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Recovering ‘Turang’ (1958)
(Bachtiar Siagian and the Lekra Movement in Indonesia)
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Painting With Light is Singapore’s much-acclaimed yearly Festival of International Films on Art. The event is curated and hosted by the National Gallery, one of the main art hubs on the island, right in the heart of the colonial Civic Centre, literally whitewashed, on a promontory leaning towards the river as if wanting to feel its gentle freshwater rinse. A vain attempt to wash away the stains of colonialism and Empire.
My being a fan of painting with light is no secret: I practice photography and videography, ardently, with ceaseless vigor. No wonder then, that I am very much stung by Painting With Light, which has the touch and feel of an indie arts venture run from the belly of the beast, isn’t that gorgeous. I have written about the festival on previous occasions (here and here). This year was the event’s tenth run — and it has been more meaningful, timely, and important than ever, seeing that the arthouse film community in Singapore recently was left orphaned by the sudden, unexpected demise of The Projector, an indie project by Karen Tan with a fantastic team of volunteers, who had served us so well for over a decade. As a result, our options for arthouse film have been limited down to…
