BALANCE of CULTURE

The Dictator on the Red Carpet

[Update: He's been banned!…or perhaps not!]

With all the dramatic developments of the Arab Spring that has occurred in over a year, it's not a surprise that Hollywood is coming out with a movie that uses some of the subject as inspiration. Whether categorized as insensitive material or mere entertainment, Paramount has big hopes for Sacha Baron Cohen's latest comedy titled The Dictator.

Cohen is already known for pushing the envelope with daring characters that border on the racially- and culturally-risqué, such as Borat. This time, the high profile actor-comedian is rumored to be planning on attending this year's Academy Awards red carpet dressed up as The Dictator's title character, to the dismay of the Oscars' organization.

A spokesperson for the Oscars even went so far as to say, "We would hope that every studio knows that this is a bad idea. The Red Carpet is not about stunting." I am not sure how this person can claim with a straight face that there is a lack of "stunting" on any red carpet, let alone the Academy Awards, but this is the stance that most "purists" are taking in their chagrin towards a costumed Cohen.

Seems to me they're being not only rather uptight about the industry they work in but also pretty hypocritical. If this costume offends people in any way, they should probably recall the concept of storytelling as well as reevaluate some Hollywood issues that actually deserve some ethical critique -- Woody Allen and Roman Polanski come to mind right away. If Hollywood can stomach looking the other way from the decisions of those two glorified filmmakers, who seriously cares about a silly costume on the red carpet? If anything it might keep things interesting!

The trailer is pretty awesome though, especially with the Panjabi MC tunes in the background:

Perfect Storm in Paradise

The political turmoil in Male, the capital of the Maldives, continues to escalate as Islamic extremists have enforced their "Taliban-style intolerance" not only on the streets of the city but also towards the various ancient 12th century Buddhist artifacts housed in the Maldives National Museum.

A senior museum representative stated that the history of the Maldives' Buddhist past has effectively been "erased," as the delicate coral and limestone objects have zero chance of being restored due to their brittle and age. Five men have since been arrested for this.

An interesting fact here: the Maldives National Museum was built and financed by the Chinese government and presented to the Maldives on July 10, 2010. Considering that this Indian Ocean paradise is now a premium destination choice for many newly-wealthy Chinese travelers -- and conveniently located just south of India, China's regional geopolitical sparring partner -- we can probably expect to see much more Chinese influence in Maldivian society in the the next decade.

Off the beaten path: A small hospital we visited on a residential island in the Maldives, 2007.

Most travelers to the Maldives won't see much more than the usual perfect clear turquoise waters and sugary white sands of their island resort. Vacation plans rarely include a visit to see typical everyday life on a residential island (though we were lucky to get a glimpse of this on our first visit several years ago), which is vastly different from the polished experiences offered by their tourism industry.

The Maldives is clearly in a challenging phase of its current political and social existence. The recent coup of President Nasheed, the society's religious "soul searching" (to put it nicely), its frontline position in the battle of climate change, and its internationally-powerful tourism industry is a perfect storm of dynamic factors that will define the country's bumpy road ahead.

I just hope that its pre-Islamic past is not further deleted from history's documentation by modern day "radicals." So tragic.

Asian Artists in the Middle East: Murakami & Guo-Qiang

Takashi Murakami honors Qatar with new works in his first Middle East exhibition for the Qatar Museum Authority (QMA) titled "Ego." The show is located in the Al-Riwaq exhibition hall at the Museum of Islamic Art on Doha's Corniche and is open from February 9 through June 24, 2012.

While Murakami remains a hugely iconic "pop" artist, "Ego" looks to celebrate the 40 years of diplomatic relations between Qatar and Japan -- albeit in a manner that is undeniably Murakami-esque: a 20 ft. Takashi blow up doll greets visitors at the entrance of the exhibit, while a massive wrap-around landscape painting commemorates the tsunami tragedy in Japan last year.

QMA's diplomatic art initiative seeks to "promote and support local and international art, foster conversations about artists and popular culture, and build bridges between cultures." Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang's "Saraab" is also on view at the Arab Museum of Art until May 26, 2012:

I absolutely love the concept of having these prominent Asian artists exhibit in the Middle Eastern context of diplomatic relations. Consider yourself lucky if you have the chance to see either of these exhibits this year!

Bad Girls like Middle Finger Malfunctions

M.I.A.'s latest video "Bad Girls" is a much better thing to watch than yesterday's rather tepid Superbowl halftime performance with Madonna, Nicki, M.I.A., LMFAO, and Cee lo (let's face it, Madge needs all the youthful help she can get at this point) -- the music video has lots of cool scenery in Ouarzazate, Morocco with creative choreography and car stunts.

To her credit though, at least M.I.A. stuck with her new video's theme and flipped the bird (aka middle finger malfunction) to the primetime cameras yesterday, effectively riling up the usual suspects like Parents Television Council and of course Fox News.

It's "big news" today but I doubt too many people noticed at the time, though -- most were staring longingly at either Madonna reinventing herself again or the hordes of dark, ripped young guys she brought with her…I guess some things never change!

P183, the Russian "Bankski"

It's no wonder P183, or Bankski, is being dubbed the "Russian Banksy."

Whether you think his work is a poor imitation or successful homage to that of Banksy's, the resemblance and influence is rather clear. Street art like this is pretty ubiquitous now around the world but from what I've seen abroad this genre is still on the rise globally, especially in second and third world countries.

 

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: Banned in India

So the past several weeks we've been watching so many screeners at home, typical for this time of year, catching up on all the films of 2011 before the Oscars. Finally got around to viewing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, the movie based on the hit novel. My main qualm with the film was the length -- movies over 2.5 hours usually feel a little long for me, even when I have the luxury of spending that time on a big couch at home.

But the graphic violence in the rape and torture scenes is what has riled the feathers of India's Central Board of Film Certification, which was banned the film from opening in India's massive market after director David Fincher refused to edit portions of the final product.

The movie still has lots of openings scheduled throughout the rest of Asia, so the ban will be pretty much pointless once everyone starts sharing their copies online (probably happening already!).

Look Where You Walk

The worst is when you're in the car trying to make a turn and a pedestrian is hunched over his/her phone in the crosswalk like a pure genius...New York is not the only city that should have these signs! #petpeeve

Taliban Opponents Retaliate with Pashtun Poetry

 

I could not care less if it’s a mosque or a temple filled with idols
Where my beloved lives, that is my Ka’aba

You religious fundamentalists stop this bloodshed
Humanity is the best religion; love, the best worship

Because of this war I despise the “dear mullah”
Love is my religion; unity is my faith

—Zarin Pareshan (a Pashtun poet)

Not everyone around the Afghanistan-Pakistan border has been sucked in by the Taliban. After decades of enduring the Taliban's brutal campaign in the volatile border region (bombed schools, music shops, and targeted musicians, female dancers, and singers), a campaign which seeks to "deprive people of secular outlets in order to accelerate the spread of religious extremism," the Taliban's secular-nationalist opponents are actually using some of the very same vilified artistry to retaliate: modern Pashtun poetry. A pretty fascinating read.

 

Korea's Comfort Women choose public art as protest

This sure isn't your typical boring public art…in a bold symbolic gesture this week, a life-size bronze statue named the "Peace Monument" was erected by comfort women protesters in front of the Japanese embassy in central Seoul. Unsurprisingly, it has quickly become a sensation both for ordinary citizens as well as top-level politicians from Korea and Japan.

Japan's spokesman called the statue "extremely regrettable," but South Korean officials have stated they have no intention of forcing citizens to remove the object: "The victims are over 80 years old and passing away, and the government is not in a position to tell them to remove the statue. Rather than insisting on the removal of the statue, the Japanese government should seriously ask itself why these victims have held their weekly rallies for 20 years, never missing a week, and whether it really cannot find a way to restore the honor these woman so earnestly want.”

Yes, it's true these women and their supporters have protested in front of Japan's embassy in Seoul every week since January 8, 1992. Though there have been responses by the Japanese government over the years, no formal reparations have been discussed or offered. And with the many tumultuous changes in Japan's leadership every couple of years, some prime ministers and government officials have unfortunately denied the existence of comfort women, despite an abundance of solid evidence over the decades.

I wonder if Taiwan's recent protest against Japan is a timely coincidence with this brazen statue: though Korea was the main country where Japan obtained most of its 200,000 sex slaves during WWII, Taiwan and the Philippines were also part of the tragedy.

Regardless, President Lee Myung-bak's trip to Tokyo is still on schedule for this weekend. Business will go on as usual, as Korea and Japan have so many economic, political, and social ties now. But no matter what, this issue will always be a testy subject between the two neighbors until something is resolved in a completely public and honest manner.

Most of these women have passed, but there are still 63 alive in Korea today. I hope some of them get to have closure on this issue before it's too late.

Our Perceptions of Art & Beauty

From "How Does the Brain Perceive Art?"

We want to believe that pleasure is simple, that our delight in a fine painting or bottle of wine is due entirely to the thing itself. But that’s not the way reality works. Whenever we experience anything, that experience is shaped by factors and beliefs that are not visible on the canvas or present in the glass. Even the most exquisite works in the world — and what is more exceptional than a Rembrandt portrait? — still require a little mental help. We only see the beauty because we are looking for it.