Solo Exhibition
Museum of Modern Art, Paris, France
Curator: Sebastien Gokalp
13/01/2012 - 11/06/2012
Room 17 from Musee d’Arte Moderne in Paris became the venue for Eko Nugroho’s first French solo presentation. Témoin Hybride or Hybrid Witness is the result of Nugroho’s five-month long Paris residency, hosted by SAM Art Projects at Villa Raffet. Set against the museum’s sober classical setting – home to Picasso, Braques, Legers and other modern masters – Nugroho’s crowded, bustling room simultaneously injected a surge of refreshing energy, and engaged in a dialogue with its surroundings. The artist worked for over a month to transform this space, painting over its pristine surfaces with geometrical motifs in neon blue, overlaid with images and texts in thick black outlines. However, under the veneer of colour, kitsch and absurd humour and seemingly chaotic environment lie serious socio-political messages and concerns. The works in this room relate to the artist’s observation and experience of Paris, that of the ‘alien’ observing the others. They reference the increasingly common sightings of homeless people on the streets, and by extension Europe’s current financial crises and unrest, personal bittersweet lost in translation moments, the occasional encounters of racial discrimination, and the new friendships that have been forged during his time in the French capital. (Words by Adeline Ooi)
Photo Courtesy of SAM Art Project
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