VOOM PORTRAITS musing

VOOM POTRAITS
by Robert Wilson
at the National Museum of Singapore
30 Oct 08 - 04 Jan 09
10 am - 6 pm DAILY

welcome to VOOM Potraits!

Princess Caroline of Monaco
This is the only photo that struck me greatly at the wonderful innuendos played up by this mysterious Princess, enough to warrant a detailed entry of my feelings and thoughts when i enjoyed this artpiece.

• first the image of a lady with a back facing the audience is a representation of female confidence in this 21st Century where equality of sexes have become the norm then the exception. its a figure of female empowerment and individuality in a world of her own.
• secondly, the image of a lady with a changing shadow "lightplay" as in the figure will grow to exude just the silhouette and then the figure above before transiting towards a fading shadow, epitomizes one of mystery. the modern lady is empowered and mysterious. her world is complex and unfathomable to those who dare to get around her brick wall exterior of mystery.
• thirdly, the tinkering lady with her batting eyelashes and subconscious finger-pointing seems to invite me to think that she's a lady of the rapidly changing 21st century. and she has to put up with the pained experiences despite her status. her thoughts seem to have drifted to love and relationships .
• lastly, and i think the most obvious of all. The empowered, smart super modern lady is inviting. And it seems to suggest loneliness simultaneously. The flashing slit on her back which grows to become the most prominent capture (once your eyes is transfixed on the image for a long time) is alluring and inviting. it seems to suggest that the lady is inviting us into her world. her depths. to try fathoming a pit less "hole" ..
• overall, this is a grand piece of Reassurance of the Modern Lady.

Mikhail Baryshinikov
Gods of our time.
Apocalypse.
Greek Gods suffering.
Black Blood - poetic humour. poison of mortals.

disaster pop culture. how we are clowns in our efforts at entertainment.
daily clowns.

Porcupine. by Boris.
loneliness in a galaxy. no one understand the porcupine's hurt. creature of hurt. a creature yearning for comfort but forever a forbidden fruit. "expanding and relaxing" spikes remind me of the repeating up and downs of every relationship. piercing eyes seem to penetrate one's soul and speak a tongue of forlorn and that of yearning to be wanted which quickly evaporates to one of anger- rejection.

Isabella Huppert, 2005.
a picture of fatigue. exasperation to life. and a plea for help.
mainly an expression of fatigue. not exhaustion. just tiredness whether its due to apathy etc.
Lady Isabella's veins aren't exactly being strained in the photo which encourage me to make this interpretation.

Panther. by Ivory.
a picture of sadness. pained eyes. twitching eyes and moving ears denote a panther's alertness and distrust in a world of suspicion.
amir and i joke that the panther would make a good poster-boy for SPCA / animal cruelty.

I thought this Queen look pretty sullen. and despondent. there's fleeting focus and it portrays a picture of distraction to me. it represents a "multi-tasking bad habit" of the modern generation where we have a thousand and one things and a quadriple of gadgets to juggle at any one instant. it seems to suggest to me a picture of distraction.

Champion Sumo. Bjamla Ulambayar.

somehow i couldn't help but wonder if the texture of the velvet hot pink background and the play of lights (to extentuate the tone of the sumo's prized body) has any further interpretation.
the existent-non existent smile seems to project Mr. Sumo as an affable but man of strict unwavering resolve.

Robert Downey Jr.
gross. mechanical wonder/sawing off of a hand.
the unwavering resolve of a man even in crisis. (how often do we see this?)
is it apathy? or a sweet surrender? or is it bravado?


Steve Buscemi.
gross. somehow i don't quite grasp this.
there's a few stuff at play here.
1) blazing red meat
2) greenish evilish glow
3) smeared blood
4) change of countenance (seriousness to relaxed stance)
5) weird smile (lunatic-like)
6) tapping of feet.
7) cold sterile environment.

ultimately, if i have to fix a theme to this, i would denote it as THE CHANGING REACTIONS of a GREENISH SURGEON.

Brad Pitt.

a figure of the male physique.
a justified sex symbol.

the control of the splattering rain.
Brad's way of holding the gun.
elevation from a non-threatening way to a murderous slant.

eye candy.
too much skin?
the modern entertainment industry. a case of baring too much? wearing too little?

Johnny Depp.
a case of ruggedness?
an outlook of cynicism.
a picture of CONTEMPT.
notice Depp's little pinkie is painted black. AMIR reminded me.
wonder if that hides any connotation?

Alan Cumming.
A misfit.
A discomforting metrosexual.

hairy hands and legs in female drabs. - metrosexual
contorted smile/frown - Heath Ledger's Joker manical smile.
eating chocolate - picture of enjoyment/comfort.

this picture has me questioning.
is all our enjoyment and fashion sense, and more importantly,
our sensibilities a facade?
a tribute to subscribed tastes.
that we trick ourselves into believing that there's enjoyment amidst pain.
countless misfits of social trends which shouldn't but have blended into society.
are our sensibilities a tricked-out mainstream conformed interpretations?

Zhang Huan, 2004.

the stern cold stare of a JUDGEMENT ANGEL in a heavenly setting.
the flitting butterflies on the man denote the flitting and scarce concept of "redemption".
of how close we are to treading the line between right and wrong.

INTERPRETATIONs. PERCEPTIONs.
these are what i have humbly shared over here.
they are not by any means representative of what Robert Wilson has to convey.
and please please fearlessly point out to me where my interpretation may have veered away from the crucial.
or where i have failed to interpret the pieces.

INTERPRETATIONs. PERCEPTIONs.