The collective spirit
A group exhibition in KL focuses on the survival and evolution of art collectives.
BIRDS of a feather flock together. But what keeps an art collective moving in the same direction, given that artists often have individualistic career paths? Is it a strain on the creative side to sustain an art collective? Is everybody in the collective on the same page?
Titikmerah collective co-founder Ajim Juxta and curator Sharmin Parameswaran have been bouncing around such questions on the nature of art collectives and their contribution to the local art scene.
Both of them have played an integral part in organising the Collective: Individuals exhibition, which first showed at the Hin Bus Depot Art Centre in George Town, Penang back in March. Two collectives – Titikmerah and Rumah Studio – featured in that “preview” show, with 12 artists involved.
The dialogue in Collective: Individuals is set to grow considerably, with 36 artists from seven collectives to show at the Urbanscapes House in Kuala Lumpur, starting May 5.
The KL edition of Collective: Individuals – an expanded version – will include Rumah Studio, Titikmerah, 4some, Huaguoshan, Make It Happen, Run Amok and Mekar Studio. All are based in the Klang Valley except for Rumah Studio and Run Amok, which are based in Penang.
To keep the show’s edgy appeal, Sharmin says she chose to stage the exhibition in the Urbanscapes House’s basement to avoid a clinical white box gallery environment.
“The 70 art works will be divided and grouped by collective. Despite obvious differences, the viewers can see the subtle similarities between them,” says Sharmin.
The exhibition, in a broader sense, is an exploration of how art affects and is affected by the collective experience. For this show, the art range and themes are diverse – everything from personal views and abstract dimensions to historical context and political engagement. And all on one platform.
Apart from mixed media works and paintings from most of the artists, Collective: Individuals will also have independent zine publisher Huaguoshan offering prints and limited editions, while Run Amok will set up an installation work.
For Sharmin, the “collective” side of a certain theme can sometimes win out, too. She mentions how Ajim’s usually monochromatic pieces have taken on hints of colour, influenced by his Titikmerah contemporaries. Ajim, during an interview at TitikMerah’s studio space in Kuala Lumpur, speculates that the individual-collective relationship is a symbiotic one. While the collective gives the artist a bigger platform to work on, the artist’s reputation will also bring eyeballs to the collective’s efforts.
“Being able to organise group shows also makes the art scene more accessible for artists that aren’t from art schools,” says Ajim, elaborating that galleries will vet artist’s pedigree based on their formal education, their previous shows and how much their last sale went for.
Ajim says TitikMerah’s space – a constant since being founded in 2014 – has been a large factor in the collective’s growth and expansion.
“The casual space has been attracting other artists to hang out and almost naturally to join the group,” he mentions.
He adds that a physical space also forces members to step up to maintain it, covering the rent and ensuring it is acceptably tidy.
“Even though not all the founding members (Adeputra Masri, Latif Maulan and Ajim) are here anymore, the collective continues to push on,” he says, pointing out that Latif has gone on to open a new Titikmerah space at the Medini Mall in Johor.
Sharmin chimes in that many collectives have a clear leader or planner and members that are willing to follow.
So are collectives just associations of convenience? She corrects that view by saying that most were associations of practicality.
“Rumah Studio is literally a rumah (residence) on top of a studio. If they had to leave the house, I imagine the members would be fine going solo,” she notes.
She adds that art observers need not be “too precious” about collectives, which will come apart as naturally as they had come together.
Ajim concludes that an artist would sometimes outgrow the need to be in the collective, as some develop their individual direction. Whether this leads to amicable splits is up for debate.