Upon entrance into the gallery the variety within the installation is apparent, on one wall sit four traditional canvas paintings, on another floor to ceiling depictions of monster/alien hybrids exist and in several places abstract text are visible.
Although Nugroho’s work can seem cryptic, the references to his homeland are apparent. The textiles utilized in the piece “Overwhelming”, a sculpture composed of a pile of hand sewn badges with two legs protruding outwards, references the badges worn by Indonesian gang members and government officials. The portions of the installation that include text : “Stop thinking and just plant something...Relax and enjoy your pressure” also reference the problems within Indonesian society.
Instead of being obvious, Nugroho leaves the meaning up to the viewer. He suggests the dysfunctional nature of modern Indonesian society while also alluding to the problems that span globally. “Snobs Behind Ketchup” immerses the viewer in a whimsical world filled with surrealistic characters, while subtly pulsing the artists sentiments. Not to mention that the backroom of the gallery is transformed into a Pop-up Daging Tumbuh Comic Collective store complete with items for sale.
I really enjoyed this show as well, but did not know anything about these Indonesian references at the time. They seem to add a lot to the understanding of the piece; thank you for pointing that out. However, your last paragraph confuses me when you say he "leaves the meaning up to the viewer." It sounds like you are saying the work directly links to problems in Indonesia, but then you say the meaning is left up to interpretation?
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ReplyDeleteLombard Fried Projects presents an installation by artist Eko Nugroho entitled “Snobs Behind Ketchup.” The exhibition, which fuses a whimsical aesthetic with politically charged content, showcases works that range from sculpture and spray painted murals, to hand embroidery. Nugroho uses brilliant colors and depictions of monster like characters to reference the artistic history and political past of his homeland of Indonesia.
Throughout the space the artist has installed pieces of varied media, on one wall sit four traditional canvas paintings, on another floor to ceiling depictions of monster/alien hybrids, and in several places graffiti text is scrawled.
Although Nugroho’s work can seem cryptic, the references to his homeland can be gleaned from the work. The artist has created an installation that suggests the dysfunctional nature of modern Indonesian society while also alluding to the problems that span globally. The textiles in the piece “Overwhelming”, a sculpture composed of a pile of hand sewn badges with two legs protruding outwards, references the badges worn by Indonesian gang members and government officials. The act of piling them on the legs gives reference to the Indonesian people being overwhelmed by both criminals and government.
The portions of the installation that include text like: “Stop thinking and just plant something...” seems to reference environmental problems like deforestation and wildlife trade, as well as shortages within the Indonesian food industry.
“Snobs Behind Ketchup” immerses the viewer in a whimsical world filled with characters, text, and sculpture that effectively informs the viewer of the problems found within Indonesian society.