Bruised: Art Action and Ecology in Asia
12 April – 1 June 2019
RMIT Gallery
344 Swanston Street, Melbourne
When it comes to ways in which artists address ecological issues, actions can be big or small — it’s the action that is important however subtle. In the face of complex environmental problems Bruised: Art Action and Ecology in Asia, curated by Helen Rayment with Thao Nguyen examines, examines how artistic response combined with gentle activism can result in a rich legacy and empower further actions in the community.
Bruised: Art Action and Ecology features an element of Indonesian artist Tintin Wulia’s major work 855 Kilograms of Homes in Another State, which uses cardboard waste to examine the politics of recycling and the wealth made from human labour.
A living grass installation by Arahmaiani, one of Indonesia’s most respected and iconic contemporary artists, provides a powerful and provocative commentary on land ownership.
The brutal exploration of the palm oil industry is addressed by German artist Armin Linke, whose film investigates the rapidly expanding demand for palm oil and its derivative products and terrifying consequences for Asia’s tropical rainforests.
What happens when the water runs out in your apartment block? Singapore film maker Sherman Ong presents an engaging exploration into human nature and obstacles that we may need to confront in the face of an environmental crisis.
In a cross-cultural project, Brisbane artist Mandy Ridley found common ground working with three Indian artists to reflect through memories of nature on shared childhood experiences between Bihar and Gippsland.
Using simple materials such as trolleys attached to sculptures of buildings, Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan’s work reflects on their personal experience of migration from the Philippines, as well as the hardship of such journeys at a time when people are moving around the world at speeds previously unseen in human history.
Artists: Arahmaiani, Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Made Bayak, Yu Fang Chi, Ishan Khosla, Ryoko Kose, Pradyumna Kumar, Pushpa Kumari, Armin Linke, Ly Hoàng Ly, James Nguyen, Sherman Ong, Sarker Protick, Fitri Ranatarya, Mandy Ridley, Khvay Samnang, Gigi Scaria, Lizzy Simpson, Manit Sriwanichpoom, Kawita Vatanajyankur, Tintin Wulia, Bo Zheng.
As part of the exhibition, Bruised Food: a living laboratory, curated by Marnie Badham and Francis Maravillas, presents a working kitchen and events to explore the politics and aesthetics of food as employed by contemporary social practice artists: Keg de Souza with Lucien Alperstein, Arahmaiani, Rhett D’Costa, Elia Nurvista and Stephen Loo.
Bruised: Art Action and Ecology in Asia is part of the of ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2019, a socially-engaged festival of exhibitions, theatre works, keynote lectures, events and artist talks considering climate change impacts and the challenges and opportunities arising from climate change.
Image: Khvay Samnang, Air, 2011, single-channel HD video, single-channel sound, courtesy of the artist