Agus Suwage
dal 5/11/2004 al 10/12/2004
Segnalato da
5/11/2004
Agus Suwage
Gaya Fusion Art Space, Bali
The artist starts to design various functional children's toys. However, he is not merely thinking and reminiscing about his childhood. The art project of 'TOYS 'S' US (toys as us) is inspired by Suwage's conversation with one of his friends, a Japanese artist who incidentally often creates works based on children's Toys.
Toys “S†Us
The art project of “TOYS ‘S’ US (toys as us) is inspired by Suwage’s conversation with one of his friends, a Japanese artist who incidentally often creates works based on children’s Toys. Suwage, who is also interested in the children’s traditional games and toys of Indonesia, is reminded of his childhood-the past that gave him the feeling of security and happiness. The conversation turned into discussion and finally triggered his awareness about how the ways the children play, and their playthings, in many cultures of the world are similar to each other. Children wherever they are, seem to share similar joy, sadness and balances. Suwage is certain that traditional children games, just like folklores, have been interacting with each other, from one culture to another. As we respond to the current situation of the world, amid tensions arising from the culture differences and the shadowing of potential clashes of civilizations, we can actually find a situation of the point zero in children’s games and toys (of the world). Suwage then start to imagine…..
Suwage starts to design various functional children’s toys. However, he is not merely thinking and reminiscing about his childhood. Suwage , perhaps just like other artist or even other human being in general, living amid the situations of the contemporary global societies is confined by myriad of problem-socially, politically , economically, and cultural,. Suwage then starts to combine the models of toys with his habit of creating works of self-portraits. One thing he keeps in mind as he is creating the works, however, is the choice of the simple and manual operational system of the toys .
“TOYS “S†US†contains an effort to engineer something. Suwage seem to be building an illusive wall separating “plaything†and “playingâ€, exploring the puns contained in the matter of “plaything†and “playing†and even triggering the existence of the critical position differentiating “the player†and “the audienceâ€. As we understand the self-portrait tendencies. Suwage has so far been exploring, we see that in the art project of “TOUS “S†USâ€. Suwage has actually taken a risk, putting the feelings of childhood happiness and excitement in danger of a bitter situation. In these works, the matter of identification of the “self†“the subject,†and the “Identityâ€, is presented in the form of interaction and experience (of the audience) in encountering the art works directly. At this point, Suwage seems to want to state a conclusion about the (human) body. He seems to be touching on the statement of Elizabeth Grosz, one of the interpreters on Freud’s thoughts: “the body is, so to speak, organically/ biologically/ naturally ‘incomplete’; it is indeterminate, amorphous, a series of uncoordinated potentialities which require social triggering, ordering, and long term “administration’â€.
The opening will be held on Saturday, November 6th 2004 at 7 pm
Gaya Gallery
Jl Raya Sayan Ubud, Bali