7.6.11
8.5.11
perfect world
Amidst the amalgamation process of photography within realm of visual art, especially in context of Indonesia, which its echoes felt in the last five years, one actually could feel its tendency to erect more boundaries related to definition or character of each medium. Of course, the matters of alignment and crossing has become an almost certain thing in such practice of contemporary art, therefore the relation between them becomes more complex and acceptable as it is.
Works of Akiq AW and Agung Nugroho Widhi in some certain ways reflect their ability to do more than just mirroring reality. Each of them took interest in investigating perceptions on how natural environment being constructed by its particular patterns of social cultural. Both of them explored the spaces around them, then probing into environment of their everyday lives and watching its visual reality from a different point of view.
Their work method has more similarities to academic researcher. They didn’t create, change or manipulate visual reality like most of recent visual artist, but they collected the similar visual phenomenon and use them as the main data resource, then framed and gave them new reading so those visual realities now having a new meaning.
Of his project, The Order of Things, Akiq AW focused on idea about how daily life actually also reflects one’s ability to create art. He searched for forms of human inventions, common people that is, then framed them as “art work,” mainly which referred to definition and forms of installation. There are three key words in his series, interaction between things, forms which was produced incidentally or accidentally, and found and practiced system. Here, we see that the composition of things, that catches our eyes in everyday social environment, actually builds a connection in-between themselves, therefore they have their own narration.
Meanwhile, Agung, since 2008 has started his interesting project called Artificially Natural which described human tendency to create visual image with artificial nature, but using a very realistic approach in order to get as close as its real form. Through this series, he attempts to challenge our perception of reality and to re-analyze conceptions, restrictions or tensions between reality and illusion.
The title of Perfect World mainly represents how visual images from both of these projects talk about illusion of human and nature. The tension between them, especially the one which comes from human whose position is more dominant and active, could be the main discourse amid some ranting about how severe our nature(al) situation is. The idea of presenting (illusion about) a perfect world is a provocation which challenges us to re-view our already established perception about the world around us. Human tendency to overcome and manipulate nature, beyond its forced condition, could also be viewed within an interesting aesthetics framework. Sometimes, even everyday objects, like art itself, is an incidental result of the complex sign systems that we firmly believe.
Alia Swastika
Of his project, The Order of Things, Akiq AW focused on idea about how daily life actually also reflects one’s ability to create art. He searched for forms of human inventions, common people that is, then framed them as “art work,” mainly which referred to definition and forms of installation. There are three key words in his series, interaction between things, forms which was produced incidentally or accidentally, and found and practiced system. Here, we see that the composition of things, that catches our eyes in everyday social environment, actually builds a connection in-between themselves, therefore they have their own narration.
Meanwhile, Agung, since 2008 has started his interesting project called Artificially Natural which described human tendency to create visual image with artificial nature, but using a very realistic approach in order to get as close as its real form. Through this series, he attempts to challenge our perception of reality and to re-analyze conceptions, restrictions or tensions between reality and illusion.
The title of Perfect World mainly represents how visual images from both of these projects talk about illusion of human and nature. The tension between them, especially the one which comes from human whose position is more dominant and active, could be the main discourse amid some ranting about how severe our nature(al) situation is. The idea of presenting (illusion about) a perfect world is a provocation which challenges us to re-view our already established perception about the world around us. Human tendency to overcome and manipulate nature, beyond its forced condition, could also be viewed within an interesting aesthetics framework. Sometimes, even everyday objects, like art itself, is an incidental result of the complex sign systems that we firmly believe.
Exhibition Curator
12.1.11
angsana
I'm participating on this exhibition with other photographers from Southeast Asia, Angsana: Southeast Photographers Taking Flight at 2902 Gallery, Singapore. This is a fringe event of ArtStage Singapore 2010.
21.12.10
on camera
The visual art exhibition, On Camera, signifies an important phase in MES 56’s passage as part of a discourse in the contemporary arts in Indonesia. In Yogyakarta, 2002, MES 56 was established during the time when the Indonesian photography has a strong tendency to only be explored in the realm of journalism. Their goal: introduce new approaches in the field of photography by positioning it in the filed of arts and, at the same time, question the role of photography in presenting reality.
On the contrary, in presenting romanticism or dramatizing reality in the contemporary art contexts, the artworks from the group fundamentally present criticism towards the phenomenon in the daily lives of ordinary people. They have positioned photography as a medium to present ideas and imaginations, to play with reality through visual images that are humorous and not dramatized. At the same time they question photography as a medium in the contemporary art world which its existential adjacent to the rapid development of technologies for producing visual images. The rapid change in technologies encourages photographers to adapt their perspective and ideology on their roles in social lives. They have observed how photography became the most democratic medium for the general public, particularly now when technology is less costly and easier to access.
In the present art scene, ideas that are introduced by MES 56 have become one separate genre on visual arts in Indonesia, which in the last two years, became widely spread and exhibited in many commercial galleries. On the other hand, there are still discussions amongst audiences on how to ‘perceive’ the new trend that is seen as a radical new perspective on photography. All the more, this question also emerges amongst artists, curators and critics. In a certain ways, MES 56 artworks are placed into something subversive.
The exhibition explores ideas about the camera itself, which has always been defined only as an object (tool). Conversely, the exploration on the camera notions a new ideology in photography. In realizing this design, they focus on how a camera became a representation of how to perceive the world; a representation on “how to see” (the way of seeing). Each artist questions their own relationship with the camera, how they define photography and how they present basic questions on introducing new ideology in photography.
All of the exhibited artworks in On Camera deal with layers of reality that now develops beyond their position as representations of what is here and now, what is actual and recent. The relationship between the layers of reality with the context of lens and camera, questions on memories, reconstruction of the past, and visualization of the future became the main ideas that are put forward by the artists. Relating to the development of technology, the artists demonstrate how easy it is to play with reality: re-create, manipulate, control and freeze moments. What is identified as “reality representation” itself, has transformed into something of a wider scope; starting from daily practical lives, objects and still life, to landscape and architecture. The broad scope of this visual theme shows similarities and differences of each artist as a group, especially their expressions in responding the social theme and cultural landscape of contemporary society.
While underlining the political value of a camera as a medium, and how it is put to use in the contemporary art, at the same time, the exhibition also captures, in a unique way, the current reality of the daily lives in the global society. Consequently, in exploring the possibility of breaking the limit of a camera and the definition of its function, this artist collective is setting its foot as an influential group in the Indonesian contemporary visual art scene.
Venue: BIASA ArtSpace
Jl. Raya Seminyak No. 34
Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
December 16th, at 6 pm
Contact:
email : media@biasaart.com
www.biasaart.com
The last image above are my works. Still Life Study series - (left): Still Life Study #2: freezing the falling snow on a strange tropical lake (right): Still Life Study #1: capturing a moment in a windy garden party
Taking picture is an act of imitating.....
Taking picture is an effort or act to imitate. A photograph is an imitation of something which is seen by our eyes; a representation of reality. What we see or perceive as "reality", in the end will be in a distance with photographic reality, (or with) the one which was captured or frozen by camera. In this body of work, I try to re-investigate and challenge the concept or the act of "imitating" and photographic moment. I arranged several object (toys or miniatures) in such manner, and put them as if it might be, to re-actualize, to reconstruct what we perceive as "imitating what we see".
still life is a dead and static thing, basically....
Still life or photography, basically is a "dead thing" or frozen image. I consider that "still" means "dead". In these pictures, I constructed or arranged those objects as if they were moving toward into one point, and (or) pressing the shutter release button on the camera at the time when they were moving into their next moments. "To make the stills to be more alive..."
Taking picture is an effort or act to imitate. A photograph is an imitation of something which is seen by our eyes; a representation of reality. What we see or perceive as "reality", in the end will be in a distance with photographic reality, (or with) the one which was captured or frozen by camera. In this body of work, I try to re-investigate and challenge the concept or the act of "imitating" and photographic moment. I arranged several object (toys or miniatures) in such manner, and put them as if it might be, to re-actualize, to reconstruct what we perceive as "imitating what we see".
still life is a dead and static thing, basically....
Still life or photography, basically is a "dead thing" or frozen image. I consider that "still" means "dead". In these pictures, I constructed or arranged those objects as if they were moving toward into one point, and (or) pressing the shutter release button on the camera at the time when they were moving into their next moments. "To make the stills to be more alive..."
3.11.10
daegu photo biennale
Some works from my Artificially Natural and The Workers series were exhibited at the 3rd Daegu Photo Biennale, South Korea.
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