now experiencing the fragrant aroma of saigon
Zoe was supposed to be home this morning for her first ever Easter egg hunt, but she and Trinh are still stuck in Saigon. After waiting at Tan Son Nhut airport for five hours, United Airlines announced the cancellation of the flight due to the airplane being broken. The eggs, decorated by Sharpie and Hi-Liter, are ready and awaiting Zoe’s arrival for a slightly belated hunt.
It has been a rather surreal evening. I met up with Hans Kemp, who is in Hong Kong to escape Songkran. We headed to the cinema to see Two-Legged Horse, a strange and unpleasant film by Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf. We left the cinema, heads spinning and with no idea what to make of the movie. Still in a state of confusion, we stumbled across this art installation (I think it’s an art installation) next to the ferry pier. The only clue was “RUBBISH PLEASE” scrawled underneath an overturned barrier. The title of the piece? A request for art supplies? A request for disposal?
I checked out the opening of Hoang Duong Cam’s exhibit at Galerie Quynh on Thursday night. Good stuff, and the new gallery on De Tham Street is very nice. The exhibit, titled “Projecting into the night what has gone with the dawn”, runs until 5 January.
As part of the Mediterranean Arts Festival 2007, on Saturday I went to see Hassan Boussou at short free show in the foyer of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Boussou is a member of the Gnawa people of Morocco, who have their own very interesting musical tradition. Great music – I wish I had been able to go to the main show on Sunday.
I popped into the opening of Estilo, a group show of Filipino artists (part of the Phillipine Arts Festival) at the Phillipine Consulate last night. My favorites were the paintings of Joel Ferraris, full of wonderful colors and textures and social commentary. The image above is a detail from “Busy Day, Busy Night”, which contains 288 of these mini-painting squares, each one built up with many layers of acyrlic paint squeezed on with a pastry bag. It took over a year to complete the piece. Joel is also the vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Mural Society, which works to develop an interest in art with the youth and bring art to public spaces throughout Hong Kong. Which is a good thing, since Hong Kong seems to be one of the most culturally barren places in the world.
