“ As Soon As Possible” , a site specific installation by Wiyoga Muhardanto
As Soon As Possible
Variable Dimension
Casted, Pigmented, Painted Polyester Resin
2010
Platform3-Bandung proudly present the works of an Indonesian artist, Wiyoga Muhardanto (Born Jakarta, 1984) which are especially made to be presented in the Art Stage art fair in Singapore, January 2011. Muhardanto is showing site-specific installations, in the form of series of objects, by creating an atmosphere of a gallery booth who has not been readily set by the owner of the gallery. Stuffs, items, or objects that are associated with the preparation of an exhibition, such as the replica of a variety of equipment, such as pvc pipes, commonly used as a tool to help someone roll a canvas, electric drill, toolbox, cardboard boxes, and unopened wooden crates. He also included items that belongs to the gallerist, such as a suit and bag that was left on chairs, a suitcase, along with bottles of mineral water, etc.
Muhardanto’s recent works has shown a tricky behaviour by mimicking many realistic objects and made their replicas in resin. This is not just because he was trained in formal sculpting school, but also because he tends to seek the symbolic quality of the daily and material stuffs. What is interesting is that in order to do this Muhardanto prefers to work in a somewhat traditional manner. Because it is his intention to use the “found signs” instead of found objects, he never really use ready-made materials without leaving a his personal touch on it. He tends to rely on the conventional methods of sculpting, recreating the objects through meticulous work and choice of industrial material, such as resin, instead of merely using found objects. These objects are also accompanied by a context in their presence in a certain space, such as in an exhibition event, that turns them into signs that pose a characteristic surprise, full of humour yet also subversive in nature.
Thus, all the objects scattering about in Muhardanto’s booth is a diversion tactics for the audiences, and also might be a satirical approach on one of the important ‘ritual’ in contemporary art event, in this case on how these objects are presented amidst an international Art Fair as a really important context on the work’s meaning construction. International Art Fair is a arena of festivities in the contemporary art market, aside from biennale and triennial. Within the arena of an art fair, the galleries are given a chance, within those few days, to compete in exhibiting the works of their prominent artists. They try to steal the necessary attention of the oncoming public, especially the collectors, curators, the museums, the art journalists, and other galleries who had come from all around the world, with their own agendas, in the fast compacting space and time. Usually, in this arena of art fair, fantastical art business transactions become a celebration among a limited, elite and exclusive people.
Beside the tools, the packaging and other equipments, what is also displayed are traces of identity and social-economy information regarding the galerist: a world renown branded bag, suites, sophisticated gadget: iPad, etc., which are scattered in the booth. He intent to present a situation or critical moment and invite an uncertainty of meaning, presenting a puzzle, as if a very crucial thing had happened to the owner, that she had left just like that, leaving these objects lying around the booth. However, the most important thing from his installation is how Muhardanto drive the audience perception through the objects replicas, and how such situation is compared to the other booth in a context of an art fair arena. It is in such condition that the meaning construction caught one’s interest and feels open, as it reacts to the oncoming audiences, who are coming with a certain expectation of enjoying a particular kind of art, which they have previously built in their mind.
This Project supported by Mr. Deddy Irianto ( Langgeng Gallery, Magelang)
About PLATFORM3
PLATFORM3 is an initiative space with focus activities on exhibition and artist in residence programs. In holding its activities, PLATFORM3 attempts to develop artist’s thematic and artistic ideas through intense discussions. All exhibitions held by PLATFORM3 underline every artist’s statement as the most important aspect.
Address:
Jl. Cigadung Raya Barat no 2
Bandung 40191. West – Java. Indonesia
E-mail : mail.platform3@gmail.com
URL: https://infoplatform3.wordpress.com
Ph/Fax: +62 22 – 8252.2652
Visitors:
See and visit PLATFORM3’s booth F9 – 02
Bio of Wiyoga Muhardanto
Full time artist, part time scupltor
Works & live in Bandung
Born in Jakarta, 1984
BFA, Faculty of Art & Design, Majoring Sculpture Studio, Institut Teknologi bandung
Solo Exhibition
2008
“Window Display”, Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung
Selected Group Exhibition
2010
Critical Points, Edwin Gallery, Jakarta.
2009
“Bandung Art Now”, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta “Jakarta Bienalle 2009 (Fluid Zones), Grand Indonesia Shopping Center, Jakarta “Contemporary Archeology”, Sigiarts, Jakarta “Bandung Initiative # 4”, Rumah Rupa, Jakarta “Reach Art Project – Regression”, Organized By Edwin Gallery, Plaza Indonesia, Jakarta “Landing Soon # 11”, Exhibition & Presentation, Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta “JAF 2” (Commision Work), Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta “Everybody Got Mix the Feel Between Form & Function”, Goethe Institute, Jakarta “ Beyond The Dutch”, Centraal Museum of Utrectch, Netherland “XYZ”, Edwin Gallery, Jakarta “Jakarta Contemporary Ceramic Biennale”, NAS Taman Impian Jaya Ancol, Jakarta
2008
“Survey”, Edwin Gallery, Jakarta “A Slice of : Indonesian Contemporary Art Show”, Soka Contemporary Space, Beijing “Alih – Alih”, Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta “15 x 15 project (Metaphoria)”, Soemardja Gallery, Bandung “Come in : Interior design as a contemporary art medium in Germany”, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta
2007
“After Sculpture”, Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta “Busa : (a prelude) of our through design”, Elysium shop, Bandung “100% Indonesia : wake up to design”, Grand Indonesia Shopping Center, Jakarta “Fetish Object Project”, Biasa Art Space, Bali “Mettisages : A Crossbreeding Contemporary Art with Textiles, Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung “22nd Asian International Art Exhibition : Imagining Asia”, Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung “Petisi Bandung”, Langgeng Gallery, Magelang “Kuota 2007”, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta
2006
“Portografi” (Photography Exhibition), Kita Gallery, Bandung “Bandung New Emergence”, Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung “Final Sin (Collaborative works with Sixteen D’Scale/Denim Community), LOCA Cofee, Jakarta
2005:
“Re (Post)”, Japan Foundation, Jakarta
“Metasculpture”, Studio Pintu Merah / Sanggar Luhur Sudjana Kerton, Bandung
“An Annual Experimental Art Exhibition”, Soemardja Gallery, Bandung
Artist in Residence
“Landing Soon # 11”, Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta
Workshop
“Rumah/House”, Workshop with Prof. Toshihiro Kuno, Soemardja Gallery, Bandung (2004)
“Baembuw”, Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung
“Thursday” Soemardja Gallery, Bandung
Other Activities
Board Member : Platform 3 (Artspace), Bandung, Indonesia
Wiyoga Muhardanto is board member of Platform3. This Project supported by Mr. Deddy Irianto ( Langgeng Gallery, Magelang)
Other board member, Radi Arwinda also take a part in the project Stage in special presentation with Canna Gallery
The Dark Side by Radi Arwinda
The Dark Side
A special project presentation by Radi Arwinda
Bandung born artist, Radi Arwinda, has been well known for works that show his self-portrait presented in a nature of neo-pop stlye. Strongly influenced by the visual images of Japanese manga, Arwinda has been projecting his identity as a boar, locally associated as ‘babi ngepet’, or a were-boar. In reality, babi ngepet is actually a human who sells his sould to the spirit through an animistic ritual. “Ngepet” is magical method to get instantly rich through the use of black magic, usually includes a phase where the person who seek worldly possesion turns into a boar, who will then prowl the night to steal money from others.
The Dark Side is a recent project Arwinda shed his light on the dark side of the daily life through popular myth and folktale. This time, the folktale is also represented by an array of images that are associated to the visual vocabulary of Star Wars, the famous film saga. In the series, Arwinda presents his self-potraits, posing in uniforms of army and ruthless soldier led by Darth Vader. This project will also showcase three pieces of sculpture of pig-like robot animals, and a carpet with a logo, which is the branding mark of the artist. The Star Wars elements, the self portraits, the were-boar are altogether combined with the elements of traditional carvings and Cirebonese batik, especially the cloud motifs or ‘megamendung’ mixed with the style of the Japanese manga.
The Dark Side might reminds us of, and at the same time represents a social issue in the context of Indonesian people, especially in dealing with the animistic culture that is rooted in the traditional society. Further back, Arwinda explores the were-boar as a metaphor of the life of contemporary society, who has to race with their desire for materiality, and justify any necessary means to get instantly rich.
With his comical representation and by projecting his identity through irony and paradox, Arwinda is actually playing with mythology and contemporary images at the same time. His works are connected to both local and global culture, the tradition and the modern.
PLATFORM3-Bandung 