Gajah Gallery Yogyakarta is proud to announce an upcoming exhibition, titled Cut on the Bias featuring a dynamic showcase of young to mid-career artists from Austria, Indonesia, India, and Malaysia, who have been fearlessly experimenting with unconventional mediums and themes.
This exhibition emerges from the recognition that usage of unconventional mediums and visuals, related to traditional distinctions between fine art, craft, and outsider art, have unjustly marginalized artists, particularly those seen as ‘othered’. Despite assumptions that the art world has moved beyond these biases, arbitrary distinctions persist, perpetuating elitism and reinforcing stereotypes. Textile, ceramics, woven crafts, and fiber art, often dismissed as “craft,” are, however, ironically and routinely appropriated by mainstream art without proper acknowledgment.
Moreover, the exhibition challenges the perception of avant-garde breakthroughs versus deviations, with the latter unfairly stigmatized as incompetence, further entrenching stereotypes. Artists are often accused of not grasping the subtleties of fine art, highlighting disparities in recognition based on perception rather than merit. For example, the phenomenon of chromophobia, deeply ingrained in Western culture, perpetuates fear and aversion to vibrant colors and non-traditional aesthetics associated with femininity and non-Western cultures.
Cut on the Bias thus serves as a platform for artists to explore unconventional themes, visuals, mediums, and expressions, transcending traditional categorizations and biases. Inviting artists from diverse background such as Maria Koefler, Fika Ria Santika, Satya Cipta, Kara Inez, and many others, this exhibition confronts unseen biases against alternative mediums while addressing broader societal attitudes towards color, styles, and materials we inherited from oppressive narratives.
