Thursday, March 19, 2015

looping loopholes

 
Duto Hardono
Muhammad Akbar

Yeo Workshop, Singapore, 24 April – 15 June 2015

Opening: Friday 24 April, 6-9pm

Talk: Saturday 25 April, 2-3.30pm
moderated by Michael Lee 

Curated by Roy Voragen

Language in all its shapes and forms is what gives us body. We whisper, we yell, we argue, we declare, we state this and that. We listen, we pretend to listen. We look, gaze, stare. We are seen-not-seen. We try to understand. We don’t understand, no, not at all. We paint in lush brush strokes. We scribble notes on the city’s walls, we write dissertations on the fall of the re/public. We read philosophy, poetry and prose. We take, post and like photos. We read out loud. We wink, we show the finger. We contradict ourselves. We fail. We fail again. We start over…

Occasionally, we speak in riddles and tongues, including slips. Our streets are cacophonic. Voices and counter-voices inhabit our cities.

Specters of a past are here to haunt us, through movies or monuments immortalizing our sins.

A city without people is no longer a city. A city would turn quickly into a ruin of asphalt and concrete without us – merely a collection of potholes.

A city means many things. It also means this: to fail, to fail again and then try again.

The exhibition deals with the repetitive, reflexive interaction between people, space/place and time. With flair and a good sense of humor, the artists raise the question whether we can embrace mistakes as a blessing in disguise. Breaks and tears, chance and change are inevitable, even though only slightly visible/audible at first, when an action is – or: has to be – repeated over and over again. Failure and a deviation from perceived standards are common treads to who we are/can be(-come) in particular places and times (including how we are perceived and received by others in public and private instances).

Poster design by Endira FJ.