COLE LU, DJORDJE OZBOLT

Each Modern is thrilled to present the two - person exhibition “Interstellar Traveler to Home” by Cole Lu and Djordge Ozobolt, marking the debut of these two artists in Taiwan. Through a diverse range of mediums and emotions, the artists delve into the intersection of personal histories with deeply ingrained cultural, political, and historical contexts. Drawing inspiration from the resurgence of interest in astrology in the 21st century, they contemplate the evolution of human perception amidst historical backgrounds, embracing new layers of significance.

Astrology has evolved uniquely across different regions throughout history, eventually becoming a globally shared and recognisable cultural heritage. While astrology has been utilised for various political assessments, it is not solely conservative; at times, it even catalyses progress in eras. It is intellectually rigorous and intricately intertwined with the complexities of civilisations. In observing the present, astrology has experienced a revival in the 21st century, intertwined with individualism and consumer culture, as a means to seek identity, cultivate subcultures, and enhance personal growth. Similar to practices such as abstinence, meditation, fencing, dance, and yoga, contemporary astrology delineates one’s personality, environment, and relationships, providing avenues for individuals to shape their world and selves.

Cole Lu approaches image-making techniques with quasi-prophetic fervor, reshaping familiar atmospheres from a historical lineage in a strikingly innovative manner. His intentionally reduced palette and expressive forms, reminiscent of poetry and literature, employ dramatic, rugged, yet script-like methods that propel his works in a new direction. Lu distances himself from conventional canonical endeavours, embedding his resistance to contemporary power structures, by focusing outside of identity discourse, emphasising his idiosyncratic approach to the canvas and the unfolding of the “painting” itself. Recent works integrate gestures of European Renaissance painting, employing colours and line work in an unconventional painterly manner akin to woodcut prints, seemingly chiseling out fiery forms from the abstract spaces of the canvas. The figures in these works exude a rugged, dignified, and strangely serene aura, particularly against the burnt through gaps on the canvas, deliberately accentuating the solemnity of the depicted themes.

In the exhibition, Cole Lu delves into humanity’s exploration of the uncharted cosmos and the retrieval of a fictional communication previously dispatched. By merging the Pioneer Plaque and the Voyager Golden Record from the Cold War era with archival imagery, Lu intricately weaves a narrative that transcends time and space, presenting visionary verses within a historical framework of resurgence. Additionally, Lu explores the nuanced notion of return, intertwining personal heritage with notions of homecoming, all while symbolically illustrating the contemplation of the individual’s journey originating from Taiwan.

Djordge Ozobolt’s paintings emanate a sculptural presence, featuring clear forms and expansive classical backgrounds. These techniques serve to counterbalance the whimsical, narrative associations of the themes and the weight of satirising bad painting. The vibrant, intense, artificial colours in his works reveal his humor, placing our visual experience in an unfamiliar style and eliciting strong reactions by defying audience expectations. His new works expand his visual language to encompass memories that are both deeply personal and universally recognisable, drawn from shared and identifiable internet heat maps, consciously or unconsciously represented in his imaginative and colourful style, bearing the unmistakable artistic lineage of surrealism.

Just as practitioners of astrology have transitioned from a minority to a majority, Ozobolt’s new painting series “Odd Couple-Loving Couple” features these familiar yet extraordinary interstellar travellers seeking love and solace, mirroring past, present, and even future versions of ourselves. Critic Oliver Basciano characterises Ozobolt’s distinctive works as “evil grand images that may also be pioneers of peace and love,” defying categorisation and viewing all with equality: where vulgar horror intersects with grand history, internet chaos coexists with classic culture, ultimately evoking a sense of anarchy and decentralisation, where no cultural phenomenon can offer a coherent explanation for power. Ozobolt’s works suggest that we must continue to flourish in a free social order, shaping a new societal structure.