‘EDITIONS’: From photography to digital media, an exhibition to make you think
PETALING JAYA, Oct 24 — EDITIONS, at Shalini Ganendra Advisory (formerly Shalini Ganendra Fine Art), focuses on the art of creating multiples in both serial and unique forms, a broad theme which all of the art works involved manage to encapsulate in their own different ways.
Situated in the award-winning Gallery Residence building, the exhibition has a varied and dynamic feel to it, featuring six artists whose work ranges from photography and printmaking to augmented reality and digital media.
The artists successfully engage with themes of reproduction or individuality through their work.
The piece which immediately catches the eye upon entering the gallery is Mahen Bala’s eight-metre long digital print, produced from an analogue negative.
Portraits of a Monsoon stretches along the length of almost an entire wall of the lower gallery, a work which has been previously shown at the National Visual Arts Gallery.
The print reflects both the turmoil and calmness of the sea during the monsoon season, represented by a seamless photograph comparable to frames on a reel of motion picture film, taking a tremendous amount of patience and skill, evident in the long hours of taking the photographs and creating the print.
An interesting contrast in terms of scale, Bala’s second work in the exhibition consists of 38 small photographic prints of the railway in south Malaysia.
Built by the British in the colonial era, the railway ran for 222 kilometres from the junction at Gemas to the terminus in Tanjong Pagar, but was shortened down to 195 kilometres in 2011.
Bala’s aim was to capture the railway before it is modernised and lost, as part of the unique heritage of Malaysia which he strives to preserve through his work. The framing of the photographs consists of steel and wood, reflective of the materials used in the construction of the railway.
Through their media production company Imaginary 23, Talha KK and Tsa Meera’s contribution to the exhibition is Garis وقت, (Time Line) — a digital print and video exploring the feelings, psyche and past, present and future lives of two individuals, through the film-making process.
To reflect the heritage of the two artists, garis means “line” in Malay and waqt means “time” in Urdu, depicting the timeline of the creative process of the husband and wife team in making the film.
EDITIONS continues into the upper gallery, where the visitor is immediately drawn to Haris Abhadi’s Forest on the far wall — a large and eye-catching print.
There is more to this piece than initially seems and when raising a tablet up to the Tree of Life image, it comes alive, adding another dimension to the work through augmented reality.
Abadhi’s interest in connecting the contemporary and traditional world is evident in this work, demonstrating his focus on digital culture. This adds a fun, novelty aspect to the work.
Collaborative duo, NOWORNEVER design, makes use of folded tables in their marble-effect duplications, depicting common, mass produced objects.
ORiginal examines copies and replicas, exploring the overarching theme of the exhibition in their three visually similar works. This clever use of an ordinary object features extraordinary hand stencilling, making each edition unique.
Photography veteran Eric Peris’ Tin Mine Landscapes consists of eight black and white silver gelatin photographic prints, representing the strikingly diverse landscape around Malaysia’s historic tin mines — a traditional industry which the economy of the country thrived on.
His work is a display of how Nature reclaims the man-made mines, creating a new landscape. This work is interesting as he has hand tinted the prints himself, demonstrating a skill which is not often exercised in artistic practice.
The photographs emit an atmospheric kind of feeling, a sense of calmness through the flora and the fauna of the forgotten tin mines.
Finally, Sujeewa Kumari’s intricate thread work stands out against a background of recomposed vintage images, creating beautifully unique canvases out of a traditionally repetitive photographic format.
Her five works, specially commissioned for this exhibition, form part of the series Threading Tales, and cleverly demonstrate multi-faceted art practice engaging historic narrative through contemporary mediums.
Kumari is a nominee for this year’s Sovereign Art Award and a leading Sri Lankan artist.
EDITIONS runs through to December 14, 2018.
Gallery Residence
8 Lorong 16/7B
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Free access. Tues-Sat 11am to 6pm.
By appointment on public holidays and other days.