I was reminded recently, in a round-about way, after a brief meeting with an artist in Cape Town, of my visit to the 2019 Istanbul Biennial. The works on display across Istanbul were inventive and exceptional, but the visit to this great city turned out to be a terribly disappointing expedition. Istanbul never disappoints –…
Category: Art
Architecture: Malaysia’s Mosque of Steel
Over the last days of my most recent visit to Malaysia, I made an unscheduled stop at the Steel Mosque, the colloquial name for the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque, in Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia. I carried only the iPhone, and thought it best to be discreet. I made a few pictures. See,…
The Palestine Art Corner: Outdoor Gallery of Wall Art in Kota Bharu
The outdoor Palestine Art Gallery brings the suffering of Palestinians to the public in an alley in, Jalan Dato’ Pati, in Kota Bharu, in Malaysia.
First Digital Photographic Expedition
I set out a few weeks ago to give photography another try. I had sold the last of my film equipment, my beloved Nikon F5 almost two decades ago, and bought an entry-level digital camera. My work as a writer, an academic and in policy-making had made it difficult to fully embrace photography to the…
Poetry Recital
I finally got my act together and made this little film with clips shot on 8 October 2022. Not sure I could capture anything well enough with a phone-camera. Seems alright.
Photograph: Dimensions of Wall Art
Photograph: Life Against a Wall
Instant photos on a roll
I finally made time to sort out, and find a way to use and display, some of the instant pics I made with the Leica Sofort instant camera. The pictures are stuck on a till roll, it’s not a very original arrangement, and a bit clumsy, but I had fun. I bought the camera a…
Review: Kabut Berduri (Borderless Fog)
I can’t be completely objective about Kabut Berduri (Borderless Fog), an Indonesian film by Edwin, with Putri Marino as the lead protagonist, Sanja Arunika, who is sent from Jakarta to Borneo to investigate a strange set of murders where one victim’s severed head is found the body of the other. Set, as it is, where…