Gajah Galley is proud to announce its debut at this year’s sixth instalment of Bazaar Art Jakarta 2014, held at the Ritz-Carlton Ballroom in Pacific Place from 17 – 20 July 2014. The gallery brings its exciting roster of international artists which includes important Bali-based-American artist Ashley Bickerton (b.1959), fresh off his successful back-to-back showing at Art Basel HK and Art Basel, receiving the attention of collectors and important media outlets such as Bloomberg and Artnet. For Bazaar Art, Bickerton is poised to unveil new works from his latest painting series which depict his recurring silver polished female protagonist. With this new series, he makes a conscious, almost defiant effort to re-establish himself as a master painter in the grand tradition.
Leading the Indonesian lineup is prominent artist Yunizar (b.1971) who will showcase his latest series of life-size bronze sculptures, capturing the ever popular and fun loving nature of his paintings. With this series, Yunizar aims to reinterpret the classical notion of bronze art and present it in a more contemporary fashion with his unmistakable scribbles and unrefined silhouette of his sculptures. These bronze works were produced at the Yogyakarta Art Lab (YAL), which is managed by Singapore based Gajah Gallery. YAL, which specializes in aluminum and bronze, works alongside Yunizar to develop these important set of bronze sculptures. In addition, Yunizar will also unveil new canvas works from his highly sought after ‘Coretan’ or scribble series that became his signature style.
Another important Indonesian artist featured is Ugo Untoro (b.1970) who has exhibited across the region and in Europe to major acclaim. Untoro is considered an artist with an ever-evolving style but constantly reveals the artist’s fascination with the notion of spiritual aesthetics without any distinct message. Untoro will unveil selected works from his latest series which are part of his upcoming solo exhibition in Singapore. The works emphasizes on transcendence of art; frenzy, crime, aesthetics and all sorts of marginality. All of these lead us to one biographic conclusion through the painter’s spiritual experience.
To provide collectors with an excellent representation of the artistic development and progression in Yogyakarta, Gajah Gallery includes Indonesian wood sculptors Abdi Setiawan (b.1971) and Rudi Hendriatno (b.1980), both who will showcase their new works. The works are precursors to their two men exhibition at Gajah Gallery in the later part of the year. Hendriatno who captured the imagination of collectors at Art Stage Singapore, will once again thrill collectors with his kinetic wood sculpture along with Setiawan’s superb craftsmanship of human characters, depicting and often caricaturing modern Indonesian life.
Rounding up its international portfolio is Gajah Gallery’s new specialization of contemporary Chinese Ink which includes the father of modern calligraphy Gu Gan (b.1942), founding member of the highly significant Grass Grass Group, Qiu Deshu (b.1948), internationally recognized Chinese artist, Wang Tiande (b.1960), notable mathematician/ calligrapher Wei Ligang (b.1964) and world renown Chinese artist Gu Wenda (b.1955). Another highlight is Wang Tiande’s latest work from his ‘Digital’ series, which employs his intricate burning technique. The piece exhibited in Jakarta is from his recent solo show at the Today Art Museum in Beijing, documented in its exhibition catalogue. In addition, works from Gu Wenda’s historically important ‘Pseudo: Misplaced Charaters and Mythos of Lost Dynasties’ series will be on showcase for the first time in Jakarta. In this series, Gu process and deconstructs traditional culture with new works concepts, by dismantling words. Gu challenges the historical rules, political logic and knowledge therein a kind of analytical linguistic philosophy that draws inspiration from Wittgenstein ideas on logic and language.
