Print and proper
Group show Carbon Copy is a sampler of some of SouthEast Asia’s most promising printmakers.
IF you were around before the days of photocopiers, you might remember the popularity of making carbon copies. Through carbon paper, an exact copy of a document could be created: G13 Gallery curator Zat Heikal Takiyuddin remembers how they were commonly used during business transactions.
“Using them sort of legitimised a purchase or business deal. It showed that we were doing something serious here,” recalls Zat with a smile, speaking during a recent interview at the gallery.
Nowadays, carbon copies are mostly used in e-mails in the form of the CC button, which ensures that people other than the intended recipient get your message. And it is these principles: legitimacy and spreading the word, that form the backbone of G13 Gallery’s latest printmaking exhibition, Carbon Copy.
The exhibition, which is on at G13 Gallery in Petaling Jaya this month, aims to reinstate the significance of printmaking in the world of art, specifically in the South-East Asian region. It features 23 works, from Malaysian artists Sabihis Pandi and Hug Yin Wan, Indonesian artists Agung Prabowo and Mohamed “Ucup” Yusof from Indonesia, and Jakkee KongKaew and Thammasin Darunkan from Thailand.
“There aren’t that many printmaking exhibitions in this country. Many of the celebrated artworks in Malaysia are painting, and this can sometimes be demotivating to printmaking artists. We should do things like this more often, thankfully, this year, more commercial galleries are exhibiting more printmaking shows,” says Zat.
“I hope printmaking can be as celebrated just as much as painting. I hope people will see that the two mediums are different, and printmaking is also important and difficult to do.”
The artworks in Carbon Copy are a mix of contemporary and conventional methods of printmaking, and offer a wide variety of themes and technical mastery. Jakkee’s work, for instance, utilises chiaroscuro (the treatment of light and shade) to demonstrate the ability of a woodcut print to imitate nature, as can be seen in his works Complicated City Lines and Mahathad Temple.
Ucup, on the other hand, uses multiple printmaking techniques such as aquatint and drypint to spread messages of environmental destruction in works such as Incomparably and Jendela Antara.
“I am delighted that there still are art galleries, especially in Malaysia, which appreciate the art of printmaking. Printmaking plays an important part in the development of figurative art,” says Ucup, via text message.
Agung’s works, all from his Immeasurable series, feature surrealistic human figures, with the artist sharing his experiences and journey as an artist, human being and father. Thammassin’s etching artworks (such as Floating and Searching The Past) are a melancholic exploration of his past, as well as the recent loss of a loved one: the prevalence of cacti in them are perhaps a representation of his feelings.
At 22 years old, Hug is one of the youngest artists in this exhibition: his works, all from his The Crow series, seem rather dark and macabre at first glance. The artist, however, said his woodcut plywood work touched more on duality and the forces of life.
“My works talk about the impermanance of life. I grew up in a Buddhist family, which inspired me to believe that nothing is permanent, everything will change,” says Hug, who is from Ayer Tawar in Perak.
Crows, he said, were seen as inauspicious animals in various cultures, and were used in his works to symbolise things such as weakness or death. His work The Crow XIII, for example, featured a human hand in a cage with a crow, which was attached to another white bird by a string.
“Many of us find it hard to talk about death. We prefer to skip the topic.
“The hand has locked the crow away in a cage, he doesn’t want to face death. But as you can see, there is another bird outside. It’s a dove, which represents hope, or rebirth. The two are connected, they are the same,” says Hug, who recently exhibited a solo show in KL as part of the Nando’s Art Initiative’s Fine Art category 2015 winner.
As for Sabihis, his works, on first glance, look like giant playing cards: a closer look at them, however, will reveal strange details. Why are the figures in them wearing space helmets, for example, and what is the significance of the giant hearts?
According to the artist, who hails from Muazzam Shah, Pahang, his works, titled King Of Hearts and Queen Of Hearts, were satirical social commentary on his thoughts about certain aspects of the country. The spacesuits were a representation of his desire to escape, while the hearts symbolise dissatisfaction. Each of these large works, Sabihis mentions, took about a week to create.
“The card pattern also illustrates magic, or illusion. Our future is being gambled away,” says the 28-year-old artist.
is on at G13 Gallery, GL13, Ground Floor, Block B, Kelana Square, Jalan SS7/26, Kelana Jaya in Selangor till Dec 17. The gallery is open from 11am-5pm daily. Closed on Sundays and public holidays. For more info, call 03-7880 0991 or visit: www.g13gallery.com.