Arty Farty People Normally NOT Cultured

I was out with my folks on Sunday aka Father's Day, brought my dad, mum and my lil' sis who just got back from New York, to taste some fine Chinese cuisine and dim sum brunch. We were brunching near Tanglin and decided to get replacement pots for our water feature at home. A friend who does pottery lessons suggested that we can head down to this pottery place at Tanglin Place, and perhaps get them replaced - little did I know it almost spoilt our wonderful day. Here is what took place as we stepped into Bxxx's Pottery:

Mom: Wondering if you do pottery? Do you have such pots?
Man: (Looking at our sample pot) We don't do custom pots. Our pots here are made like art.
Mom: So you cannot make such pots?
Man: Yes, I can but we don't do it. Anyway this is low temp, ours is high temp.
Mom: So you don't make such pots?
Man: Can do but we won't make custom pots?
Mom: But if we ask you to do, how much do you think it will cost.
Man: We don't make custom pots, anyway.. (picks up a small pot) anyway this here cost S$180, your pot size will cost at least double.
Mom: So about S$300 odd.
Man: Yes and we normally need to do 3 at one time. (Me thinking here - thought you don't do custom pots? So if I throw money at you, you will lar)
Man: Anyway ours is art, our clients are Ministers and celebrities. (Pointing to some Minister photo, and Wong Li Lin doing pottery photos) Yours is low temp mass produced pots.
Mom: Do you know where else I can go to get it replaced?
Man: Very few people will do it.

I was already walking out with bated breath, rushing out of the shop to curse with greater ease.

Pot is similar to this size, and ours is just about 4 times the height.


From what I experienced on Sunday, I realised arty farty people aren't cultured at all. No display of gracefullness observed but a air of "atas" (snobbish) attitude is whiffed instead. It is easily deduced how their "air" came about.


Let's take an example, where back in the 80s, the rich plays golf because they need it for business and it makes sense having corporate country club memberships. For some, doing well in golf is a matter of keeping up with appearances. And they often speak about golf with respect to the expensive equipment they purchased. Recent years of lowered barrier of entry to golf courses with advent of sprouted places in Johor Bahru, Bintan etc allowed many to enjoy the sport. Many friends of mine have managed to indulge in the sport with great passion and totally without "atas" air - they mostly speak about the distance they can hit and where is the best value for money golf range to practise.

Similarly, with new wealth coming into families quickly in the past decade from enbloc sales, to stock market, we start to see a new class arising where perhaps they think their new found status is much to be envied. They think that buying art makes them feel cultured (see my previous post on defining culture) akin to playing golf, makes them think they are of a higher plateau. And with that came the arts tradesmen who think they are of a higher status over the other trades. I remembered studying about local sculptor Ng Eng Teng to pioneer female artist Georgette Chen in my secondary school days. The struggles they go through, the road less travelled was a beaten and weary one.

So how could art which is suppose to infuse culture into oneself become so displaced? Such haughty behaviour is strange somewhat as I do not see any offence done from my aged Mom's point of view. Were we in any way being disrespectful or could we have been better redirected?

Anyway, I do hope its just one black sheep that we have met and this will not be a sweeping statement for all Arty Farty people. Like golf, it will be just a matter of time before art is available to the masses, and there will be more pottery places, galleries etc. For more information on Singapore artists. Go to Singapore Art.