Neither East Nor West

Two days ago I went to a beautiful exhibition at the Asian Civilization Museum called "Neither East Nor West." It was a beautiful B&W photographic exhibition of portraits of Asian dignitaries, diplomats and socialites taken at the turn of the 20th century. Some were taken in London when Asians were visiting the city. While others were taken in one of Singapore's oldest studios - the GR Lambert & Co which shut down in 1919. The photos together with the accompanying text talked about Asians who embraced western fashion and sensibilities while retaining their ethnic identity. One of the more interesting portraits was a picture of an Indian general who had three distinct uniforms depending on the occasion - one for Indian events, one in his military costume and another in a Western suit and hat. This showed the ease in which Asians moved between the different world and how they adorned different "costumes" to facilitate their entry and acceptance into the different communities within which they operated. What I loved about the exhibition was that it did not seek to polarize identities into either East OR West. Instead it recognized that we all borrow ideas, sensibilities and fashion from other cultures and evolve our personalities and identities freely without allowing labels like East or West to constrain us. How liberating !!!