The idea of power
SINGAPORE’S Gajah Gallery will be holding its first group exhibition in Kuala Lumpur starting Thursday, at White Box in Publika.
Power, Play, Perception is a threeday show that presents works from 14 contemporary artists from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. It trains the spotlight on the diverse forms of power experienced by these artists who live and work in South-East Asia, and their creative responses to it.
Power takes on many forms and guises, the most common often associated with control, dominance and coercion. But this show sets out to explore beyond such boundaries; it locks its sights on how fluid and pervasive power can be, and encourages contemplation on how this fits within a regional context.
French philosopher Michel Foucault argues that power is everywhere – it is rooted in all relationships and applies to everyday interactions and daily life. But what shifts with the definition, or application, of power when cultures merge and clash, when histories are rewritten and cultural concerns rise to the forefront?
Unsurprisingly, the exhibits in Power, Play, Perception are as diverse as they come.
Suzann Victor (Singapore) interrogates power in faith, spirituality and scientific knowledge in the form of divine wings and human hearts; Ahmad Zakii (Malaysia) delves into the psychology of man, pondering on present-day powers and the stripping of one’s identity; Jigger Cruz (the Philippines) lays thick red paint on his canvas, a symbol of aggression, violence, passion and power, in his response to the obscure powers-to-be of the day; and Mangu Putra (Indonesia) questions the invisible hierarchies between two individuals in a hyperrealist depiction of a historic meeting between Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara and Indonesia’s first president Sukarno.
The notion of power is explored from multiple perspectives in this show, highlighting the necessity of different approaches when viewing complex realities and deriving meaning from them.
The exhibition will open with Last Drop, a performance piece by Jason Lim (Singapore), which aims to set a meditative atmosphere to view the works in.
Power, Play, Perception is on at White Box@Publika in Kuala Lumpur from tomorrow to July 21 (11am to 6pm). For more information, visit www.gajahgallery.com. FB: Gajah Gallery.