WHAT IS TASTE by WU MALI @ Esplanade's Jendela Gallery

Here is another art exhibit and installation about food. What is Taste is a memory project by Taiwanese artist Wu Mali which deals with what food means to us, and the memories - good and bad (mostly good) - which are associated with it. What were our comfort foods when we were growing up? What do memories of these culinary items engender in our sensibilities, or say about us as consumers?

Her project includes short films about life, food and cooking on Cijin island, off the coast of port city Kaohsiung in the south of Taiwan. Accompanying it are written and visual responses by people from all around the world, mostly children. It was interesting to see their responses, and the various reactions they bring about. There were touching ones, as well as a silly one. As they say, it takes all kinds.

This exhibit runs till 10 August 2026.

What is Taste - Esplanade

I JUST DON'T GET MODERN ART!

Tang Da Wu appears in this video.

Try as I may, I just don't get modern art. Ever so often, I stumble on an art exhibition in whatever city, and that always piques my interest. MOMA, Tate Modern, JC Contemporary, MOCA, Queen's Gallery, you name it and I've spent hours in these over the years, and have always wondered. "What's it all about?" The latest stumbling took place back home in Jendela, Esplanade's biggest arts space. And these are the photos.

Entitled The Seminar - Don't Teach Art, it brings together works by Singaporean visual artist Tang Da Wu (born 1943), well-known as founder of The Artists Village during the 1980s at Ulu Sembawang. At 82, he still commands a loyal following among local visual artists but he has yet to receive the Cultural Medallion. NAC, what are you waiting for? It's probably his political leanings and pushing the boundaries of artistic expression that ruffled official feathers. In a way, receiving the CM might be a cop out of sorts, a sure sign of being accepted into the mainstream, and that is what true rebels and real artists try and avoid. 

 

The words in Chinese refer to an over-reliance
of machines to get things done.
So says a helpful exhibition guide.

The installations look imposing.

Perhaps dangerous to Ozempic users.

Is this some butcher's stall?

Bibi Netanyahu meets Kamala Harris.
The futility of politics.

We are constantly reminded of this year.
Not knowing is a sure sign of dementia.

What is this supposed to mean?

A man falls into a heap of bricks.
Looks like he tore a new one, so he's doomed.

The Ascent of Otters.
They'll soon rule the world.

A Zen-like corner space.

No entry permitted, but the lock looks puny.

A pile of sticks. So what?

No idea what this means.

The glory of bubble wrap.

Ladder to nowhere.

Call this number if you are being scammed.

Absolutely no clue on this one.

This reminds me of the North Korean 
communist party symbol.

The exhibits bite. So beware.
Esplanade is not liable for injuries.

The Seminar – Don’t Teach Art - Esplanade

This exhibit runs till 1 February 2026.

Admission is free!

(Would you pay to look at this?)

TRIBUTE SG / A Photographic Tribute to Artists of Singapore

 

 

If you happen to be in the vicinity of Esplanade, do check out TRIBUTE SG, a black-and-white photographic tribute to people who have left their mark in the Singapore arts scene. It is as complete and inclusive a survey as one can get, covering Singaporean personalities in music, visual arts, theatre, literature and dance. It appears that only those aged 60 and above have been included, and none of the younger arts practitioners no matter how great their contribution get a look in. Foreign born and naturalised Singaporeans have also been omitted. That might explain the absence of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra's Music Director of 15 years Lan Shui, for example.  

 

How many of these people can you name?

No list can be all exhaustive, but going through this list is an enjoyable walk down memory lane. Many of the great Singaporean artists are still with us, while a few like Goh Soon Tioe, Paul Abisheganaden, Leong Yoon Pin and Pan Shou have transcended to a higher plane of artistic expression. This list is probably drawn from Singapore's Cultural Medallion laureates, but also features long-serving administrators (some bureaucrats, functionaries and people who sit on committees included) in our arts scene. What, no music critics?  

 

 

My selections here are clearly music-biased and I have included some of my friends and colleagues from the various arts committees that I have sat in.

Two of Singapore's most iconic composers: Leong Yoon Pin and Zubir Said, the composer of Majulah Singapura.
 

Maestro Lim Yau is the man to whom I owe my involvement in music. He was my choirmaster, mentor on musicophiliac activities and remains an inspiration for his musical programming. More importantly, it was  he who got me started on writing about music.

Maestro Yeh Tsung has revolutionised how people view Chinese classical music.

 

Father and daugher in music: Goh Soon Tioe and Vivien Goh.

"Mr Opera" Leow Siak Fah was the founding Chairman of the Singapore Lyric Opera. He sang the lead tenor roles in many of SLO's early productions, but he also bankrolled them. Without him, Western opera does not exist in Singapore.

Tribute SG may be viewed at the undergound passage way that leads between Citylink Mall and the Esplanade, as well as Esplanade's Jendela Arts Space. The exhibition runs until 1 January 2013.