Artists:
Tina Wahyuningsih, thedeoMIXBLOOD, Rennie ‘Emonk’ Agustine
Curated
by Jeong-ok Jeon
Artist
management by Nunuk Ambarwati
June
30 ~ July 15, 2012
ART
Temporary Space
Plaza
Senayan, ground level (by main entrance)
Jalan
Asia Afrika No 8, Jakarta
Selatan
Sensibility of kids, fantasy of adults
An American movie, Tooth Fairy, tells a story about an adult, Derek
Thompson, who is unyielding to childish fantasy. He particularly tries
to squash the tooth fairy myth: that when a child puts their fallen tooth under
a pillow, the tooth fairy visits and exchanges the lost tooth for a dollar. For
children, tooth fairies are heroes, providing comfort from fear of losing a
tooth, and the promise of growing a new healthy one. But for Derek, this
fantasy figure that lives in an imaginary world promotes a silly custom and
encourages a false belief to those should be ‘growing up’.
In typical Disney fashion and morality, Derek’s lack of wonder is
novelly punished when he is sentence to be an actual tooth fairy for a
fortnight. His subsequent change of heart brings to light the impasse between
what is ‘childish’ and what is ‘grown-up’, and raises some interesting
questions relating to the current exhibition Imaginary World: Childishly
Inspired.
Imaginary World: Childishly Inspired features
the work of three artists based in Jogjakarta who
share an interest in exploring their vision of a fairy-tale-like world full of
magic and fantasy. Using childhood memories and dreams as their pivotal
concept, the artists, Tina Wahyuningsih, thedeoMIXBLOOD, and Rennie
‘Emonk’ Agustine suggest that we contemplate what it means to be an
adult and what draws a boundary between children and adults. Unlike Derek,
the artists affirm that childhood fantasy is still alive in the hearts of
adults, and more importantly it is critical in the process of creation.
Tina creates her imaginary world where surrealistic
creatures and personified animals come to play together. In her world, we find
elephants are flying in the sky and a bunny rabbit becomes the
next supermodel. Looking at her imaginary creatures, we become a part of a
whimsical story where anything is possible. As a mother of a two year old girl,
Tina also often creates characters that are family members in her works. Mother
House for instance shows that her creativity cannot be separated
from her motherhood and symbolizes her domestic responsibility as a wife and
care-giver.
While Tina’s imaginary world is illustrated in fictional narratives, the
works of thedeoMIXBLOOD -- a project duo consisting Dila and
Otong -- stand as individual sculptures. Inspired by Graffiti and Pop Art
and influenced by childhood traumatic events, thedeoMIXBLOOD creates collages
using toys, Barbie dolls, Wayang puppets, fabrics, batiks, magazines, and
beads. By taking parts from one context or medium and piecing them
together into another, their sculptures become akin to the hybrid, grotesque,
yet fantastic mythical characters found in fantasy movies. thedeoMIXBLOOD is
certainly gifted in embodying the indescribable into a work of art.
Emonk extends her creation of an imaginary world
further by being both creator and creation in her series ‘MON’s world.
Borrowing from many superhero characters in various famous comics, Emonk
creates a new set of superheroes. What is interesting in her superhero series
is that Emonk re-titles them by combining their original name and her own.
Thus, her alter ego comes to a life as Super-mon (Superman), Bat-mon (Batman), Wonder
Wo-Mon (Wonder Woman) and Ultra-Mon (Ultraman).
Through her works Emonk tries to send an important message: we can be anything
in our life and whatever we choose to be, we become the main performer.
In our constantly busy contemporary lives filled with “adult”
responsibilities, it is ever-more important for us to search beyond the
surface. The super-power of this exhibition is its ability to recall our inner
child’s sensibilities, providing a momentary escape from the mundane as we
enjoy the experience of playing and playfulness within the art. After all,
the fantastical can bring joy and stretch our imaginations, and could even
bring us closer to our deeper selves if we just allow it.
Jeong-ok Jeon (Curator)
No comments:
Post a Comment