Singapore is an amazing place to visit, and this island city state has some stunning things to offer world culture in general. There are always new developments in art and technology wherever they’re practiced, due to the tenacity and ingenuity of artists and scientists from every culture, but Singapore seems to have been developing more rapidly than the rest of the world lately. The new works in art and science are either a step ahead or at the cutting edges, making it an enormously exciting place to visit. The fascinating history of the place is reflected in the blend of cultures, who do not always melt together, but often are effectively maintaining separate identities, and it’s an interesting thing to see.
It’s certainly reflected in the food as well as the art. Some of the most fantastic recipes and tastes from around the world find their expression in the cultures that make up present-day Singapore. In many of the culinary traditions of India, China, and Malay cultures, there are various kinds of vegetarianism, so it would make sense to see so many fantastic vegetarian restaurants here. It’s perhaps a vegetarian paradise, where there’s never any lack for meatless options, and in some place, all the options are meatless. Singapore’s interest in Chinese culture doesn’t end with the cuisine, of course, and there’s a splendid dialogue taking place between China and Singapore in the art world.
Beijing artist Lu Hao got his first solo museum exhibition in Southeast Asia recently, at the Singapore Art Museum. This is a fantastic achievement for the artist, whose career has been rather spectacular already, with participation in the Sao Paulo Bienal, the Venice Bienalle, and Documenta. Lu Hao has a fascinating body of work, with geometric structures that make comments on contemporary Beijing, as well as ink idioms and photorealism that make comments on social memory in an interesting time. His work is playful, ironic, and enormously and joyfully complex, and it’s a pleasure to learn that he’s young enough to have many more artistic revolutions coming from his growing body of work.
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