The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion |
| Posted: Two lensmen capture the male rhythm in dance. CAPTURING dancers in motion on camera is not easy. Any photographer can attest to this. With every performance, expressions can differ, positions might change, alignment may be skewed, jumps may not be of similar height, etc. There are numerous things that can go wrong, besides stage technicalities and lighting. Photographers S. Magendran from Malaysia and A. Prathap from India tirelessly worked over five days last year to capture male poetry in motion, which has encapsulated in the ongoing Joined In Dance exhibition being showcased at Sutra Gallery in Kuala Lumpur.  The exuberance of male dancers is reflected in S. Magendran's Krishna Dances. The photographs provide a compelling testament and documentation of the beauty and vigour of male dancing taken during Sutra Foundation's Nartaka Festival, which brought together the male dance fraternity from Malaysia, India and Australia. It featured the traditional Indian classical dance genres of bharatanatyam, odissi, manipuri, and contemporary dance from the indigenous and Asian perspectives. Male dancers have been declining over the years, as the profession is not lucrative since the returns do not commensurate with the investment put forward. Yet, we all remember the beauty and athleticism of some of the iconic male dancers of the 20th century such as Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Ram Gopal. "They were the Gods of dance," says Ramli Ibrahim, the co-artistic director of the festival. "We would all have been poorer without these stars who adorned the firmament of our dance stage. Men should discover once again that dance is the most natural and healthiest way to integrate their outer and inner landscapes." Hence the exhibition is aimed at bringing attention to the challenges faced by male dancers in many of our contemporary societies. The exhibition is also part of the 50th Hari Malaysia celebration. There are a total of 22 photographs on display, 11 from each photographer.  Joined In Dance is a photography exhibition by S.Magendran (right) and A.Prathap. Magendran took up photography seriously in 2008, after leaving his job in the finance industry. Though not a dancer, dance holds a special place in his heart and he has been working closely with Sutra Dance Theatre's performances since 2010. His big opportunity came about when he was requested to document Sutra's performance tour of Angkor in Cambodia, which culminated in a successful solo exhibition Sublime Angkor last year. "Dance photography is difficult because it involves movement. I'm not a magician so I saw some of the rehearsals, did research and got to know the dancers. It's more difficult to shoot men because their expressions are flat, unlike women who are more expressive and sensual," explains the self-taught cameraman. Most of his exhibits are of dancers in contact with the floor. This, says Magendran, is because he likes to shoot people's expressions so that it can tell a story. Prathap, on the other hand, likes to take dancers in mid-air to show fast-paced action. "When covering dance, I wait to capture the magical moment when body and spirit resonate to represent human phenomenon at its highest expression. I'm cautious about the postures but since I've been covering it for a while, I sort of know what is right," says Prathap, who is a senior photographer with The Times Of India in Chennai. With almost a decade of experience in the newspaper industry, he has covered a multitude of assignments but is attracted to arts and culture. Prathap says, "Performances look so easy, but that's far from the truth. It takes years of hard work and dedication for just those few minutes of beauty and grace. I want to capture for eternity the dedication and love the performers have for their art, and then share these treasured moments with others. When this magic happens, photography transcends mere documentation and becomes art." Joined In Dance is being held at Sutra Gallery, 12 Jalan Persiaran Titiwangsa 3, Kuala Lumpur until Sept 22. For more information, contact 03-4021-1092 (9.30am to 6pm, Monday-Friday). |
| Posted: More than 40 works by Andy Warhol went on display in Hong Kong on Thursday for a sale aimed at introducing Chinese collectors to the American pop artist known for his Mao portraits. The selling exhibition organised by Sotheby's gallery arm features earlier lesser well-known works by Warhol before he found fame with his colourful images of the former Chinese leader and Campbell's soup cans. The works, primarily on paper, are valued at between US$15,000 (RM49,000) and US$1mil (RM3.3mil), with Ten One Dollar Bills being the most expensive piece. Other pieces from the artist's travels in Asia during the 1950s include a ballpoint pen sketch of a Hong Kong street scene, views of Bangkok, a drawing of a gold leaf shoe and a folding screen with colourful butterflies painted on it. "We've really been seeing both in our private sales and in our auction sales that China is becoming a very big part of our business," said Jacqueline Wachter, a contemporary art specialist at Sotheby's. The city got a taste of Warhol earlier this year when the Hong Kong Museum of Art held a popular exhibition of some of his most famous works, including Marilyn Monroe and Mao, which attracted more than 200,000 visitors. The appetite for art is increasing with Hong Kong acting as a central hub for showcasing international artists. The selling exhibition, titled From Warhol, With Love will be open to the public until Sept 24. Hong Kong also hosted its inaugural edition of Art Basel, an international premier art fair, earlier this year. – Relaxnews |
| Posted: Celebrating Malaysia Day on Bangkung Row. TOMORROW is that pivotal day in the history of our country, for 50 years ago, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore joined Malaya and our beloved nation, Malaysia, was born. Of course, Singapore eventually departed and formed its very own republic in 1965 but the fact remains, our eastern brothers and sisters became part of this country and gained their rightful independence. And it has been a tradition, for the last three years, for a certain row of restaurants tucked away in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur to commemorate Hari Malaysia (Malaysia Day) with street parties, cultural performances, forums, talks and exhibitions. Called Malaysiaku (My Malaysia), the one-of-a-kind celebration will be taking place for two days at the Bangkung Row of restaurants – Cove, Cava and Leonardo's – starting today. "Fifty years is an important milestone. It is perhaps a time for honest reflection of all that is good, bad and ugly in Malaysia," said Malaysiaku founder, Edward Soo. One of the main highlights of this year's Malaysiaku – Celebrating 50 Years of Malaysia celebration is the The Other Malaysia: Alternative Realities pop up art exhibition. Curated by Rahel Joseph, the exhibition features artworks by some of the country's most interesting contemporary artists such as Jalaini Abu Hassan, Zac Lee, Vincent Leong, Nadiah Bamadhaj and Yee I-Lann, who is from Sabah and will be happening from today to Oct 14. Of her curatorial direction, Rahel said she looked at the commonality between the various artists and the central factor was their use of narrative as a story-telling device or means of expression. "It seemed appropriate, therefore, on the 50th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia, that we looked to our artists for their unique insights into the complexities and contradictions of contemporary Malaysia and the world we live in," she said in a recent email interview. "Humour has often been the mode by which these artists address challenging subjects while through autobiography they convey their 'realities', their versions of the truth, without passing judgment. "Never sacrificing aesthetic considerations, their work challenges us to think about ourselves, both as a nation and a people, in different and meaningful ways." One such work is by Sabah-born artist, Yee I-Lann, who Rahel said "has long been a vocal advocate for the recognition of Malaysia Day as the country's National Day and Sabah and Sarawak's position as signatory territories of the formation of Malaysia." Called the "Malaysia Day Commemorative Plates", created in collaboration with Royal Selangor in 2010, the artwork by Yee I-Lann "pays tribute to the four signatory territories and its leaders that formed the country we know as Malaysia." The Other Malaysia: Alternative Realities exhibition will be happening at the Bangkung Row (Jalan Bangkung, Bukti Bandaraya, Kuala Lumpur) from today to Oct 14. Admission free. More details browse goo.gl/vdLyDA. |
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