The first-time display of this 18m-long Chinese creation in Malaysia will be the highlight of “The Enchanting Orient” exhi­bition jointly organised by Starhill and Han Culture Centre Malaysia.

The dough creation is based on the celebrated master work of Song Dynasty’s imperial court artist Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145), which depicts the daily life of people then and the landscape of Bianjing (today’s Kaifeng in Henan pro­vince).

The original Song piece is now kept in the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Regarded as China’s national treasure, the silk scroll painting measuring 5.25m x 25.5cm features a river meandering from countryside through to a busy city.

The painting captures, amidst the hustle and bustle of life, the various expressions of 814 people from all walks of life and 60 animals.

Also included are 28 boats, 30 buildings, 20 vehicles, eight sedan chairs and 170 trees.

According to Wikipedia, the artwork was revered by empe­rors and court artists of subsequent dynasties had gone on to reinterpret it.

The scroll went through seve­ral private hands before returning to public ownership.

The painting was a particular favourite of China’s last emperor, Puyi of Qing Dynasty.

The Qing version is now in the Taipei Palace Museum.

The show also features other paintings, porcelain creations and calligraphy of local artist Prof Dr Cheah Thien Soong whose works will be exhibited until July 24.

The 74-year-old Malaysian from Negri Sembilan is consi­dered the second-generation Nanyang-style contemporary ink-painting artist.

Dr Cheah, who has won numerous awards from art institutes in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, said his works that would be displayed consist of a series of lotus flower paintings, Chinese calligraphy and pottery he had created in China’s porcelain capital, Jingde­zhen, in Jiangxi province.

Among the prominent people expected to grace the exhibition is Malaysian film star Michelle Yeoh.

The exhibition features 10 artworks called “Raincoats”- and a 100m-long river created by truc chi paintings, in which ordinary stories in the lives of Vietnamese people are told. The works are combined with light, music and video installations.

The exhibition name was inspired by a quote from Heraclitus: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”

“Life and creation are ceaseless motions,” said Bang. “Bamboo plants are born and grow by rivers. They die and are revived into a new form, truc chi paper.”

Originally, truc chi was a kind of paper made from bamboo pulp. Based on the traditional process of making the paper, Bang created a new type of art, do hoa truc chi (Trucchigraphy), in which artists create paintings on truc chi paper.

The production of bamboo paper has a long tradition in some Asian countries, but the process is usually completed with the moulding of the paper. This is just the beginning for Trucchigraphy. Artists interact with the wet structure of the paper on the frame and use water pressure and other graphic techniques to change the surface. In this way, unique images are created, which some artists further process through brush or collage techniques.

“Bamboo is a cultural symbol in Vietnamese people’s minds,” said Bang. “It has a strong connection to the spiritual life of the people, sometimes it symbolises Vietnamese people.”

“I use bamboo for my project because I want to develop this new art form on the basis of traditional values.”

Speaking at the exhibition, painter Nguyen Thanh Son said he was attracted by Bang’s interesting narration.

“He uses the metaphor of the river to depict people’s memory, childhood, life, and the flow of the era and the creation,” said Son. “Through the stories told on truc chi paper, we realize ourselves and our nation. We respect the tradition and learn to respect the traditional cultural values expressed in contemporary creations.”

Bang developed this new form of art and collaborated with art students and painters to found Vietnamese truc chi art in 2012.

Bang studied graphic arts in Hue and at the University of Industrial Fine Arts. He completed his Master’s degree in fine arts at Maha Sarakham University, Thailand. He has taught at the Hue Arts Academy since 1996. His artworks have been presented in numerous group and solo exhibitions.

The exhibition will run until July 15 at the Goethe Institute, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hanoi. Then it will be moved to the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities.

The second part of the awards, held yesterday at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, honoured the best in the Tamil and Malayalam film industries. The first part of the awards on Thursday evening recognised winners from the Telugu and Kannada film industries.

Actress Nayanthara, whose given name is Diana Mariam Kurian, swept the Best Actress award for both the Tamil and Malayalam film categories. She won for her roles in the Tamil comedy Naanum Rowdydhaan (Even I Am Rowdy) and the Malayalam film Bhaskar the Rascal.

She drew excited cheers from the audience, which numbered more than 4,000, when she requested to receive her Best Actress (Tamil) award from the film’s director Vignesh Shivan – who won Best Director (Tamil) – and they shared a hug on stage. She is said to be romantically linked to him.

The film Naanum Rowdydhaan also bagged Best Comedian, Best Music Director and Best Playback Singer (Male), making it the big winner for Tamil films.

The film that received the most awards last night, however, was the coming-of-age Malayalam film Premam, which bagged six awards, including Best Director, Best Actor (Critic’s Choice) and the coveted Best Film award.

A total of 36 awards were given out last night and the ceremony ran on until 1.45am today. This led many award recipients, including Best Actor (Tamil) winner Vikram, to begin their acceptance speeches with “Good morning” and the 50-year-old actor jokingly dedicated his award “to everyone here for staying so late.”

The ceremony included dances performed by actresses Vedhika, Hansika Motwani and Huma Qureshi to hit Tamil and Malayalam songs and a live set by composer-music director Anirudh Ravichander, which had the audience on their feet and actor Allu Arjun dancing on stage and in the crowd.

This was the fifth edition of the awards that started in 2012. It was held twice in Dubai, as well as in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and in Kuala Lumpur. This was the award’s first time in Singapore and it was presented by the Singapore Press Holdings’ Tamil-language publications Tamil Murasu and tabla! and events company De Ideaz.

MAJOR WINNERS

Best Movie: Thani Oruvan (Tamil) and Premam (Malayalam)

Best Actor: Vikram for I (Tamil) and Prithviraj for Ennu Ninte Moideen (Malayalam)

Best Actress: Nayanthara for Naanum Rowdydhaan (Tamil) and Bhaskar the Rascal (Malayalam)

Best Director: Vignesh Shivan for Naanum Rowdydhaan (Tamil) and Alphonse Puthren for Premam (Malayalam)

Best Music Director: Anirudh Ravichander for Naanum Rowdydhaan (Tamil) and Rajesh Murugesan for Premam (Malayalam)

Lifetime achievement award: Panchu Arunachalam

Created by Patra Aditya, Anky Prasetya and editor Indra Nabun, the comic book is set in a post-apocalyptic world. The members of Koil, which consists of vocalist Otong, bassist Adam, drummer Leon, and guitarist Doni, are figured as the Dragonian Warriors.

The idea for the comic book was born when Patra created a fan art version in 2012. The story was further developed after Anky joined the team.

Otong told Rolling Stone Indonesia that the comic had actually been finished in 2015, but had been subject to several revisions requested by Doni and Adam regarding the details. “So it will be more into Koil as the character,” he said, adding that the comic book’s 200 copies would be printed in black and white.

Originating in Bandung, Koil has offered a unique style of music since the 1990s, drawing mass attention with the release of its first album, Koil, in 1996.

The troupe’s performance of a dance titled “Water Symphony” sought to preserve Pangalay, a living link to traditional dance cultures in the Asian region where sensitivity is the key to learning and mastery of the many nuances of traditional dances.

The dancers performed in front of officials and members of the public after a speech to explain this dance form and encourage the audience to enjoy the show.

Pangalay has the closest affinity to the Indian, Javanese, Thai, Burmese and Cambodian styles of classical dancing, and unfortunately is one dance form in Asia that is being pushed to oblivion.

Amidst these challenges, there are dedicated teachers, dancers, social scientists and researchers who strive to conserve traditional dance forms.

The dancers presented a mesmerising performance to a harmonious musical backdrop, and were dressed in costumes that reflected the characters they represented.

The performance was well received by officials from Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippine Embassy and foreign ambassadors to Laos.

The AlunAlun Dance Circle (ADC), a non-profit organisation, was established in 1999 by a group of professionals inspired by the beauty and versatility of the Pangalay. The group derives its name from the graceful strength of waves or “alun” that shaped the coastlines as well the diverse cultures of the Philippines.

The troupe aspires to revive, stimulate and sustain interest in ancient Filipino art forms, notable the Pangalay dance style, through comprehensive dance instruction, research and performances.

Since its establishment, the ADC has appeared in hundreds of performances like concerts, national festivities, dance recitals, inaugurals, art exhibits, international conferences, and television shows.

The ADC performed at the 4th Asian Performing Arts Festival in Taipei in 2006 and the following year gave a series of performances in Paris.

In 2009 the group performed for the Philippine embassy in Hanoi on the occasions of the 11th Philippine Independence and National Heritage Month.

The group was also active in teaching Pangalay to young people through both local and international dance workshops.

The show was a great success and gave the people of Vientiane an insight into a beautiful art form with strong cultural roots.

Over the 3 years the competition has been running, 89 countries have sent their short films in for judging.

856 Media House’s Aravan is a three minute film that tells the story of a girl who time-travels to the past by touching forbidden and haunted Lao traditional silk.

The film’s director, Phouthasone Keomoungkhoune said they had spent a month in preparation for the one day it took to shoot the film.

The film invited first runner up of Miss Laos 2013, Ms Piyamarth Phounpasert as the lead as well as models from First Modeling Lao to join as supporting actors says the film’s Director of Photography, Souksakhone Keomoungkhoune.

The film wrapped up production on May 30 and then was sent to the competition for review with the winner expected to be announced on July 2.

Phouthasone said he did not expect to win the grand prize but hoped the film could promote Lao culture on the international stage and encourage more filmmaking in the country, as well as promoting his own local production house.

He also wanted to thank First Modeling Lao for their support and representing with their models.

The film hopes to be a bridge for a bigger project targeted to a Lao audience.

People who want to watch a short clip or vote for the film can visit the website:

http://www.rode.com/myrodereel/watch/entry/2496

The Singapore connection is strong with Kygo, who will be performing here for the first time on the weekend of his 25th birthday. He revealed in a Twitter Q&A last year that he was born in Singapore and spent a few years here as his globe-trotting father worked in the shipping industry.

The mega dance music festival – which will be held on Sept 10 and 11 at a venue dubbed Ultra Park at 1 Bayfront Avenue – will also see the likes of Swedish house music duo Axwell and Ingrosso, Dutch DJ Afrojack, French up-and-comer DJ Snake and Canadian producer Deadmau5 spinning here.

Other artists announced include Asian-American dance music collective Far East Movement, London electronic trio Nero as well as supporting acts Jauz and Marshmello. Other than the main and live stages, Singapore will also host the Resistance stage, which will showcase techno and deep house. Forty artists are expected to be announced in total in the lead-up to the event.

Kygo, whose real name is Kyrre Gorvell-Dahll, has had a meteoric rise in the EDM scene, popularising tropical house music with tracks such as Firestone and Stole The Show.

Even before the release of his debut album Cloud Nine last month, he was already the fastest artist to hit one billion streams on Spotify last year. Unlike many DJs who stay behind the console, the classically-trained pianist’s live shows typically involve him playing keyboards on stage.

Ultra Park will be located in a field across from Marina Bay Sands and the event will run from noon to 10.30pm on both days. Organisers are expecting 25,000 festival-goers each day.

Early bird tickets, which went on sale in January, are sold out, but advance two-day tickets at US$160 (S$215) are still available, and going fast, according to organisers. Premium tickets, which include express entry lanes and premium access to dedicated restrooms and food and beverage stalls, are US$185 each.

Ultra Miami, the flagship 17-year-old festival held in March in Miami, Florida annually, saw headline acts such as Pendulum and Armin van Buuren this year.

Singapore is the only South-east Asian country to host the full-fledged Ultra festival. Last year, it was one of the venues for Road To Ultra, a smaller, one-day event that is part of a series of international dance music parties launched by the producers of the dance music festival brands Ultra and Ultra Worldwide. The event here saw superstar DJs such as Skrillex, Alesso and Nicky Romero playing to a crowd of 11,000 at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre on Sept 19.

The event was organised by the National Artists Group of Laos and Cambodia and witnessed by the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdara, Lao and Cambodian officials, media, and the general public.

A welcoming speech was given by the Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Buangeun Xaphouvong and an opening speech was given by the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia who also led the artist’s delegation to Laos, Ouk Socheat.

Nine colour ful programmes including dance, singing, art, and other musical performances were performed by artists of the National Artist Group of Laos and Cambodia, and all echoed and identified the culture, art and friendship of the two nations.

According to the organising committee, it was a special joint cultural performance in conjunction of the 60th anniversary celebration of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries from June 15, 1965 through June 15, 2016.

Before the performance started, Buangeun went on the stage and warmly welcomed the artist’s delegation from Laos and Cambodia as well as the audience. He also expressed his impressions on the importance and meaning of such an event.

He said that Laos and Cambodia have enjoyed very close mutual traditions and cooperative relations, having a long history fighting against enemies as well as maintaining and protecting peace and independence for their citizens.

“I completely believe that for this important occasion of the Cambodian National Artists Group performing in Vientiane, it will definitely help to promote and enhance closer relations amoungst Lao and Cambodian people and help them to enjoy fruitful and prosperous cooperation and collaboration. The performances will also deepen the cultural understanding between Laos and Cambodia,” he said.

“Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks and warm congratulations to both the Lao National Artist Group and Cambodia for their hard work and active participation; I also would like to extend my best wishes to you all for good health, happiness and great achievements. More importantly I do wish a close relationship between Laos and Cambodia and a very long lasting relationship,” he added.

Ouk Socheat also greatly thanked Buangeun for representing the Lao government and people and for warmly and sincerely welcoming his delegation and artists.

Of course, real people appearing in comic books is hardly a new or rare thing. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby famously wrote (and drew) themselves getting turned away from the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm in 1965’s Fantastic Four Annual #3, while Grant Morrison took the word “comic creator” one step further by writing himself into the 1990 finale of his Animal Man run as the almighty “creator” of the character’s comic-book world.

Throughout the years, there have been numerous appearences by real-life celebrities in comics. Here are some of our favourites.

Muhammad Ali

Superman Vs Muhammad Ali, 1978

The inspiration for today’s article actually came from the recent passing of Muhammad Ali. While he is definitely THE greatest boxer in the ring, he was also once the greatest boxer in the galaxy!

As the story goes, Earth was being invaded by an alien species called the Scrubb. With their armada of spaceships already in position to destroy Earth, the aliens kindly (and frankly, stupidly) gave us Earthlings a chance to prevent the total destruction of our planet – by selecting our greatest champion to fight one on one with THEIR greatest champion. If our champion won, they’d let us go.

The problem is, Earth has two people claiming to be The Greatest – Superman, and Muhammad Ali!

With Superman technically and biologically not an Earthling in the first place, Ali steps up his claim as Earth’s greatest fighter, and backs it up by pummelling a powerless Superman in the ring! Now the undisputed greatest fighter of Earth, he then fights the Scrubb champion and saves us all!

President Barack Obama

Amazing Spider-Man #583, 2009

Obama is probably the celebrity and US President with the most comic-book appearances. Since making his “first appearance” in Licensable BearTM #4 (2007) when he was a senator, he has subsequently appeared in a host of comics, including Savage Dragon #137 and #145, Youngblood #8, Archie Comics #616 and #617, as well as unorthodox takes such as Barack The Barbarian and President Evil (!).

In an article titled “Barack Obama: The 50 facts you might not know” published by Britain’s Daily Telegraph just before he was elected in 2008, it was revealed that Obama is actually a huge Spider-Man and Conan fan!

Hence, it is only fitting that his most famous comic-book appearance would be in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #583, published a week before his inauguration. In it, the Chameleon shows up disguised as Obama, and Spidey has to figure out who the imposter is. After he does so by asking questions only the actual Potus would know, the inauguration goes on without a hitch. The issue went into a fifth printing, making it one of the top-selling comics of the 2000s.

President Bill Clinton

Captain America #450, 1996

If you think that recent expose of Steve Rogers as a Hydra agent was ridiculous, something even more ridiculous (but in a good way) happened 20 years ago during Mark Waid and Ron Garney’s stint on Captain America. In the first part of the Man Without A Country story arc, Cap was accused of committing treason and met then US President Bill Clinton to explain his case. Fearing the media backlash, Clinton took the easiest way out: by stripping Steve of his costume and shield, and exiling him to England!

President Ronald Reagan

The Dark Knight Returns #4, 1986

Last President, we promise! The only reason we HAD to include this was because Reagan was the one who kickstarted THE best Batman vs Superman showdown ever. After the “ruckus” (as Reagan puts it) Batman caused in Gotham, he orders the Government Lackey Of Steel to take down the Dark Knight, leading to that epic showdown in Crime Alley!

Eminem

Eminem/The Punisher #1, 2009

Prior to this one-shot promo comic, I had little knowledge about who Eminem is. After reading it, I found myself wishing even more fervently that the Punisher did exist – so that he can whup Eminem’s butt! Definitely the most “blasphemous” Punisher story ever, it even has Eminem knocking out Frank Castle with a gun-butt to the face! Hmm, I wonder why Jigsaw, Barracuda or the Kingpin never used that approach?

David Letterman

The Avengers #239, 1984

During his prime, legendary talk show host David Letterman interviewed the creme de la creme of celebrities. But the highlight of his career has to be the time he had Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on his show! After saving the world during the day, The Avengers made time for an appearance on the Late Night With David Letterman show. However, wherever our heroes go, trouble tends to follow and this time it came in the form of a B-grade villain named the Mechano-Marauder, who rigged the studio with booby traps! Of course, this is hardly a cataclysmic situation worthy of the Avengers, so in the end, it was left to Letterman himself to deliver the finishing blow to the party pooper!

KISS

Howard The Duck #12, 1977

KISS is a band that is perfect for comics, and they knew it. Throughout the band’s four-decade existence, there have been numerous comic books bearing their name and image, published by Marvel Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Platinum Studios, Archie Comics, and IDW Publishing, among others.

However, it was Marvel that gave the band its start in comics, in the pages of, er, Howard The Duck back in 1977, in which they appeared after an exorcism! The small cameo became popular enough that the band was featured in a few more instalments of the Marvel Super Special line.

Stephen Colbert

Amazing Spider-Man #573, 2008

Taking a cue from Letterman’s experience, Stephen Colbert (then host of Comedy Central’s late-night show The Colbert Report) chose to boost his “fantasy” presidential campaign by appearing in a back-up Spidey tale. Having interviewed Joe Quesada (then Marvel’s editor-in-chief) on several occasions, Colbert got his reciprocal wish by tag-teaming with Spidey against the Grizzly. Even though it had little impact on contnuity, I must admit that this offbeat tale was worth the effort.

The cast of Saturday Night Live

Marvel Team-Up #74, 1978

This tale had Spidey and Mary Jane Watson going for a live recording of comedy show Saturday Night Live, featuring comedians John Belushi, Bill Murray, Garrett Morris and Laraine Newman, among others.

If you found the Silver Samurai corny during his appearance in The Wolverine movie, blame it on this unorthodox outing, as the Samurai visits the set of Saturday Night Live in search of a ring that turns out to be in the possession of the late Belushi.

While it may sound lopsided, pitting someone who has tangled with Wolverine against a bunch of comedians, the final outcome actually saw the underdogs running riot all over the Samurai!

Allen Funt

Action Comics #345, 1967

The title of the story – The Day Candid Camera Unmasked Superman’s Identity! – really should tell you what this is all about. In one of the silliest real-world-meets-comics crossovers ever, Allen Funt, host of classic reality prank show Candid Camera, goes to Metropolis and tries to reveal the Man Of Steel’s secret identity on national TV.