One Indonesian artist is no stranger to the world of hyperrealist painting. Known for his paintings of everyday objects that appear real enough to be actual photos, Erianto will be hosting his third solo show in Singapore. This time, though, he has curated an interesting juxtaposition of hyperrealism with surrealism. Many lines are blurred in this new show, which explores both the idea of single fish in whole schools, as well as artists whose works have been returned to them, unsold. The end result is a thoughtful and arresting collection of work that transcends 2-D or 3-D definitions, inviting the viewer to question just what art means — and whether any of us truly stands out among the billions of other people who occupy this planet.
In one painting that will be on display at the show, two different fish are depicted in a simple layer of ground. The sun shines overhead in a cerulean sky, and in the distance, a rock formation rises. These fish, however, are clearly out of water — and in the artist’s traditional sense of style, figuratively out of water, as well. Because the scene in the middle of the canvas is simplistic, almost like something out of a child’s imagination, and the opposite of hyperrealistic. However, the frame of the painting is what the viewer should be taking into consideration in addition to what is framed. Erianto has worked to recreate the frame painstakingly over and over again, zooming in to the center of the canvas by using border after border. The visual effect is dizzying and interesting. The fish, which should be the subject of the painting, almost become secondary to the framing.
In another painting, the same painstaking framework encroaching inward highlights a single fish in the middle of the canvas. The fish itself is nothing special, though it seems to float on a taupe background beset by vividly colored horizontal lines. It also has a wiggly eye, adding to the sense of surrealism. The frames almost make the viewer feel as if they are falling into the painting, a world in which rules don’t work the way they’re supposed to. Frames aren’t supposed to take centerstage. Fish are supposed to look real.
In a third painting, the taupe background with the vividly colored horizontal lines repeats, creating cohesion among the work. A school of plain white fish seem to be laid out on this background, and clouds and a sun and a blue sky hang overhead. Again, though, the viewer gets a disquieting feeling of something being amiss. The fish might not be underwater, and fish need to be underwater in order to survive.
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To read more about the artist’s work, as well as to preview a handful of artworks that will be on display in the exhibition, go to http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/2812016/hyperrealism-in-artificially-in-order-at-element-art-space.