Pamina Devi and the Met
This week was very eventful and I learned a lot not only about the different art forms but also went to parts of NYC that I have not visited before. I was very excited about both events and for the most part, they lived up to my expectations. Pamina Devi was very beautiful. I absolutely loved the costumes, which sparkled against the dark background. I thought that the simplicity of the set emphasized the plot and the costumes even more, but I loved the colors of the background in the Realm of the Sun. The music and dances were also beautiful and a new experience for me. However, I became bored with the show about halfway through.
Sophiline Shapiro is definitely invigorating a traditional art that could soon be extinct. It was a bit odd to see very traditional Asian styles infused with the western values of The Magic Flute, but I think this is a great way of pushing the art form to its limits and introducing it to people who know nothing about Asian art but know a lot about Western art. Culture is something which should be well-rounded and multi-faced, not just something restricted to our own society’s ideals. This sort of embodies Zhang Huan’s attempt to push his own art form to the limits.
One question that arose for me after the Met visit was “Who judges what is good enough to be on exhibit? Why is someone like Rembrandt so well known, while others are ignored?”. As a curator, Nadine Orestein exposes museum-goers to all forms of art, not only the Rembrandts, but the lesser-known but still visionary artists as well. She makes sure that the artists continue to be remembered and that the art form does not become extinct or forgotten. This concept is extremely similar to Sophiline’s mission- to keep Cambodian dance as a flourishing and invigorated art form.
October 14th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
It’s an interesting question about what makes one artist more well known than another and how do you choose what to exhibit? I think you can further that question by asking why are some art forms more well known and appreciated while some get lost? cambodian dance is very beautiful and interesting .. you could wonder why it is not being “exhibited” on a scale as large as prints?