A Quick Visit to Quebec City

Chateau Frontenac has over 600 rooms

We woke up early for a 6am start to drive from Montreal to Quebec City. It was pretty smooth getting there in just under three hours and we arrived at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, the iconic hotel in old Quebec.

Looking for the washroom in the basement, we looked at some great exhibits showing the history of the place.

Remnants of the original fort

The hotel is located on a hill, and in 1620 is was the former site of Fort Saint-Louis, and over the decades expanded as the number of people settling there increased.

And yes the hotel is named after Louis de Buade de Frontenac, who was a governor of Quebec from 1689 to 1698.

In the 19th century, as people began traveling, tourism to eastern Canada ramped up, as tourists could reach Quebec City by transatlantic ships and then train. As a result, in 1882, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company established Chateau Frontenac, a luxury hotel.

By 1919 the hotel was so successful that the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. doubled Chateau Frontenac's capacity so that it had over 600 rooms. 

The hotel still retains its old school charm

There are also other interesting bits of information, like how in the early 17th century, porcelain china from China was highly prized by royalty and the aristocracy for its translucency, but it was very expensive.

As a result, many aristocrats, including Governor de Frontenac, turned to ceramics from Delft the Netherlands, which was cheaper to purchase, though not as refined as Chinese porcelain. 

Another fascinating story is that in 1939, on the eve of World War II, King George VII and Queen Elizabeth had a royal tour of Canada and hosted a banquet at Chateau Frontenac. For the occasion, the hotel ordered a special porcelain design that was produced in Limoges, France.

The interior of the hotel, like the cascading symmetrical staircase continues to command grandeur, and one can only imagine what it was like back in the 19th century!

Our breakfast which took an infuriating long time

Outside the hotel is a panoramic view overlooking the St. Lawrence River.

Afterwards we looked for a place to have a late breakfast and settled on a cafe that operated at a snail's pace -- it took us 40 minutes from the time we sat down to when we finally got our three breakfast orders on the table -- after we complained.

The best the staff could do was offer us more coffee... we couldn't accept because it was pathetic compensation and also our parking meter was almost up (which was why we were in such a rush). We paid our bill as soon as the food finally came.

After driving the car around and around for another spot, we finally parked it at the bottom of the hill in a parkade and wandered around some more. We stumbled on a massive mural in trompe-l'oeil style that shows the history of Quebec.

A fun mural depicting the history of Quebec

There are some historical figures commemorated in the mural, like Jacques Cartier, Samuel de Champlain, Governor de Frontenac, and they are intermingled with kids playing street hockey with large jerseys, and a woman pushing a stroller with a child holding a teddy bear.

We also saw some public art, some cartoonish statues that had names and back stories in French. One seemed to be giving me the side eye.

However, not long after, it started to rain and not carrying umbrellas or rain gear, we decided to head back to the car park. It's a good thing we did because by the time we got to the car, it was pouring rain and hailing!

This guy gave me the side eye!

We decided to cut short our visit to Quebec City and drive back to Montreal! The first hour or so it continued to rain really hard, but then the precipitation stopped and we drove into sunshine as we approached Montreal and snarling traffic...

What an adventure!

Contemplating Art on Your Montreal Commute

Colourful stained glass while waiting for train

Taking the Montreal metro is very convenient, costs C$3.75 for Zone A fares (which was the only area we went around), and if you miss a train, the next one comes in a few minutes. 

What was very interesting for me was to see a lot of public art in the metro stations, either around the entrance, or by a stairwell, or above the train tracks. It was so unexpected to see art in a mode of public transportation that it took me by surprise.

The Tree of Life by Joseph Rifesser

The Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) provides around 1.4 million trips per day in its metro and bus network, and the metro is a kind of underground art gallery, featuring murals, sculptures, and stained glass panels in most of its 68 stations around the city.

When it comes to murals, mosaics are popular because they are highly durable and low maintenance, the colours don't fade and they are relatively easy to clean -- even graffiti can be removed.

I spotted a few pieces that caught my eye -- a colourful disc, more colour from panels of stained glass, and a sculpture hewed from wood.

The STM even has a website documenting the different art works, helping passengers learn more about the artists, and hopefully encourage them to interact with the pieces, or at least contemplate them during their commute.

Wandering Montreal's CBD

Ju Ming's Tai Chi Single Whip

Montreal is a relatively easy city to get around by the metro of subway. We don't know what it's like during the freezing depths of winter, but we already had a good idea from the intense wind tunnels in some of the metro stations. Just pushing the station door open can be a Herculean task as a gust of wind barrels past you.

Nevertheless, we had fun wandering around the city. On the way to the Notre Dame Basilica, we saw the entrance to Montreal's Chinatown, with a Chinese-style gate with "唐人街" on it. When we arrived at the famed church, one of the towers was under renovation and we weren't keen on paying C$16 admission to go inside.

The entrance to Montreal's Chinatown

Not far from there was the financial district, where we saw a number of banks: BMO or Bank of Montreal, TD, or Toronto Dominion Bank, and even Molsons Bank. 

It was started by Montreal brewer John Molson's two sons, William and John. Not only did William serve as the bank's president until his death, but also expanded the family business empire with a distillery, a lumberyard, a foundry, steamships and railways. 

William Molson was also a leading philanthropist who served as president of the Montreal General Hospital, and donated funds towards the establishment and construction of McGill University, where he later became a governor.

After we crossed the street, we came to Victoria Square, where I spied Taiwanese artist Ju Ming's sculpture!

His blocky tai chi figures graced the Bank of China in Hong Kong, and now there was one in Montreal!

Molsons Bank building

There was no information about it and I had to look it up online. The sculpture is called "Tai Chi Single Whip" that was cast in bronze and erected in 2006.

It became an endearing figure in 2015 when some Montreal Canadien fans made a giant Habs hockey jersey for the sculpture with the number 31 on it for the goalie Carey Price at the time.

Price had won his 43rd game that year, breaking the Montreal Canadiens' single season record previously jointly held by Ken Dryden and Jacques Plante.

Sadly the Habs weren't able to go on to the Stanley Cup finals this year, after they were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final...

Hong Kong Designer Wows Met Gala

Roth posing with a mannequin

Watching the Met Gala this year I was very impressed to see Hong Kong-born designer Robert Wun crushing it with eight celebrities wearing his fantastic creations -- more than any other fashion label.

One social media influencer said that as soon as he heard the theme was "Costume art", he immediately knew Wun would be in demand.

He graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2012 and two years launched his eponymous fashion brand.

Osaka before her red reveal

Wun's pieces are so sculptural, three-dimensional, playful, colourful... they definitely elicit "wow" from the audience. How he was able to pull of eight completely different looks and all executed so beautifully is quite the feat.

However, Wun has said that he is very flexible when working with people, trying to make their ideas into reality with his own stylish flourish.

Tennis star Naomi Osaka in a long white coat with puffed sleeves with specks of red -- blood? -- and underneath reveal a deep red sparkling curvaceous dress with thousands of Swarovski crystals in four shades of red.

Wun has worked with her before on her Australian Open entrance with a jellyfish-inspired outfit. 

How about arts producer Jordan Roth with a faceless mannequin hovering behind him, while he wears a long grey velvet dress with gloves. He interacted with the mannequin creating a spooky look. 

Kpop star Lisa also had some extra pairs of hands holding her floor-length shimmering veil. Wun 3-D scanned her arms in different traditional Thai dance positions, and these arms are wearing Bvlgari jewellery too! 

Singer and rapper Audrey Nuna may have been inspired by Jackson Pollack's splatter paintings for this black and white dress suit together with a hat. The black bits are actually 15,000 Swarovski beads. It's quite the dramatic entrance.

Four hands are all over Suphap's black dress

It must have been interesting for Bangkok-born fashion consultant and influencer Nichapat Suphap to have mechanical arms moving over her breasts all night. Two pairs of silver hands are over her chest and thighs on this black mermaid dress with a corseted back. The hands are apparently inspired by Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam.

Indian businesswoman and singer Ananya Birla turned heads with her metallic helmet that looked like a fantasy skull, and underneath she wore a shirt, jacket and voluminous black pleated skirt. Oh and a giant diamond choker necklace.

Then there was Norwegian billionaire Gustav Magnar Witzoe wearing a body suit that looked like abstract musculature that definitely adhered to the theme "Body as canvas".

Beyonce was absent from the Met Gala for 10 years until Monday night. She arrived last with husband Jay Z and daughter Blue Ivy Carter, who made her debut. In front of the crowds she wore a sparkling dress with a skeleton form, but inside the party she changed into a Wun-designed figure-hugging dress in dazzling black and gold with a veil.  

Sculpture with Yellow Raincoats Removed in HK

Ju Ming's Lining Up before it was covered up last year

A sculpture featuring a series of people, including one in a yellow raincoat, and another holding a yellow umbrella has been permanently removed from the piazza at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Entitled Lining Up by well-known Taiwanese artist Ju Ming, 10 people cast in bronze, are seemingly in a queue.

Although the work was created in 2002 and displayed there since 2017, the yellow raincoat and umbrella took on greater significance following the Umbrella Movement and the 2019 protests, as the colour is related to the pro-democracy protesters.

Hoarding covered up the yellow raincoat people

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department blocked the public from viewing, let alone interacting with the work by covering it with hoarding from April last year, with the intention of doing maintenance work.

On the hoarding were photographs of the sculptures, but then grey panels were strategically placed where there are two people wearing yellow raincoats, and another holding a yellow umbrella would have been.

But now Lining Up won't be coming back to its former place.

"As the sculpture concerned had been on display at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza for many years since 2017, it would not be reinstalled in situ," said a spokeswoman from the LCSD.

She did not say whether the decision was related to the yellow raincoats, nor did she give further details on the storage arrangements, or whether keeping it out of public view would be a waste of resources.

Hong Kong-based art critic John Batten, called the decision not to reinstall the work unnecessary, and an overreaction, as the piece was not political in nature. He added the decision was not beneficial for the city's art image overseas.

The Taiwanese sculptor had other works in HK

"It's a much loved work by the public, a very interactive work in a prominent position also with mainlanders going to the area. No one sees that yellow raincoat colour as a political work," Batten said.

"What happened in 2019 is still a strong feeling for everyone in Hong Kong, [but] we all sort of know the boundaries now. The piece was never part of the protest... It's unnecessary."

Batten hopes the sculpture can be exhibited elsewhere in the city.

"I would ask that people, the art lovers in Hong Kong, be respected and the artwork is put back on display."

Originally from Taiwan, Ju Ming originally trained as a woodcarver, and worked with other media, like bronze, ceramics, stainless steel, and styrofoam. He died in 2023 at the age of 85.

In Hong Kong he also has statues doing tai chi in Exchange Square and outside the Bank of China building, both in Central.

Remembering Taiwanese Sculptor Ju Ming's Works in HK

Tai Chi outside Exchange Square is one of Ju's iconic works

It was absolutely tragic to hear the news that Taiwanese sculptor Ju Ming died by suicide in his home on April 22 after a long undisclosed illness. He was 85 years old.

He is best known for his blocky sculptures that had sweeping textures that exuded movement, particularly the series on tai chi.

Ju became well-known from exhibitions in HK

A few of his sculptures can be found in Hong Kong, and on my way to the gym, I would pass by Taichi: Sparring (Harmony) outside the Bank of China building.

There was also a pair of sculptures at Exchange Square, one called Single Whip, the other Tai Chi.

Another one is at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, named Living World Series - Lining Up, featuring a line of people dressed in different outfits. They are short and accessible to children. What's interesting about this piece, made in 2002, features one person in a yellow raincoat.

For those who were in Hong Kong during the Umbrella Movement in 2014, will remember Marco Leung, who was known as "raincoat man", and fell to his death when he stood on scaffolding at Pacific Place in Admiralty. While there is no direct link to Ju's sculpture, the man in the yellow raincoat is what many Hongkongers remember of that time.

Taichi: Sparring (Harmony) at Bank of China

Ju gained international recognition through having his exhibitions in Hong Kong, thanks to Hanart TZ Gallery started by Johnson Chang Tsong-zung. He curated Ju's breakout exhibition back in 1982 at the Hong Kong Arts Centre and in 1991 in London's South Bank Centre.

"The news of Ju Ming's death is a big shock," Chang says. "A patient and resolute artist, Ju Ming always honed his vision with clarity, and pursued it with determination. He has maintained his style to the end.

"His passing marks the end of an era which fostered artists brought up in traditional skills and traditional mindset to become giants in modern Chinese art.

"We started working together four decades ago, and travelled east and west to promote a sculptural art that has the fluidity of calligraphy and the monumentality of mountains.

"Ju Ming was a man of integrity and an inspired artist; I feel immense loss that he has chosen to leave the world at this time, and sorely miss the long friendship that shared so many adventures together."

Living World Series - Lining Up in Tsim Sha Tsui

We are sad too that Ju felt he could not continue. We must accept this and remember him and the beautiful art he left for us to appreciate.

Canadian Women Artists You Didn't Know

Newton's portrait of painter Louis Muhlstock

I'd been meaning to go to the Vancouver Art Gallery to check out its exhibition, Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment for months, but yesterday when I realised it would be closing in a few days, I made the effort to go this afternoon!

Portrait of FH Varley

When it comes to Canadian art, who comes to mind? The Group of Seven (Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, AY Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, JEH MacDonald, and Frederick Varley. Other artists who joined later were AJ Casson, Edwin Holgate, and Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald.

So a bunch of men, and one woman -- Emily Carr.

But it turns out there were a lot of women artists in the same time period, from the 1920s to 1930s and this exhibition shines a spotlight on them. Not only did they paint, but also sculpt and photograph.

A few of them were the wives of artists in the Group of Seven, like Bess Larkin Housser Harris, the wife of Lawren Harris. The couple liked going to remote places in nature to paint, though her favourite painting is called Old Mine Shaft, Cobalt, and the mountain scene was the work she kept with her until she died.

There's a powerful abstract painting by Vera Weatherbie called Portrait of FH Varley. He is painted with a long coat, his arms folded with a cigarette in his left hand and he looks off into the distance. There is a silhouette behind him, that reminds me of a butterfly. 

His face is not painted clearly, but his facial expression is quite intense with a slight furrowed brow, the palette of greens, yellows and a tinge of orangey-pink. 

Housser Harris' favourite painting

It turns out Weatherbie was Varley's muse, as he painted her portrait several times. He later recounted that she was the "single greatest influence" on his art and life. The admiration was mutual.

The composition of this portrait was interesting -- looking down at the subject, who rests his arms on the back of the chair and looks beyond the canvas elsewhere. It's a painting of artist Louis Muhlstock, who painted street life in Montreal and the plight of the working class during the Great Depression. He has an angular face, broad shoulders, and looking sharp in his jacket, shirt and tie.

Weatherbie also painted the lives of immigrant workers and one of her paintings is called My-E-En. It depicts an Asian man working in a cannery, wearing a broad hat, and white clothing as he holds up a platter of three fish. It's interesting to see Asian people -- it's not clear if he is Chinese or Japanese, but he seems to be portrayed as being happy with this work...

Sea and Shore in marble by Wyle

Meanwhile Florence Wyle's sculptures are mesmerising in that they convey so much emotion without too much detail. One work is called Sea and Shore, featuring a woman's body from the neck down, the partial arms revealing a draping, while the breasts are revealed, and the rest of the body covered in a fabric that drapes down to suggest the legs below.

Carved out of marble, it is strong but also delicate, and sensual, revealing the flowing lines of the female form.

And of course how can this exhibition not include Emily Carr? Several of her paintings are featured towards the end of the show. One is called Stumps and Sky, and one may remember a few months back when a pair of climate change activists came to the Vancouver Art Gallery and chose this painting to throw maple syrup on it (though it was covered in glass) and then glue themselves to the wall below...

At least the stunt brought more attention to the art gallery and the exhibition?

So pleased to learn more about Canadian female artists, who to me painted just as well as the men. In some cases they had a similar masculine feel, others a more feminine touch. Hopefully the gallery and others will make more of an effort to showcase women artists. I'm glad I didn't miss this show!

Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment

Until January 8, 2023

Vancouver Art Gallery

Palm Springs: Eye-Opening Contemporary Art

Endless fascination with Anthony James' art

After visiting Mt San Jacinto via the Palm Springs Aerial Tramways, we headed down for some lunch then went to the city's art museum for a look.

It focuses on contemporary art, and has an impressive small collection of Henry Moore statues outside the Palm Springs Art Museum. Inside the staff at the entrance suggested we look at the two current exhibitions on show featuring local artists, but we did manage to cover pretty much everything else as it's not a big place.

Smith examines how light is affected by shapes

The first one we checked out was Phillip K. Smith III: Light + Change. He's originally from Los Angeles but grew up in the Coachella Valley and now works in Palm Desert, very close to Palm Springs. His work revolves around his study of light and colour, and how we as viewers interact with them.

He creates various colour choreography as the museum describes it, either concentric circles that are hypnotic, or blocks of intense colour that change every few seconds. Smith also creates cylinders that have various shapes jutting out like cutting snowflakes out of paper so they are even in shape and size, and then seeing how light is affected by them.

The other artist is Petra Cortright, who was born in Santa Barbara and lives in Los Angeles. In her earlier works she cut out images from magazines, like a flower arrangement and then rearranges the florals into another shape. She later graduated to photographic images that she manipulates using Photoshop, sometimes adds motifs like a collage and then "paints" strokes on top of that so there are literally several layers to her work.

Cortright manipulates images and "paints" them

She mostly chooses images of nature and landscape, as well as still life and works with canvas, anodized aluminium, Belgian linen and various types of paper.

Her canvases are very large and in a way pioneers a new way to create art, integrating both the digital and real world together. It's her colour palette that we appreciate, the shades of green, mauve, pink, grey, and beige.

We were completely mesmerised by Anthony James' 80" Great Rhombicosidodecahedron, 2020. It's a kind of ball shape, and within it are endless numbers of geometric circles and squares thanks to the use of stainless steel, specialised glass and LED lights. You wonder how he came up with this idea and actually executed it so well. In the end it might be a simple setup, but made complex by the placement of mirrors. Who knows!

Hyperrealistic couple that look like visitors

The rest of the museum has an eclectic collection of glass and sculptures, including Louise Bourgeois' Spider II which is perched way up high on the ceiling, a large Alexander Calder mobile, a Picasso bronze of Angry Owl, and the nocturnal bird really does not look happy.

There's a couple sitting on a bench, but then you do a double take and realise -- they're art! It's a lifelike sculpture of Old Couple on a Bench by Duane Hanson. Even though it was completed in 1995, the clothes they are wearing are not considered out of fashion!

American artist Angela Ellsworth created what looks at first like a stunning piece, a bonnet made of pearls. But when you look closer, you realise it's also full of pins poking inside where the wearer's head should be, making it a delicate but also vicious headdress.

Art made from aluminium cans on satellite dish

Nearby is Gerald Clarke's Continuum Basket: Pivat (Tobacco). From a distance it appears to be a folk art design with a green star in the centre. As you walk closer to it, you see it's actually made up of squashed aluminium cans that are carefully arranged on a satellite dish -- all, 1,884 of them. Clarke has created the symbols for tobacco flowers and bats inspired by traditional motifs from his Indian band called Cahuilla.

Nice to see the museum has a small collection of African artists too.

Outside across the street from the museum is a car lifted vertically and looks like it's about to dive into a pool of water. It leaves a fantastic reflection in the pond. It's called History of Suspended Time (A monument for the impossible) by Gonzalo Lebrija. 

The Mexican artist originally did a performance art of dropping a car into the water and then filmed it at the moment just before it hit the lake's surface. He then recreated it, using a 1968 Chevy Malibu that weighs 2,500 pounds.

Palm Springs Art Museum

101 Museum Drive

Palm Springs

(760) 322 4800