High Culture?
Walking, we come across a bright red building.
No, it isn’t the Red
House Bakery, which was famous for its traditional pastries before being closed
down in 2003.
This red house was the
Black Earth Auction House, an art and auction gallery.
Attracted by the
vibrancy of the exterior, we snooped around outside, trying to peer into the
interior of the building. Suddenly, a voice came from behind “You can go in to
look if you want.” Caught! Turning, a man beckoned to us to the side of the
building, where he opened the door and led us inside. The man turned out to be
working for the owner of the gallery, they were preparing for an art auction on
the next Sunday, and he was setting up the equipment in preparation of the
event. He invited us to feel free to take photos of the interior and continued
on with his work.
Here are some photos of
some of the art pieces on display. There were ceramics from the Ming and Qing
dynasty, as well as a collection of artworks from various parts of Southeast
Asia.
Ceramics from the Qing
Dynasty.
Oil painting by an
Indonesian artist.
One by a Singaporean
artist.
And my absolute
favourite piece. And ink painting of a horse.
Since the gallery
wasn’t officially open, the lights were not switched on in the upper floors.
With just scant light offerings from windows in the front and back, it was a
little dim. However, having had its interior repainted white, the natural light
entering through the windows bounced off the walls and brightened up what would
have been a gloomy interior.
The third floor of the
gallery mainly contained just empty display cases.
Small skylights in the
roof also spilled some light into the gallery. High ceilings were a key feature
to traditional shophouses and helped to cool the interior of the house in the
scorching tropical heat.
The stair railings were
retained from the renovation. Although we’re not too sure about the origins of
the railing design…
Going back downstairs,
we meet the owner of the place. He warmly greets us, inviting us to attend the
upcoming auction on the next Sunday. Asking why he chose to open his art
gallery in Joo Chiat Road, he smiles and says that he had inherited the place
and had decided to use it as an art gallery.
Was it just a personal
conviction? Perhaps? But maybe not totally so. A look around and one finds that
this isn’t the only art gallery around. Just down the road, we find a few more
art galleries.
A closer look shows
that Joo Chiat appears to attract not just food junkies and night revellers;
it’s attracting the artistic genre too. A place steeped in local history, and
in which surprises pop up at every turn of the street, it would definitely get
the creative inspiration flowing.
DATE: Sunday, February 26, 2012
TIME: ||10:40 PM ||