GAO XINGJIAN’S RETURN TO SINGAPORE – 19 YEARS LATER


SINGAPORE- There is no doubt that the journey to comprehending Gao is a lengthy one, his complexities can be noted in his paintings, literature, theatre and film; yet beneath the profundities and the impressive status this man has attained, he emphasizes that he is only human- fragile and frail.

Upon his arrival at the Changi International Airport on 22nd November, the Nobel Laureate was amazed by the development it had undergone since his visit some 19 years ago. The multi-cultural environment in Singapore also impressed Gao who pointed out that such should ideally produce a space for liberal creations over time.

The days to ensue subsequent to Gao’s arrival in Singapore were packed with events and media interviews. The following will summarize Gao Xingjian’s visit in Singapore from 22nd to 26th November 2007.

22nd November 2007

Gao’s first public appearance in Singapore was during a meeting with students and staff at the French School. In the auditorium that was at full capacity, he engaged in a vibrant discussion with the audience about his works in fluent French. At the panel also, was Professor Noel Dutrait, Gao’s Chinese to French translator for his literary works.

Gao’s evening concluded with a cocktail reception at the Résidence de France where His Excellency Mr. Pierre Buhler and Minister Rama Yade as well as other important French officials attended.

23rd November 2007

Since he was a child, Gao had wanted to be an actor, however as he jokingly remarked during an interview, due to his relatively short stature, this dream had to be forsaken and in its place came a dream of film-directing. In 2006, Gao finally saw his first film, Silhouette/ Shadow (Also known as La Silhouette sinon l’ombre in French.) materialize. The film depicted his brush with death when he collapsed in Taipei in 2002 and again in Marseille in 2003 due to his strenuous work commitments.

Silhouette/ Shadow portrays both factual and imaginary events by separating them into colour and monochromatic scenes respectively. In a subtle way, this film appears also to be a dedication to Celine, his partner for over 20 years who stood by him through his poor health. She is shown in a number of black-and-white scenes throughout the film. On 23rd November, Gao attended the private screening of this film at the Cathay Picturehouse.

Another one of Gao’s reasons for his visit to Singapore was to attend a donation ceremony at Singapore Art Museum (SAM). Held at 5.00PM, the ceremony marked Gao’s donation of one his largest works to date Day and Night to SAM. When interviewed, Gao revealed that this was his way of expressing gratitude for the major retrospective exhibition staged in 2005 titled GAO XINGJIAN EXPERIENCE at SAM jointly organized by iPreciation. He also noted that Singapore is the paramount location for friends in Asia to view his art as it is tantamount to the melting pot of Asia.

While Gao is widely reputed to be a talented writer, he has actually been painting for the past number of decades. As he is engaged in plays and theatre, writing and film production, Gao can only allocate a certain period of his year for painting; inevitably his ink works are extremely rare to come by. With hopes to share Gao’s art with everyone, iPreciation staged a solo-exhibition of recent ink paintings from 24th November to 1st December 2007. The private preview and dinner were held on 23rd November (Read more in “An Evening with Gao Xingjian”).

24th November 2007

The capacity of the auditorium at SAM had been exceeded to the point where many had to crowd by the aisle or squeeze by the side. The congregation had gathered for the chance to meet Gao Xingjian in a rare dialogue session during which Gao discussed about his paintings and literature.

When asked whether his direction in art is defined as “Eastern or Western”, Gao responds that categorizations are not as important as the “personal or inner direction within oneself”. When the session touched on Gao’s literary works, the award-winning Soul Mountain was discussed. He elucidated that by utilizing the pronouns “He/She”, “You” and “I”; he is dissecting the self in an attempt to engage in an inner dialogue with himself. In the process, inner conflicts are resolved and the mind is cleared.

A group photograph was subsequently taken immediately after the dialogue session before Gao’s breathtaking painting Day and Night. As Gao was escorted out, some 20 over “fans” trailed behind him and SAM personnel were compelled to lock the main entrance/ exit of the museum so as to allow Gao to depart in his car.

25th November 2007

This Sunday started off with the official premiere of Gao’s film Silhouette/ Shadow at the Cathay Picturehouse and tickets were already sold-out on Saturday. A proportion of the audience also attended a symposium with Gao Xingjian, local film director Jack Neo and artistic director of Initiation International 2007 Fiona Sze-Lorrain. The interactive session saw Gao responding to questions from the audience primarily regarding his film. Most indicated that they enjoyed the film while a couple remarked that scenes from his opera Snow in August shown towards the end of the film did not assimilate smoothly into the creation in its entirety.

Discussion about the distribution of Silhouette/ Shadow is still in progress.

26th November 2007

The last day of Gao Xingjian’s five-day stay in Singapore was occupied by a talk A Literary Journey organized by the East Asian Institute (EAI) of National University of Singapore (NUS) in partnership with the French Embassy and Asia-Europe Foundation. Following an introduction by Professor Yang Dali (Director of EAI), Professor Noel Dutrait proceeded to put forth various questions to Gao about his literary works in fluent Mandarin. Simultaneous translation was also available for the non-Chinese audience.

During the Q & A segment of the session, a listener presented Gao with a question about his thoughts on the Chinese government’s attitude towards him and if he felt a sense of wistfulness now that he is drifting further and further away from China. Contemplating on the subject, Gao pensively replied that he can only take it in his stride now as he is merely one man and there is nothing he can do to change the entire country’s opinions about him. His reflective answer prompted nods from the audience.

The conclusion of the event at EAI correspondingly wrapped up Gao’s Singapore visit. He left in the night, bringing with him wonderful memories of our sunny island and leaving behind increased respect and awe from everyone who met him.