It is the new year and you might be thinking about charting a new course for yourself this year. Perhaps you want to sweep away the old, and bring in the new.  Could you use a fresh perspective about yourself?

Recently we published an interview with a singer/songwriter who has released a new song called I Am a Work of Art. Haikaa has shared the English translation of her song and we would like to share it with you. The lyrics are a beautiful ode to life and the value of accepting ourselves as we are.

What do you think about this topic? Please leave a comment using the comment function below or by visiting our Facebook page. We would love to hear from you!

I Am a Work of Art

TURKISH

Not being able to choose the right words
Won’t make me worthless before you
The appearance of life as if it’s meaningless
Doesn’t necessarily mean it is that way

MANDARIN

Every time my heart beats
It doesn’t do it just for me
It does it to touch you
And to show the world

GREEK

I am a work of art
I truly believe
I am truly worthy
That is why I know very well
I am a work of art
Yes, I know very well
My original self
Is like nobody else
I am a work of art

KOREAN

Just because I can’t put it into words
It doesn’t mean that I cannot be accepted
The fact that I am not understood
Doesn’t make my life confusing

FRENCH

I can’t make you
See inside my heart
But my desires
Are truly real

ARMENIAN

I am a work of art
Colorful pictures
Happy and smiley faces
Boys and girls
I am a work of art
The happiness of my life
Lovely way
Colorful nature
I am a work of art

SPANISH

When I look in the mirror
I see what I see
Here, face to face with myself
I know I am different

DUTCH

I am a work of art
My ideals are real
I deserve to be seen
That’s why I believe
I am a work of art
And I know very well
My original self
Is like nobody else
I am a work of art

PORTUGUESE

I don’t want to suffer
To find out only later
What was easy to see
I am a work of art
I would rather see myself
As someone who is capable
Of always wanting more
I am a work of art

JAPANESE

Let me hear the words
That will make loneliness
Go away
In a world of understanding
Not even words
Would be necessary

ARABIC

My heart doesn’t beat without a reason
It explodes from the beauty of love

ITALIAN

I am a work of art
I don’t want to suffer
Only to later understand
What is easy to see
I am a work of art
I would rather see
How I am capable
Of always wanting more
I am a work of art

GUARANI M’BYA

I think it’s difficult to say it
I can’t explain it
Just with words
I know you can’t really understand me
I’m a little different
For you

DANISH

We are all unique in our own way
Created in a single moment
Of quiet perfection

LUSHOOTSEED

To be added later…

CANTONESE

I am inside the mirror
I can see a ray of light
Brand new colors
Of an incessant pursuit of this beauty

HEBREW

I am a work of art
My truth deserves to be seen
That’s why I believe
I am work of art
And I know very well
My original self
Is like nobody else
I am a work of art

GERMAN

I don’t want to suffer anymore
I want to understand everything, oh yeah
I have no problem being guided
I am a work of art
I feel it deep inside of me
How can I explain this to you
Everywhere I turn I see new doors

FRENCH

I am a work of art

TURKISH

My ideals are real
I should be recognized
I believe that

GERMAN
I am a work of art

TURKISH

I know that
I, myself
Not anyone else

GUARANI M’BYA
I am a work of art

JAPANESE

The me who always wonders
In search of an answer
My journey will go on

SPANISH

I am a work of art

JAPANESE

I wipe off my tears
Looking forward to tomorrow
I will spread my wings

ITALIAN

I am a work of art

DANISH

See me as I am
That is why I believe

HEBREW

I am a rare painting

DANISH

There is no one like me
My true self
Is like no one else

PORTUGUESE

I am a work of art

ARMENIAN

Colorful pictures
Happy and smiley faces
Boys and girls

Related

We Are Works of Art (Interview)

Singer/Song Writer Haikaa Yamamoto recently released a video related to her song Work of Art.  The song represents a multilingual, international collaboration between the singer/song writer and lyricist/collaborators around the world.  We asked Haikaa and Effie Kontaxaki, one of the lyricist collaborators, to share their stories about their experience working on the song.

Haikaa Yamamoto, Singer/Song Writer

I truly believe in God and that there’s a reason why we are here. I always try to do what I think is the right thing but that doesn’t always turn out right.  So “I am a work of art” is a mantra I decided to write for myself so that I would stay on the right path. People’s opinions of me were sometimes not very flattering but there was a moment when I realized that I had to have the courage to be who I was because I really didn’t have another choice, did I?  To be able to look at myself as I am and honestly appreciate that I am a continuous work in progress –  I don’t think it ever ends.

My relentlessness in the pursuit of my musical career had a lot to do with an equally intense urge to express what I had inside of me. And to express what I had inside of me I had to know what it was that I had inside of me first. I had many voices in my head that had become intrinsically related to my personality but they had a lot more to do with conventions than with my true feelings. So knowing myself has been a process of identifying what´s in me what´s real and what´s not, what serves me and what doesn´t. And this song is precisely about that.

From a broader perspective the song Work of Art is a celebration of the uniqueness of every individual and the diversity that results from this uniqueness. I felt that this could be a universal theme and that it would be amazing to be able to sing about that in as many languages as possible. Based on the principle of “Six Degrees of Separation”, which states that all citizens in the world are at maximum six degrees apart from each other, I started contacting the people I knew. They in turn introduced me to people they knew and after a year and a half, I had 19 full versions of the song. Out of all these versions, only two were written by people I knew before the project. I managed to connect with everybody else through the music.

I ended up with certain versions just because I happened to connect with someone who got the message behind the song from that particular country. On the other hand, I also decided I wanted to include two native Indian languages (one from North America and one from South America) because of the wisdom that I feel native people have in their relationship with nature. That took a lot of research on the internet, hundreds of emails and a couple of international phone calls to finally be able to reach those two lyricists.

This project would not have been possible without the Internet and broad band connection. I was Skyping with people around the world and around the clock because of the time zone differences, especially during the recordings when I had to get people’s feedbacks on my pronunciation. I also found some people through social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn.

The greatest thing I learned was that many people around the world are on the same vibe. When we read about dreadful news in the newspaper, I think we’re actually reading about the world of politics – the world of struggle for power, however, when you break it down to the level of people, there’s good and there’s understanding. My connection with people happened very fast without much explanation. I showed them the song and talked in general about what it was about and the bond was established.

For example, finding the Guarani Native Indian was very difficult because they’re not really online. First I managed to get in touch with a caucasian woman called Lucineia Vieira who is a friend of the tribe and she is the one who opened the doors and led me to my first encounter with Karai Nheery (Guarani Lyricist) in the tribe. I had expected to just meet him and then the songwriting process would begin but when I got there the lyrics were practically ready. He said to me “when Lucineia brought me the song and I read the lyrics, I knew that this song was about me”.

The greatest driving force in my life is love, and that has led me to sail on an ocean without a map. It’s frightening, uncertain and totally unpredictable but it has taught me to look up at the sky to find my guiding stars.  And it´s nice to live life looking at the stars.

Effie Kontaxaki

In April 2009 I received an email from a very good friend of mine, Pamela Chan, who I met when I lived in Tokyo, Japan, asking if someone could help Haikaa with different languages, including the Greek version of Work Of Art. Along with Pamela’s E-mail, there was an attachment of Haikaa’s E-mail describing her project and mentioning that Work of Art is a song that talks about the beauty of diversity and tolerance. I felt that this was a concept that perfectly expresses family and me, and it was a great opportunity for me to communicate a wonderful message to the world.  Without any hesitation, I contacted Haikaa.

When I first heard the English song Work of Art, my initial reaction was to burst into tears. It was first time in my life that a song touched my soul so deeply. When I paid attention to the lyrics, I had no doubt that this song was about me.

Then the greatest challenge came! How could I find the real words and pass along the deep meaning of the song without changing it? How could I help an artist to sing in Greek when she has never spoken Greek and as she lives on the other side of the globe?

I grew up in an international family both in Greece and Japan, with a Greek father and a Japanese mother, and later married a Korean man in the United States.  I have two wonderful children who represent four different countries and three continents.  I can definitively describe our family members as “citizens of the World”.  The song describes us whole heartedly.

During the 1 1/2 years of our collaboration, I had the most wonderful experience of meeting Haikaa online and exchanging several E-mails with her. From the beginning I felt there was chemistry and we were able to share many deep thoughts.  I want to share with you a part of one of her E-mails to me, because this is the key point of how I was able to get connected with her more than 100%, even though we’re physically miles and miles apart, and we have not yet met in person.  

“Diversity has truly been an important part of my life to the extent that it has enabled me to look at myself and at life beyond customs, circumstances and traditions. When I sing “I am a work of art”, I really am saying that I embrace myself exactly as I am, no labels, no tribes, nothing easily identifiable. As E. E. Cummings put it, “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” Except that I make it a point to be optimistic, not to fight but to celebrate instead. Also, I don´t believe you have to be sad to be deep, as many artists do. That’s why I chose pop music. There are no rules as long as it sounds good. ”

Haikaa’s vision for the project – faith, love and great communication skills with all the lyricists – has been my guiding star along this way.

Working on the Greek version of the song and singing “I am a work of art” via Skype along with Haikaa was a healing process for me. The song itself gave me the opportunity to remember and heal from the struggles I faced going to a Greek school in Greece back in 1980s when my sister and I were the only Asian looking children in the entire school district and they called us “Chinese”. Or when I graduated from the Greek High school and decided to move to Japan to attend University. I was the only “white” girl in the entire school and everyone wanted to be friends with me, just because I looked different. Or when I married a Korean man and lived in an entirely Korean community of over 10,000 Koreans living in the United States, while I was the only outsider. Or how it is being back home in Greece now, raising my two beautiful Asian looking children in a Greek community.

Every single step along the way “I am a work of art” and my children are “a work of art”.  Honestly, I am very proud of my little children because I know how strong they are inside and how much they are embracing their uniqueness even though they were born in the United States and live in Greece now.

My dad once said “Effie, what is important is not your gender, your age, your skin color, etc.  What is important is your heart. So, brush up the diamond of your heart and make the people around you see the sprinkle of that diamond”.

Like my dad did in his very own way, and as I carried these words deep in my heart as my guiding star, I believe it is my time to teach my children, through this song, the true values of “self-acceptance, celebration of diversity, tolerance and love”. I want to dedicate the Greek version of the Song to my beloved angels Jessica and Yorgos/Joel.  If they ever feel that people cannot understand the beauty of their “work of art”, they can listen to this song wherever they are and lift up their spirit, as Haikaa did for me during this time.

The greatest benefit from working on a multi-linguistic, international project was building relationships within the family, with the artist and with the rest of the world through the other lyricists.  It was the ideal opportunity to start talking with my children about how great and wonderful God has created them in their uniqueness and diverse background.  They always say “mummy let’s listen to our song” (meaning the Greek version of Work of Art). They dance, sing and express their feelings celebrating their uniqueness.

One Saturday morning, my 5 year old boy said “Mummy when I grow up I want to be a singer so that I can compose songs for you!” He picked up his very own melody and started singing “mommy you are wonderful, and how much I love my mama” in Greek!

Getting to know Haikaa was such a joy. She is a wonderful person with a gentle spirit and has shared the beautiful story of her life with me. I feel I have made a very good friend with someone thousands of miles away who shares a common vision.

Haikaa also put in practice and taught all the collaborators about “Six Degrees of Separation”. Although I have never talked with or met the rest of the lyricists, we all feel very closely connected through this project. We all have experienced, in one way or the other, the true values of the song Work of Art.  Although we are each unique and diverse in our backgrounds, at the same time we are so much alike.

As Haikaa once said, “When you feel good, that becomes your point of attraction and then only good can flow into your life.”  The Greek Version of Work of Art is an experience of a lifetime and gift to myself, to my children and to all the citizens of the world!

While I was writing the Greek version of Work of Art I experienced how amazing it is to transform words and strong feelings into music. Good things will happen through this project, because God’s work is still in expansion and I am extremely blessed to be part of this.

What do you think about this topic?  Please leave a comment using the comment function below or by visiting our Facebook page.  We would love to hear from you!

Related

Haikaa Yamamoto’s website

Videos

Video of Haikaa discussing the song Work of Art in English

Video of Haikaa discussing the song Work of Art in Portugeuse

Video of Haikaa working with Zalmai Zahir, of the Suquamish First Nations, working on the song in Lushootseed

Video of Tunca Zen, from Turkey, discussing the Work of Art project

Video of  Federico Rio, from Italy, discussing the Work of Art project

LIZ PHILLIPS

“This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love: the more they give, the more they possess.” Reiner Maria Rilke

In 2008, my apartment in Montreal burned down with everything I have ever owned in it. When people heard the news, many gasped, “your paintings!” I was taken aback by this response because a painting is something that I can make again, whereas my photo albums from childhood are simply gone.

But the fire gave me a precious gift: knowing that I carry painting within me.

I started painting when I was eight. We were living in Manila at the time. A local family had set up an oil-painting studio in a strip mall near our house. I walked by the store-front studio every time I went to the grocery store with my mother. I begged her to please let me have painting lessons. Please, please, pretty please! That Christmas, I got lessons.

I have been painting steadily ever since.

I have always loved painting people. Their faces are landscapes. What I see is each person’s particular hills and valleys, lights and shadows, rich reds, sun-dappled yellows, and crisp blues, all playing a kind of musical chairs that, when the music stops, freeze into unique and lovely expressions of their humanity.

Making paintings is the first thing I did after my fire. I had moved into my father’s house while he was away for the winter. I bought an easel and a few brushes and some basic paint colours. I didn’t know what to paint, so I started with an old picture of my father from the 1970s, as well as a picture of me as a child from the same period, both of which I found in his desk (the child in me snooping for something to play with).

Then I decided to do something I’d never done before – paint a picture from my imagination. This woman emerged. Her sadness was my sadness, but painting her also lifted my sadness.

Since then, I have slowly rebuilt my painting practice, portrait-by-portrait.

Painting children was the most natural path for me because I am surrounded by my brothers’ and friends’ kids. I adore their open expressions, their direct way of gazing into the camera, which mirrors their direct way of gazing at the world – accepting it exactly as it is, engaging with it on its own terms.

When making a portrait commission, I try to recreate the person’s singular expression, or a particularly memorable moment, through a full spectrum of delicious colours and textures that transform the image into something more than itself, something with presence.

I work from photographs, choosing, with the client, the picture that best captures the expression or moment of the person or people I will be painting. But a photograph, no matter how beautiful, will always be flat. An oil painting, on the other hand, has this uncanny ability to recast the material world as a lush emotional, psychological, and dreamlike other world, one with a frosting-like surface that caresses the imagination and lights the heart on fire. A portrait not only reminds us of who we love, and how we love, it also honours and celebrates those we love, the people deeply nestled in our hearts

Recently, I have been thinking about my Montreal apartment fire and what it has meant to my life. It occurred to me that the paintings that did survive the fire were those that I had ether sold or given away as gifts – many to friends, which means I still get to see them. It reconfirmed to me that putting something out into the world is the best way to preserve it. Paintings of children are my way of putting more love into the world because their expressive faces remind me of just how fulfilling it is to lavish love on the precious people in our lives.

Liz works with you to choose the best photograph for your painting commission, translating the image into a lush, one-of-a-kind oil painting that will delight for generations. Liz lives in Toronto with her dog, Shy, who walks Liz at least three times a day.  You can learn more about Liz’s work at her website or contact her at 416.530.0752 or at liz@commons.ca.

Portrait commission prices for 2010 (includes HST for people living in Ontario):

12″ x 12″ up to 12″ x 16″ – $550 (one face)

24″ x 24″ up to 24″ x 30″ – $750 (one face) $1,100 (two faces)

36″ x 36″ up to 36″ x 40″ – $950 (one face) $1,440 (two to three faces)

What do you think about this topic?  You can leave us a comment using the comment function below.  We’d love to hear from you!

You might be wondering if the Vancouver Art Gallery still has nights when the entrance is free. The good news is that they do. Of course by “free” we mean that it is “entrance by donation”.  (By Donation Tuesdays are sponsored by Sun Life Financial group.)  Every Tuesday between 5 and 9 PM you will need to line up at the admissions desk and purchase a ticket by making a donation. This could be the ideal option for you and your family, should you wish to see the latest world class exhibition currently at the VAG. This exhibition of rarely seen drawings from the Musée d’Orsay will close on September 6th. This means that there are two “by donation” Tuesdays left. We recommend that you not leave your visit to the last day when it could be very crowded.

The Modern Woman: Drawings by Degas, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Other Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay is the first major touring exhibition from the Musée d’Orsay. If you have had a chance to visit the museum in Paris you will know how fabulous their collection is. Similarly this exhibition, featuring 100 drawings in charcoal, coloured pencil and pastel, does not disappoint. If the children in your life are particularly keen about drawing using various media, there is much to inspire in this show.  They might find a new favourite artist or might want to try a specific technique afterwards.

The exhibition looks at the evolution of artistic practice in the 19th century, as well as the changes taking place for women in French society. The public world of society, theatre, dance and the private realm of the home and domestic pursuits are featured. Children will also enjoy seeing the period film showing views from Paris taken from the Eiffel Tower. Just beyond the final room there is a shop full of charming items related to the exhibition.

If you love all things Impressionist and Parisian, you will definitely want to make time for this exhibition.  You just might have a skip in your step and feel like you’ve been on an outing in Paris after you leaving the gallery. The only thing left to do is to head on over to the Cafe Crepe on Granville for a sweet ending to your outing.

What do you think about this topic? Let us know by leaving a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!

Getting There

Complete information (including a map) courtesy of the Vancouver Art Gallery website

Related

VAG Admission rates (Note:  Summer rates are higher until September 6th)

Vancouver Art Gallery description

Slideshow of images on display

Impressionist pastel drawing inspired by Claude Monet painting: video (note the original is placed upside down)

Books

Monet and the Impressionists for Kids:  Their Lives and Ideas, 21 Activities

Off the Wall Museum Guides for Kids:  Impressionist Art

Katie Meets the Impressionists