Ocula Conversation Jess Johnson: Worlds Within Worlds Geometric patterns, anthropomorphic characters, architectural spatial environments, and relics of the ancient world appear throughout Jess Johnson's artworks.Johnson's solo art-ventures began in drawing, but her long-term collaborative relationship with animator Simon Ward brings her drawings to life in videos and virtual reality. The animator has...
Ocula Conversation Melati Suryodarmo: Performance Art as Trigger In 2012, Melati Suryodarmo opened Studio Plesungan in her native Surakarta, also known as Solo, the historic royal capital of the Mataram Empire of Java in Indonesia. Suryodarmo had returned to Indonesia from Germany, where she studied Butoh and choreography with Butoh dancer and choreographer Anzu Furukawa, time-based media with avantgarde...
Ocula Report Lagos Biennial 2019: Stories from Africa’s most Populous City 15 Nov 2019 : Jareh Das for Ocula Under the direction of Folakunle Oshun, the second edition of the Lagos Biennial (26 October–23 November 2019) includes works by over 40 Lagos-based and international artists, architects, and collectives. Curated by architect Tosin Oshinowo, curator and producer Oyindamola Fakeye, and assistant curator of photography at the Art Institute of...
Ocula Insight | Video Hans Hartung and Art Informel at Mazzoleni London (1 October 2019-18 January 2020) presents key works by the French-German painter while highlighting his connection with artists active in Paris during the 50s and 60s. In this video, writer and historian Alan Montgomery discusses Hartung's practice and its legacy.Born in Leipzig in 1904, Hans...
A Thousand Plateaus Art Space is pleased to present Pattern XI-∞, a solo exhibition of emerging artist Bi Rongrong. Open on June 29, 2019, Pattern XI-∞ will feature her latest works centring on 'patterns'.
Originally inspired by posters and graffiti seen on British streets, the artist then furthered her investigation into the patterns spotted on the exterior walls and interior decorations of ancient architecture in European countries and Middle East, as well as on textiles and articles of everyday use. The patterns, on the one hand, could be deemed as 'skin' of different cities and cultural entities; and on the other, they are also a kind of fragmented records of the artist's life trajectory. As an organic whole, they are somewhat 'de-centralised', unpredictable and yet constantly expanding towards an infinite (∞) 'collective'. Ultimately, it would result into a map-like, or say 'topological', dynamism, which could cast light on the development of the artist's aesthetic vision and life experience during the course of time. Currently, no matter where the patterns are from, collectively they demonstrate a kind of 'eastern' aesthetic influence on European cultures. Such is both the result of the artist's own interest and artistic choices as well as a pleasant surprise that is beyond her expectation.
Through manual or digital processing, Bi Rongrong has transformed the patterns she collected into a variety of mix media works including painting, collage, fabrics, video and installation. Not only has the artist projected her comprehension and imagination of the patterns onto the works, but she has also integrated her memory, insights and experience into them. More importantly, the process features a combination of fragmented 'cultural skin' and individualised 'aesthetic taste'. If 'ego' could only exist in its observation, perception and actions on the world, Bi Rongrong's practice following 'patterns' could be seen as a journey of discovery of 'ego', its interplay with the world as well as the poetry and melancholy scattered along the way.
