“You Can See”, Samsul Arifin
Still trying to finish up my review of the Amanda Heng show at 8Q, and it’s getting long …
Anyways. Artwork of the day: Indonesian artist Samsul Arifin’s You Can See series (2010), a pair of gowns stitched together from numerous little dolls – nude, faceless, vulnerable, seemingly abject.
They’re beautiful and creepy all at once. From afar, they resemble the sort of lavish wedding frocks you see all the time, with ribbons, rosettes, frills and what-have-you; up close, they reveal themselves to be quite another sort of visual experience altogether, their tactile immediacy and motific outlandishness presenting a sly, subversive shock to the system.
Two thumbs up.
They remind me of Aida Makoto’s recent APB piece actually, Ash Color Mountains (below). And, er, a certain pop star’s Kermit coat …
Ash Color Mountains (2009 – 10), Aida Makoto.
Have you seen his paintings? I bet you hate them. I do. More so than Tapaya.
delmonte
December 12, 2011 at 2:39 am
Lol, no I don’t. They aren’t bad. Not exceptional, but not bad – rather Oldenburg-esque.
Tapaya’s shit, on the other hand, sucks eggs.
jusdeananas
December 12, 2011 at 3:18 am
You are very kind, describing SA’s paintings as O’esque. I say SA is more shite (and that’s not Japanese!)than Tapaya.
delmonte
December 12, 2011 at 3:32 am
Not even close yo ! Arifin at least has a sense of humour going for him; all Tapaya’s got is preachiness.
You, my friend, are officially on the blacklist.
jusdeananas
December 12, 2011 at 3:53 am
Whereas before you were uncertain about how people would react to your comments about Tapaya and his work, now you are so cocksure of your own opinion. Good for you. We need more of this.
delmonte
December 12, 2011 at 5:02 am
I’m *always* surer than cock of my own opinions. In Tapaya’s case, the verdict was so blinding I wondered why no one else seemed to share it – or at least willing to speak out.
jusdeananas
December 12, 2011 at 5:07 am