Gajah Gallery discovering newness amidst the long-drawn global downtime.
Gajah Gallery is proud to present Upwind Downtempo: On Sabbaticals and Discoveries, a group exhibition featuring the artistic discovery of twelve artists from and beyond the region. Disruption of the normal produces chaos but at the same time also makes emergence for newness and change possible. Pre-pandemic, the art ecosystem has built itself an effective ritual of strategically bringing together art, its creators, and audiences through a series of annual programmes. It has become a tradition for many artists and art enthusiasts to prepare themselves for biennial seasons or art fair seasons and thus construct their yearly activities, including production, to fit the scheduled time and opportunity. The scene creates momentum and catches existing ones, and is event-centric in nature.
Currently, with limited travel and social events, the routine of art production and distribution has been syncopated, and the scene has yet to fully reconstruct the post-pandemic art habit and build a predictable pattern. Not sidelining the devastating effect of the pandemic yet wanting to investigate further the impact it has on the arts, this exhibition focuses on the impact of disruption these isolated times have on the working tempo of artists and the intention behind their studio practice. What are the changes in one’s attitude towards creating when the variable of scheduled events and expectations of audiences are inevitably subdued?
Streamlining themselves to lift from the upwind during this downtempo, exceptional and perceptive artists are able to found this time to be the opportunity to return to experimentation, and push themselves to be even more inward-looking and reflective; taking advantage of being liberated from the repetition and expectation to join the buzz.
Not wanting to dwell on the inevitable downtime, Gajah Gallery instead strives to find newness within this uncharted period in the arts, highlighting and giving a platform for the artists’ newly-evolved art styles cultivated through the intensified studio-based practices during the current period of extended vacuum in time.
Upwind Downtempo: On Sabbaticals and Discoveries opens this Thursday, 25 November, and runs until 23 December 2021. This exhibition is open for in-person visit by appointment. To schedule your visit, please make your appointment here.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Abdul J. Nugroho
Adam De Boer
Herru Yoga
Oggz
Paul Nickson
Raden Kukuh Hermadi
Ridho Rizki
Rizki Tilarso
Ruth Marbun
Syaura Qotrunadha
Suranto Kenyung
Tantin Udiantara
