Around the Region
In Singapore last month, Tante Betty got to meet her two favourite creative geniuses: artist-filmmaker extraordinaire Julian Schnabel and fashion maestro Christian Lacroix. Le tout Jakarta had tripped to the Lion City to see the retrospectives.
In the crowd at the Schnabel show at HT Contemporary Space, Tante Betty spotted artists Astari and Pintor Sirait, and I.H.T. art critic Sonia Kalishnikove-Jessop. At the Lacroix retrospective at the National Museum of Singapore I saw Patrick Bensard and Agnes Montenay from Paris’ Cinémathèque Française de la Danse who flew in from Bali are doing a film on Christian Lacroix. Bensard had just been in Jakarta interviewing pop-singer Rebecca.

Famous N.Y. artist Julian Schnabel and actress du jour, star of Slumdog Millionaire, Freida Pinto.	Julian Schnabe with Pintor Sirait and Astari.
	Julian Schnabel tells how it is to loving disciples, (left to right) Pintor Sirait, Sonia Kalishnikove-Jessop, Astari.

Left to right: Andrew Jessop and Sonia Kalishnikove-Jessop, Patrick Bensard, Agnes Montenay, Astari at the “Christian Lacroix Costumier Exhibition” at the National Museum of Singapore.	A Lacroix drawing for a dress design.
The Christian Lacroix show at the National Museum of Singapore

Last month I also followed Gus De Surya and Komang Bebek, Bali’s answer to the Hilton Sisters, to the Sydney opera house for the state memorial for Danish architect Jorn Utzon, the iconic building’s architect. The Balinese duo had been invited to represent Indonesia by Lin Utzon with whom they had worked on various art projects in East Bali. During their stay in Sydney the pair also served as hosts at the Australian book launch of “The Best of Stranger in Paradise 1996-2008.” Held at Palm Beach Studios, at which former Australian ambassadors to Indonesia Bill Morrison and Dick Woolcott were joint guests of honour, and placed offerings at the Bali bomb memorial in Coogee on Kuningan, Balinese all souls day. Indonesia-Australian relations were much enhanced by the stellar press fleshing of this engaging duo.

Pressing the flesh: the Balinese doing what comes naturally.

Former Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Morrison and daughter Melanie.

At Sydney’s Botanical garden – a Hilton Sisters’ pose.

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