Over 100 works by Salvador Dali will be on show at Dali: The Pierre Argillet Collection. Argillet was Dali’s friend and publisher, and owns one of the most spectacular collections of Dali’s work. His daughter Christine tells us what it was like growing up with Dali.

What was your impression of Dali?

Dali was a workaholic, very much into his projects with my father. He was always busy with his paintings and talking to all kinds of people—from scientists with whom he spoke about DNA research, bakers with whom he was preparing the longest baguette in the world with, Vogue magazine when they had Dali design their summer issue, fashion designers and models—all these people would mingle together in his hotel in Paris. He loved being in the center of the royal court.

What do you remember of his working style?

Dali would stay in his home in Port Lligat, Spain, working from early morning to late afternoon on his paintings. He tried all kinds of materials—he worked on his copper plates with roulettes, scissors, nails, diamond and ruby stylus; he even asked for my mother’s lipstick to draw with. One day, he had found on the seashore a beautiful dead octopus, which he immersed in acid and imprinted on a copper plate. From this animal imprint, Dali created the Medusa from the Mythology series, which will be on display during this exhibition.

Which are your favorite pieces in the collection and why?

My favorite pieces are those where Dali used unusual tools or broke new ground, like the Hippies series. Dali placed different time periods and places together—you would discover Don Quixote next to a hippie with a guitar, a Buddhist temple and Santiago of Compostela. Dali wanted to put a link in between the various cultures of the world, and the Hippies were a fantastic vector between East and West during the 60’s.

What’s your most vivid memory of Dali?

My father had organized a huge meeting in Paris where Dali was going to etch in public—there were maybe 200 journalists present. When Dali arrived, he had strange, fixed eyes. He went on stage, drew furiously in a whirl and then left abruptly. My father ran after him, but Dali left without saying a word. A few days later, I went to his hotel with my father to bring him the copper plate, and we found out that Dali, following Timothy Leary’s suggestions, had taken LSD for the first time on the day of the public etching. A few days later, he etched the Women in the Waves, which is one of the most striking etchings of the Hippies series.

Dali: The Pierre Argillet Collection is on from Mar 22-Apr 20 at Redsea Gallery. Free.

Movie Month
Singapore Art Museum’s eye-opening Southeast Asian Film Festival is back this year for its fourth edition. This almost month-long affair promises to be as impressive as the last one, with opportunities to catch rare documentaries and challenging indie films from the region, as well as meet their creators. That’s not all SAM has planned; keep your eyes peeled for an exhibition of art works in response to earth science in March, and a mega-exhibition of their permanent collection in April. Stay tuned at www.singaporeartmuseum.sg for more updates.

Culture Club
Hot on the heels of Mosaic Music Festival’s swan song (Mar 7-16) is another eclectic music fest that’s about to please your ears with Latin, Afro, soul, funk and brass band sounds. With a lineup of acts like Blitz & Squash Brass Band from Japan, our very own funk-metal band The Voodoo Sound, and DJs including the much-loved Kilowatt crew, this year’s Culture Clash Festival (Mar 22, 5pm onwards. 22 Dempsey Rd., 6476-5961) looks pretty damn good. Save the date and get dancing shoes for this one. Read more at www.facebook.com/cultureclashsingapore.

Checking In
Trend alert: This year, you’ll want to be seen at hotel bars, which, judging by the slew of recent openings, are no longer stuffy. Upping the game are casual-cool gastropub Cook & Brew and Anti:dote—the latter even has a hipster herb garden. Hotels are also collaborating with drink experts, like Spanish cocktail legend Javier de las Muelas for One-Ninety Bar and “mod Sin mixologists” Mixes From Mars at Duxton’s Mars Bar.

Can you compise a tweet about your exhibition?
Solo exhibition 100 Faces features a bold new style that will invite viewers to re-think paintings, exclusively at Sundaram Tagore Gallery. (Exactly 140 characters!)

What will art goers see at the show?
This new body of work focuses on three series: Faces, Stacks and Portraits, and will attempt to challenge the ways in which viewers approach and perceive paintings. The Portrait series comprises eight paintings of predominantly smooth, white surfaces that have been poked, jabbed and scraped to reveal swaths of opulent colors hidden beneath the surface. There’s also a Stacks series, three chromatic pillars of piled up paintings with their edges exposed. Curious viewers may attempt to see the face of the painting, but only the collector who owns the entire stack will actually get to see it.

How does the new exhibition relate to your past works?
In the past, I mostly experimented with Western-influenced painting techniques, such as building layers upon a surface. I started rethinking my art practice to bring in my experience of Eastern philosophy, which is expressed beautifully in Chinese paintings where the empty spaces are often the focal point or essence.

What's a typical day in your life?
My early morning routine includes yoga, breathing exercises, morning walks, feeding stray animals and reading books. After that, I have breakfast and get to my studio at around 11. I often work for the entire day in the studio, then head back home for dinner and playtime with my pets before going to bed by 11pm. I don't watch TV these days.

100 Faces is on through Mar 2 at Sundaram Tagore Gallery.

I get inspired when I’m traveling on the airplane, bus or train. Sometimes ideas also strike when I’m watching a movie—so I have to take out my notebook and write in the dark.

There’s no distinction between my weekends and weekdays because I’m constantly working, either as a teacher or as a filmmaker.

I’ve been reading Pablo Neruda’s poems, and some books by local writers that I real ly like, like Daren Shiau’s Heartland—one of my favorite novels.

I made my first video installation when I was a teenager. I did video at O-level, which scared the hell out of my teacher, because nobody had ever done it before.

I’m annoyed at myself when I’m late and I’m annoyed at other people when they’re late—which is why I’m annoyed at myself when I’m late.

I don’t like to think of myself as being very old.

True happiness is when you’re completely at ease with yourself and with what you’re doing.

The only dream I can remember is of a vampire chasing me. I realized I was dreaming and told myself that if I closed my eyes and jumped on the spot twice I would wake up. Yes, I watched a lot of Hong Kong vampire films.

It’s so much more enjoyable to watch other people’s films than to watch your own. I’ve learnt that filmmakers don’t sit in their own film screenings. They introduce the film and walk out.

I can never finish anything. Even right now when I watch my films, I’ll feel like re-editing them. People think I’m very melancholic and quiet. But most of the time I’m observing and listening.

I have a love-hate relationship with Singapore. When I’m here I feel stifled and claustrophobic—I don’t like that big city feeling.

But I cannot make films anywhere else. When I’m out of Singapore, I don’t connect in a deep way with the place and the people.

Somehow, there are things in Singapore that hold me back and stop me from leaving. There are always so many more opportunities when you’re in your own country.