TAUFIK ERMAS:
IN ABSENTIA
MONO8 Gallery, in collaboration with Artemis Art, is pleased to present the works of Indonesian artist Taufik Ermas in an exclusive online exhibition.
"In Absentia" is a representation of dialectic space that allows us to expand our horizons of thinking, understanding, and learning of the many things that elude us in mere physical appearance. This idea of a dialectical space enables Taufik’s art practice to push paradoxical elements into dimensions beyond mere illusory impressions. This thinking is based on the artist’s understanding of imaginary elements within conventional and mainstream realistic painting styles.
Taufik depicts the dialectical representation of space through anonymous portraits in the form of contour line structures, which are protruding away one centimetre from the surface plane of the canvas. Thus, providing an actual tactile nature.
These structures are realized using special techniques without puncturing or damaging the canvas. The process provides further meaning to the contoured lines, exploring a paradox of the presence and absence in one's consciousness, which can cause anxiety or arousal.
It could be that the absence is interpreted as referring to something highly anticipated, but had never materialized. Perhaps, this absence represents feelings of incompleteness caused by traumatic events or how the perceived meaning of everything changes as wisdom grows within a person.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Taufik Ermas (b. 1984 in Sumatra, Indonesia) combines elements that utilize the physical negative space as key components of the visual conversations. Human silhouettes that outline the blank three-dimensional spaces in his sculptural paintings are symbolic of Taufik’s representation of the constant human quest to seek answers about ourselves and our place in this world. The emptiness and void in his works are reflections of our own feelings of being incomplete, as we struggle with questions about our true purpose. Taufik received his BFA from Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) in Yogyakarta. He was a finalist at the Indonesia Art Awards in 2010 and was named as one of the finalists for The Sovereign Asian Art Prize in Hong Kong
"In Absentia" adalah representasi ruang dialektik yang memungkinkan kita untuk meluaskan cakrawala berpikir, memahami dan mempelajari banyak hal yang tidak dapat ditemukan dalam wujud kehadiran. Gagasan mengenai ruang dialektik ini memungkinkan praktik seni lukis saya, untuk bisa mendorong nilai-nilai paradoks, memasuki dimensi lain melebihi kesan-kesan ilusif semata. Pemikiran ini berbasis pada pemahaman saya mengenai capaian-capaian ilusif/imajiner, gaya lukisan realistik konvensional/mainstream.
Representasi ruang dialektik ini saya lukiskan melalui potret anonymous dalam wujud struktur garis berkontur, satu centimeter lebih menonjol dari permukaan kanvas, sehingganya ia memiliki nilai raba yang bersifat faktual. Melalui teknik khusus tanpa melukai atau merusak kanvas. Lukisan berkontur temuan saya ini, kemudian saya dorong pada pemaknaan lebih jauh, untuk mengeksplorasi wilayah paradoks, tentang hadirnya ketiadaan dalam kesadaran seseorang, yang bisa menimbulkan rasa cemas ataupun gairah secara berlebihan.
Bisa jadi ketidakhadiran itu ditafsirkan mengenai seseorang yang sangat diharapkan, namun tak kunjung datang. Mungkin juga bisa mewakili perasaan tidak lengkap, sebab adanya peristiwa-peristiwa traumatik, ataupun pemaknaan terhadap segala sesuatu yang telah berubah seiring tumbuhnya kebijaksanaan dalam diri seseorang.
