Indonesia and the Philippines, both archipelago nations within the larger Southeast Asian archipelago region, are bathed in sunshine all year long and count the sea as their kin, with innumerable cultural and economic connections forged through voyages through the sea.
In ‘Live in the sunshine, swim the sea’ the connection is taken a step further through cultural and artistic lens. For Art Fair Philippines 2023, Art Agenda presents nine works reflecting and ruminating upon elements of the the sun and the sea. Together, these works introduce an ensemble of important post-war & modern Indonesian artists and how elements of nature are indispensable in their works.
Seen through their works, the sun and the sea are never how they are. They manifest as geometric lines in the work of Handrio, or deceptively simple brush strokes in Rusli’s painting, and evocative textures in the works of Umi Dachlan. They also appear in the expressive colours Nashar deploys, the spontaneously applied impasto of Affandi and carefully layered canvas of A.D. Pirous. These different expressions invite viewers to look closer and be able to forge our own interpretations.
