Turn Five

In 1994, the Sotheby’s Auction House in Singapore sold 151 pieces of artwork, most of them by Chen Chong Swee. The auction was a charity event, with the goal to raise one million dollars to provide scholarships to visual artists. It is a fitting tribute to a man who became well known not only for his artwork, but for nature and his teaching. Chen was born in Swatow, China in 1910, and after graduating from high school went on to study fine art, water color and ink printing, at the Xinhua Academy of Fine Arts. Upon graduation, he moved Singapore. He was a teacher in many different schools and became a well known speaker and lecturer on the subject of Chinese Ink Painting.

His own style was a mix of tradition, which he emphasized the importance of, and a new, more modern approach seizing on his own personal ideas. He was influenced by his life in Singapore, so much so that it eventually influenced the way he painted, thus creating his own style that veered away from the traditional paintings. However, he remained grounded by the education he had gained in school. One way is that he continued to put written words onto the paintings, a tradition for Chinese artists, known as idea writing. This was meant to, and did have, the effect of letting the viewer in on the meaning or story behind the paintings. It is because of his own personal beliefs, that the sole purpose of artist is to communicate with the public. That the sensibilities and the the concerns of the artist, should always be given to the viewer. In other ways he was considered a modern painter, but not in the tradition of alienating the public.

The Salon Art Society was founded by Chen in 1953. That same year he traveled to Bali with fellow painters, Chen Wen Hsi, Lui Kang and Cheong Soo Pieng. It was an inspirational trip as Chen and his fellow painters were so taken with the country resulting in a completely new style of painting now known as the Nanyang School. And while their work may have hung on the walls of galleries and in some to the best hotels in Singapore, their first group show was not until they returned from the trip. The artists arranged a show of the paintings they had created during their time and work in Bali. The four artists remain famous to this day, and they will continue to inspire generations of artists in the future.

A late season inferno claimed the life of one and injured at least six others along Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. The blaze, which began Tuesday night near the Rhodes Memorial was largely contained by Wednesday night.

The one life lost was a man who received third-degree burns from the fire. He later died in a local hospital. A woman who was admitted with him remained in ‘unstable condition” as of Wednesday night. Five firefighters also sustained injuries while battling the blaze.

Tourists found the cableway on Table Mountain closed on Wednesday morning due to the fire. A number of roads in the area were also closed and some residents were evacuated from the City Bowl area, where schools were closed for the day. By afternoon the cableway was back in service, offering visitors staying at any Cape Town luxury hotel the ability to return to the peak.

The cause of the fire is still unknown and firefighters will remain on “high alert” on Table Mountain for the next few days. No property damage was reported and the plantlife in the area is expected to benefit from burn.

Many people argue for the legalization of marijuana. They say that it is for environmental purposes and that the government spends too much money on non-violent drug offenders. However, if you were to talk to just about anyone in a drug rehab they would tell you that marijuana is a gateway drug for them.

A gateway drug is the first substance that a user uses when they begin using drugs and alcohol. And it leads them to more addictive drugs. Drug rehab is the only way that these addicts have a chance at living a sober life and many relapse because they spend too little time in drug rehab.

Legalizing marijuana will only make it more readily available for people to get, more will use it and more will end up with drug addiction problems.

Maps can add a feeling of intelligence and class to any study. For years people have been hanging wall maps in their studies and dens. Most used these maps as a reference and then it caught on and people that never even read maps decided to hang them for their aesthetic appearance.

I was recently in a large house with a very large study that had maps on the walls. There were maps of the Dominican Republic, maps of Egypt, and a Malaysia map. They also had a tasteful floor globe. I asked why these specific counties and my friend replied that he had visited all of these places and they were her favorite.

Maps can do many things for a room. They can make the owner appear smart, they can make the owner appear to be a world traveler and they add color to usually boring studies.

Nicki Amouri hands her camera to a friend, throws her arm over another and smiles wide as she leans in for a shot with the monument her class came to visit.

It’s a typical field trip memento – except that Amouri is in a brothel. The monument is a fluffy, queen-sized bed in a Western-themed party room reserved for VIPs and big spenders.  Read more