Alrighty! My first art exhibition in two years is almost here.
I am getting reallllly excited about this. Mainly, because it really isn’t “my” art exhibition. In the time since my last exhibitions back in Canada and Europe, my art has changed. Completely. I am not talking about change of painting style, or switch in medium or method. I am talking complete ideological destruction, full paradigm combustion, and phoenix-rising of a whole new way of being an artist. Its changed so much that my creations will only be 1% of the show, and I wonder if I am even an artist!
Prior to my four years marooned in the land of the Igorots, I played the part in the traditional western narrative of the solitary, individual, “artiste”. In this narrative, the lone artist toils to bring his creations to the masses of non-artists. Consequently, my name was big on the show poster and, obviously, the show, the story, were all about me and my art. However, in the deeply sustainable culture of the Igorots, there is no such thing as a artist like this. There is no such thing as an exhibition. Sure, everyone has a role, but communities do things together. In Kankanue they call this “Obo’obo’. In Tagalog “Bahanihan”. My observation, is that this is way more sane.
And fun. And awesome! The creative potential is exponentially more grand.
So first, Ani and I are the supra-sexual cocreative spark behind the show. Neither of us could pull this off without the other. Our balance of feminine and masculine, eastern and western, short and tall, brown and white allows for the unprecedented social opportunity behind the exhibition: the ecobrick movement here in Indonesia.
Second, Ani and I are only holding the space. The exhibition is a space to uplift the creative work of individuals, groups and communities who have been transforming their trash into ecobricks. We’ve lined up the largest art space in the city to fill with the participation of the burgeoning network of ecobrickers that has sprouted up over the last year in Jogja. The force of the exhibition will be the participation of passionate activated others who are creating, innovating and spreading ecobricks on their own.
Importantly, we are among that group showing our work, but in the same circle as everyone else. Ani and are going to show a dozen or so photos of how we use ecobricking in our home to go zero waste and put our plastic to use. In the same way, groups, individuals, homes and schools will print and show their photos. We’ll be bringing one of our ecobrick modules to the gallery and 5 of our ecobricks. And so will everyone else!
It will be a little bit like an artistic potlach! And given the fact we have so many folks, schools, bank sampahs, restaurants and more ecobricking in the city… it sure to be a feast.
Oh yeah… and the opening night, January 6th is my 40th b-day! 😀
