplin, several Campbell soup spray paints (which is a nice play on Warhol’s work). I find his appropriations of famous personalities, done in a mix of pop art and spray painting style, less interesting than when he actually comments on spray painting and the elevation of its status (as in the Campbell soup paintings). The overall show has a lot to offer, including works by Spanish sculptor Manolo Valdes (see head below). Definitely worth a visit! One floor up,
Art Singapore is also putting on a preview of its upcoming fair (October). There are several large wood sculptures by Lee Jae-Hyo who specializes in creating works from sanded and charred wood, giving the materials a second life. Working from new and recycled wood, Lee shows the “energy of the natural material” by leaving cracks apparent in the wood, along with the pattern of the grain. There is a very interesting “painting” from him with wood, which is quite beautiful. 
The first night race in Formula One history put Singapore on the sport’s map in 2008, and visitors to the 2010 Grand Prix this weekend will find that the city-state has not stopped innovating. In the last year, Singapore has opened two integrated resorts with casinos, a number of boutique hotels and countless restaurants and clubs. While it is still far from being a city that never sleeps, Singapore is trying hard to demonstrate that it is more than just a place to do business, and the Grand Prix affords it a perfect occasion to do so on a large scale in front of many high net-worth individuals. With the street track winding through the heart of the city and the race’s night setting, race promoters have always paid close attention to the entertainment component of the Singapore Grand Prix, both inside and outside the circuit zone. This year, the entertainment budget is slightly more than 5 million Singapore dollars, or $3.7 million, up from nearly 4 million dollars in 2009 and about 3 million dollars in 2008. Last year, the main entertainment component, the F1 Rocks concerts, was staged at a separate venue, away from the circuit, although the race promoters also organized entertainment on the circuit. But this year, the Singapore organizers have considerably increased the headlining acts available within the circuit zone, with 10 different stages spread across four areas. Read the whole story in the International Herald Tribune .
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Malaysian artist Zulkifli Yusoff has a new exhibition at Utterly Art. The Venice Biennale alumni continues with the third instalments of its historical trilogy, which started with Malay Sketches in 2008 and Malaysia in 2009. Harmony is drawing on icons of the post-Independence era, like the bunga raya or hibiscus, Malaysia's national flower, the barbershop pole with images of old-fashioned hairstyles, and hippie-style peace symbols to populate his canvases. Zulkifli remembers government dissemination of agricultural knowledge through radio and broadcast vans to motivate the populace to take part in the agricultural sector for the sake of their families' and the Nation's economies. This potent brew erupts in a dense juxta-positioning of images using screenprint, painting and new canvas collage techniques to realize the artist's vision of unity and peace.
Numbers can tell several stories. Christie’s New York Fall Asian Art Week closed raising $70.75 million, the 2nd highest total for the auction house NY Asian Art week. Chinese works or art sales totaled $55.5 million, the highest total for a series of Chinese art sales in New York. Great results? The devil is in the details. Indian and Southeast Asian art did not performed well, with the auction on Sep 14 only selling 56% of the lots and 49% sold by $$. The South Asian modern and contemporary art sale fare a bit better selling 61% of the lot with Syed Haider Raza’s La Terre, selling for $1.93 million, a touch under its $2-2.5 million estimate. Japanese & Korean Art sold 72% of the lots, but only 58% by $$. The real puller for collectors was the sale of Sze Yuan Tang Archaic Bronzes from the Anthony Hardy Collection on Sep 16 with sold $20.75 million worth of bronzes with 80% of the lots sold and 97% sold by $$. The sale of the Arthur M. Sackler Collections also fare well with 88% of the lots sold and 92% sold by $$. A rare dark-grey stone head of a Bodhisattva, Northern Wei Dynasty (386-535) sold for $158.500, in multiple of the $20,000-30,000 estimate. Christie’s Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art also sold $34.11 million with 82% sold by lot and 94$ sold by $$. A rare Rhinoceros Horn ‘Log-Raft’ Cup, Kangxi Period sold for $3.1 million, compared with its $1.2-$1.8 million estimate. Overall, the New York Asian Week sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s have been a bit disappointing, clearly showing that collectors are very selective and not snapping up everything that come on the market. 
The Asia week series of auctions at Sotheby’s 
As any would-be American Idol knows, taking on a song by Whitney Houston or Celine Dion can be the kiss of death. The songs are so demanding that contestants often find themselves in the judges’ firing line for attempting one. So when 15-time Grammy Award–winning producer David Foster says the 18-year-old Filipino singer Charice reminds him of a young Dion, the industry takes note. Foster knows what he’s talking about: he produced the French Canadian Dion’s debut English album, Unison. “Charice reminds me of when I saw Celine 20 years ago,” he says. “In my opinion, she will put the whole of Asia on the map as a huge global superstar.” She’s already making quite a splash in America. Her U.S. debut album, titled simply Charice, was the first by an Asian singer to make it to the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart in May. This week she will appear in the season premiere of the popular TV series Glee, where she will play the role of Sunshine, an exchange student from the Philippines who becomes Rachel Berry’s (Lea Michele) biggest rival. Read my full story in Newsweek. The budding Pop star will appear with David Foster in Singapore during the Sun Festival at the end of October and will be touring a few Asian cities after that...
TWG Tea has launched a new collection of tea-related products ranging from tea infused candles to transparent glass tea pots and a beautiful (must-have!) teabag chest with matching tray, which will sit proud on any dinning table. Interestingly, the company has also designed a new lid for its tea tins, which resembles an old colonial hat (or planet Saturn) and which will really differentiate its tins from those of its competitors. The shiny purple, pink and other bright colours will make a cheerful addition in any kitchen.
Together with the Hermes Group, Chinese designer Jiang Qiong Er has set up Shang Xia hoping to create a new luxury brand espousing the best of traditional Chinese and other Asian craftsmanship and design. Today, the first ever Shang Xia store opened its door in Shanghai. The collection focuses on the home (for example the Da Tian Di collection is based on traditional Ming furniture, ergonomically designed; the Echo series has beautiful eggshell porcelain bowls) but there are also some interesting garments and jewelries. I like the Bridge collection and its traditional bridge-shape handles, which has a set of ceramic tea pot and tea set cosseted in bamboo weaving. The silver-plated tea set and trio of vases are plated with silver and finished with hand carved thin bamboo strips woven in mesh. It takes days to completely weave one teapot and the brand is clearly emphasizing craftmanship and luxurious materials
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| photos credit: Paolo Roversi |
There is a collection of sculpted garments made in felt, using similar techniques to those used when hand-felting fabric for Mongolian yurts. Inspired by traditional Han dynasty clothing, this collection reflects the traditional elegance of Chinese style. Each garment is unique and sculpted into a seamless shape to create a 3-dimensional garment in felt of Mongolian cashmere. The only vague link with Hermes is a collection of 1 square scarves made from fine Inner Mongolian cashmere woven with 50% silk threads and porinted with Bamboo patterns.
Second day of the sales of Sotheby's Asia Week and the results are mixed. The Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art raised $15.17 million, just below the high estimate but it was 61% sold by lot (ie 91 lots did not sell!) . Which means that (again), Chinese buyers have not been jumping up and done on everything. Indeed, the two top lots were bought by an American and a UK buyer! Bidding was enthusiastic for some pieces. A 'Ge' Octagonal Vase (Ba Fanghu) soared above the high estimate to fetch $1,762,500 (est. $400/600,000). A paintings by Yao Shoo, 'Landscape With Boats', also more than doubled the upper estimate to sell for $1,082,500 (est. $300/500,000) and an Important Imperial Painting From The Set Of Seventeen Paintings Commemorating The Victories Over The Muslim Rebellion sold for $992,500 (est. $120/150,000). But a lot of lots also went down crashing.. 
And they’re of… Sotheby’s Asian Week series in New York started Tuesday with The Joe Grimberg Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles. The sale totaled $4.93 million, comfortably within the pre-sale estimate, but well below the $6.5 million high estimate which had first been put on the collection. This indicates that while buyers were there, they weren’t jumping up either.. About 83% sold by lot and 90% by value. The highlight of the collection was an imperial enamel on copper snuff bottle from the Palace Workshops with a Qianlong Mark (1736-1795) which doubled the low estimate to sell for $662,500. The second top lot, an enamel on yellow glass snuff bottle with a Qianlong mark sold for $314,500, well above its $100,000 - 150,000 estimate.
Christie’s Hong Kong Autumn 2010 auctions will take place 26 November – 2 December. Amongst the highlights will be an early Mask Series from Zeng Fanzhi. Painted in 1996, this important work comes from a private European collection of Chinese contemporary art.The uncommon three-figure arrangement of the composition, establishes a complicated spatial relationship that is not often seen in Zeng's paintings. The unusual ideograms on the background remind us of the Chinese ancient aesthetics that Zeng continually transformed in his paintings in the mid-1990s.
Another highlight will be Sanyu’s Potted Chrysanthemum In a Blue And White Jardinière. Deep crimson was frequently employed by Sanyu throughout the 1940-1950’s, and in Potted Chrysanthemum it brings a heightened intensity and expressiveness that contrasts sharply with the reserved pastel pink of his works in the 1930's. Here the artist explores both the abstract nature of color and the essence of still life paintings, resulting in a work that displays both the cultural presence of traditional Chinese literati paintings and the clear artistic influence of Western techniques. This work stands as one of the most important works from the artist to appear on the auction market in recent memory and has the potential to set a new auction record. 
The retail side of the Marina Bay Sands has been slow to take shape, but it’s finally starting to get together. About 40% of the retail space has opened so far, although over 90% has already been leased. Some of the major draws for fashionistas is the newly opened mega Chanel shop, Fendi’s flagship store which carries Fendi Baby and Men’s collection, Anne Fontaine’s first local boutique and Manolo Blanick’s boutique. The new shopping mall still has a "not-finished" feel and look but the three floors of luxury boutiques have the potential to become a major draw with the right combination of unique events and goods. Dior, for example, has announced that one of its 10 white gold and jade watch, La Mini D de Dior, will be available at its new shop. Chanel is also offering some limited edition handbags.
Christie’s Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds sale on 5 October in London presents a wealth of over 400 beautiful treasures dating from the 9th to the 19th century. Amongst them is this late 18th century Indian
emerald, ruby and diamond parrot (estimate: £400,000-600,000). During the reigns of the great Mughal emperors, the classical imperial Mughal jewellery style developed and fused with indigenous traditions to produce a distinct style of jewellery and jewelled objects. A love for these glittering pieces was driven by demand from the courts, not just of the Mughals, but also of the Deccani sultans and smaller princedoms.
According to Artprice, three Chinese artists are amongst the top ten artists under 30 at auction so far this year. Si Peng appears twice in the top 10, with his Portrait of a man in red (2006) and Portrait of a man in yellow (2006) which sold for respectively $51,359 and $48,791 at Christie’s May sales in Hong Kong (lower than what they had fetched the year before at Poly International Auction Co). Another emerging Chinese artist is Na Yang who holds fifth place in this ranking for her Gold-Coined Hibernation. I wrote about this “me-first” generation artist last year for Newsweek. She’s part of a new wave of artist that were raised in a post-Mao China and influenced by a broader range of media, including the Internet, videogames, Japanese manga and Korean soap operas. Many embrace cartoons, using an imaginary world of cute, simplified characters, often with exaggerated features, clearly influenced by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Beijing-based artist Yang Na, 28, paints doll-like, seductive women who resemble avatars in online chat rooms. With out-of-proportion heads, false eyelashes, pouty mouths and perfect porcelain skin, her characters appear sprung from sexual fantasy and convey a message of seduction, but also one of superficiality and emptiness. "These women are a symbol of our era of consumption," Yang explains. "Enveloped in a lifestyle of greed and excessive materialism, these girls look alike. But their interest in the latest fashion masks inner confusion and obsession, a kind of emotion only youth has. Being young means being both perfect and imperfect, gorgeous and sick, happy and despondent." (read the whole story here ). The third artist is Kao Yu with Love tear gas (2004) and "Ultimate Taste of Capitalism" (2009). The two paintings are characteristic of Kao Yu’s provocative and blood-stained “cartoon” drawings that represent a panda bear (a key figure in his work and a strong symbol of traditional China). Japanese artist Noriko Yamaguchi and Indonesia artist Ariadihtya Pramuhendra are also in the top 10 table. 
Sotheby’s Hong Kong will hold its sale of Fine Chinese Paintings on October 5. This will be a closely watched category as it performed extremely well in the Spring (better than contemporary art), supported by the avid buying of Chinese collectors. One of the sale highlight is this Fu Baoshi’s Court Ladies. While the painting offers no backgrounds, the two ladies are delineated with the subtlest of details, such as their coiffed hair and a musical instrument rendered in light-coloured ink washes. The demure look of both damsels, typical of Tang Dynasty women, complements the depiction of their robes and waist sashes.
So much controversy. Yes it is distracting, but I stil
I think the sun king Louis XIV would have approved, especially the gold statue...! 
The Asia Society is devoting its entire museum space to a major exhibition of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, one of the most influential Neo Pop artists working today. Born in 1959 in Japan, where he presently lives, Nara is internationally recognized for his work, which has inspired an enormous cult following among youth in Asia. The exhibition is organized into three thematic sections—Isolation, Rebellion and Music. Each section traces, in roughly chronological fashion, the development of Nara’s recurring characters, motifs, and subject matter. Isolation includes paintings, drawings, and sculptures, many of which depict solitary, wide-eyed girls or dogs seemingly deep in thought. Early works from the 1980s are done in a loose style of drawing and painting, and reflect a sense of loneliness that relates to Nara’s own childhood experiences as a “latchkey” child living in the small city of Hirosaki in northern Japan. The paintings of a solitary girl—with an oversized head and large expressive eyes—are minimalistic yet emotionally intense. Another iconic character is a white dog, symbolizing feelings of alienation, a recurring theme in his work. Rebellion features a number of Nara’s intimately scaled drawings with scribbled texts that speak to a range of emotions, from anger and frustration to exuberance. For Nara, drawings are not mere preparatory sketches for his paintings and sculptures; they are a significant daily conceptual exercise and a kind of revelatory diary. Included in this section are paintings depicting angry and defiant children—in different settings and with varied expressions—that may be seen as the artist’s alter egos. The third section, Music, highlights the importance of music to Nara. Music lyrics provide the subtext for many works, and in some cases song names and lyrics are used as titles or are written directly on the drawings. 
Sotheby’s Contemporary Asian Art Autumn Sale in Hong Kong on October 4 comes with an estimated value of $19 million spread over 217 lots. The highlights is Zhang Xiaogang’s 1992 masterpiece, Chapter of a New Century – Birth of the People’s Republic of China II (Est. $2.69 – $2.94 million), which was the inspiration for his famous Bloodline Series. Incorporating Zhang’s early artistic vocabulary where surrealist motifs are wielded in an expressionist style, the work also embodies the artist’s ruminations on the history and destiny of his nation. The painting portrays a yellow baby resting on folds of white sheets on a wooden casket against a backdrop of historical photos from 20th-century China. In front of the baby is a red hand pointing towards an open book. The white sheets, hand and open book evoke the floating symbols so often found in the works of Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dalí. Juxtaposed against these motifs and photocopies of photographs documenting the founding of the republic, the yellow baby symbolises the rebirth of the Chinese nation.
Another highlight is Zeng Fanzhi’s Masks Series No. 5 (Est. $1.15-1.92 million) of 1994, which dates to the beginning of his signature Mask Series. Two masked men stand together with arms around each other’s shoulders, yet their exposed out-sized hands suggest the futility of their attempt at concealing their real emotions – a metaphor for the spirit of a Chinese generation. Although the men wear red scarves around their necks symbolising China’s past, their jeans and leather belts reveal the influence of Western culture. The artist captures the mood of the early 1990s when China’s economy started to boom, at the same time he delves into the helplessness felt by the Chinese people in the face of rapid changes.
A single-owner sale of 38 lots, belonging to a European collector, will be part of this sale. What makes this collection interesting is the presence of major works by leading Shanghai artists in the 1980s and 90s, who are more attuned to scrutinising urban life compared with their Beijing counterparts. Among these important works are Gaudy Art representative Yu Youhan’s The Waving Mao and, for the first time ever, the complete photo and video masterpiece by Yang Zhenzhong, Light as Fuck I.
Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Autumn on Oct 6 has several amazing pieces. The highlight is a rare Van Cleef & Arpels 6.43-carat fancy vivid pink diamond and diamond ring, and there is a delightful selection of gemstones. But my eyes were really caught by a Tutti Frutti-inspired necklace and a pair of matching earrings by Cartier. Produced between the early 1920s and late 1930s, Cartier’s famed Tutti Frutti jewels took inspiration from exotic Indian jewellery, and is characteristic of the jewellery house’s highly sought-after Art Deco designs. This specific necklace was created in 1937 and mirrors the lavish colour contrast of the Tutti Frutti jewels, while the earrings were made to match by Cartier London in 1956. Another highlight is a very fine pair of Colombian emerald, jadeite cabochon and diamond earrings designed by Hong Kong jewellery designer Dickson Yewn.
Unusually for Hong Kong, the sale will also offer some heirloom pieces, including a delicate diamond butterfly brooch, circa 1890, which was previously in the collection of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, the third child of King George V and Queen Mary of England. The brooch was a gift to Princess Mary from her grandmother Queen Alexandra, who originally received it as a silver wedding anniversary gift in 1888. Of great historical importance and a work of superb craftsmanship and elegance, the diamond butterfly brooch is a true treasure for period jewellery connoisseurs. These pieces are usually offered in London or Geneva, but the fact thatthey're now starting to be auctioned in Hong Kong as well indicates the rising interest of Asian collectors for this type of period jewels.
Marina Bay Sands will be the venue for the Zee Cine Awards on January 14, 2011, which will bring in town some of the A-list Bollywood celebrities suchs as Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Ashwariya Rai Bachan, Abhishek Bachan.The awards ceremony will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, with a simulcast to the Events Plaza, to allow thousands of fans to dance to Bollywood’s best beats and get a glimpse of their favorite actors.
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Sotheby’s will hold a special exhibition Oct 2-7 in Hong Kong showcasing 20 important masterpieces to celebrate the legacy of 20th Century Chinese artists. Treasures of the Century is intended as an educational and inspirational exhibition and it is the first time that the auction house has organised an exhibition dedicated to the preeminent modern Chinese artists. The paintings in this exhibition were largely inspired by the experiences of Chinese artists when, in the early 20th century, they travelled abroad to Europe and Japan and immersed themselves in these new cultures. The impact of these external influences, in tandem with the traditional aesthetics of their Chinese roots, allowed these artists to forge new and exciting painting styles. Important artists whose works will be featured include Sanyu, Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Guan Liang, Chao Chung-hsiang and Yun Gee, amongst others.
Five Female Nudes by Sanyu (Changyu), who immigrated to Paris in 1921 and remained there until his death in 1966, is archetypical of Sanyu’s uniquely sensuous style, informed by Henri Matisse’s simple yet voluptuous female forms. Sanyu painted these five nudes with a lucid honesty that would have shocked conservative Chinese society at the time. The relaxed nonchalance of his bold and beautiful women is echoed in the playfully reclining cat on the lower right of the composition.
Storm of Roses by Chao Chung-hsiang (1910-1991) juxtapose the aesthetics and philosophies of two cultures. Chao went to Taiwan, Spain and New York where, in the 1960s, he encountered abstract expressionism. Storm of Roses achieves the cerebral feel of intuitive brushwork, a technique famously used by Jackson Pollock. It features Chao Chung-hsiang’s trademark motif of circles and pop-art colours, whilst his overlapping brushstrokes are informed by the styles of Chinese calligraphy.
The Forbidden City by Kuo Po-chuan (Guo Bochuan) (1901-1974) uses passionate reds and lush, vivid greens to evoke both power and softness, reflecting the artist’s fondness for the city and its rich history. This work has a painterly quality inspired by the works of Renoir, but is also represent well Chinese pride.