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2008-05-06
Hamad Khalaf: Portending a Multipolar Culture?
Jean Couteau

It has long been said that visual artists are pioneers. This is not simply a clich�. Hamad Khalaf, a young Kuwaiti artist whose latest works are discussed in another section of this magazine, is a good case in point. As I hope to make clear below, his cultural origin, the context in which he works, as well as the content and destination of his works may well make him one of the portents of changes to come in our globalizing world.

Before expounding on those changes, let us first present the artist and the context in which he operates.

Born in Kuwait, Hamad Khalaf witnessed in 1990, as a young student in France, the swift takeover of his country by the Saddam Hussein's Iraqi army, and, upon their defeat and attempted escape, their ghastly annihilation on the notorious "highway of death" by unforgiving American air forces. He was shaken, but powerless. He then returned to his country where he worked for a time with a foreign company specialized in "cleaning up" mines and other abandoned and destroyed war materials. But he could not just cast aside and forget the images of death this job brought, which compulsively haunted him. He decided to do something about it. This is when he came up with an artist's idea, a stroke of genius. He would turn the instruments of death "weaponry" into instruments of peace. In other words, he would transform, by the magic wand of symbolism, hatred into love. How? By painting a message onto them. But not just any message. A lover of Greek mythology, he would use Greek iconography. His works would feature, among others, the story of the Golden Fleece, associating Medea's self-destructing lust for revenge and blood with Saddam's self-destructing military adventures in pursuit of oil riches (the Golden Fleece). In short, he would use Greek mythology to carry an anti-war message to the world. And indeed, Khalaf has done exactly as he envisioned. He has held a worldwide series of exhibitions of "Acts of War" to channel his anti-war message. He is now living in Indonesia, where he exhibits on the national stage and plans exhibitions abroad -his next one being in Melbourne in June.

But how is Hamad Khalaf portending our cultural future?
Who is he after all, if not a Kuwaiti, that is, a man belonging to a tradition"Islamic"for which Greek mythology is not only alien, but commonly classified as syirik or portraying gods other than God. As such, this mythology has no place in official Kuwaiti public discourse. Yet, Hamad Khalaf has a purpose. He uses this "alien" tradition to convey an anti-war message in a country, Indonesia, where it is no less alien, and which is remote from the war he is protesting.
So, what matters in Hamad Khalaf's artistry is not so much the message, whatever its idealistic intentions, but the form. He empowers, as a Kuwaiti Arab, one of the world's great traditions, the ancient Greek, with a new, trans-cultural message endowed with a new universal meaning.
...read more on C-Arts Magazine (ISSUE#03)
read more in EXHIBITIONS @ C-ARTS VOLUME-03


HIGHLIGHTS
2011-03-30

Van Gogh Alive – the Exhibition set to open on 16 April 2011 

Singapore (30 March 2011) In commemoration of Van Gogh’s birth date today, the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands announced that it will host the world touring premiere of Van Gogh Alive – the Exhibition. Visitors will get to experience Vincent Van Gogh’s art work come alive in an exhibition that will combine the latest in sound and projection technology using images of Van Gogh’s masterpieces.

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2011-01-05

Works by Vincent Leow A mid-career survey of Vincent Leow’s oeuvre marking a new direction in the artistic practice of Leow,

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2011-01-05

Organized by Hou Hanru in collaboration with ShContemporary 9th September, 2010

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2031-01-01

An interesting exploration into art in Singapore by nineteen artists, including seniors like Tang Da Wu, Jimmy Ong and Zai Kuning “who have lived

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2010-10-06

The installations of Java’s Machine: Phantasmagoria by Augustinus Kuswidananto (a.k.a. Jompet) have been shown in a number of variations, exploring syncretism or strategies to reconcile

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2010-10-06

Filipino artist Bembol Dela Cruz presents the concept of art reflecting art, with an explosive narrative that carves life out

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2010-10-06

Islamic art in Indonesia used to be associated with religious calligraphy only, but in 2009 Lawangwangi’s exhibition of Contemporary Islamic Art showed that calligraphy is just a form of language.

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EMERGING ARTIST

There is a new epidemic trend in the contemporary art of Asia sweeping through the population of younger artists: Animamix Art.

 

 

Amalia Kartika Sari

 

Each artist has a full right, and at the same time an obligation, to explore forms and ideas continuously, although naturally there will be many obstructions and challenges along the way.

Hayatudin

 

“A community is often proud of a certain building, viewing it with a sense of grandeur. Meanwhile, a range of monumental idioms are often used to mark great moments in history. 

Edo Pillu

From different generations and cultural backgrounds, S Teddy D and Daniel Flanagan present together their collaboration on Transubstantiation.

Daniel Flanagan

From different generations and cultural backgrounds, S Teddy D and Daniel Flanagan present together their collaboration on Transubstantiation.

 

S Teddy D

Not unlike other Filipino-Americans who journey to the Philippines to learn more about their roots, Hanna Pettyjohn undertook such a passage in reverse.

 

Hanna Pettyjohn

I do not wish to become a president, professor, doctor, governor, celebrity, corruptor, politic expert or anything else.

Nyoman Darya

Solo Exhibition:

 

1998 Urban Personality Exhibition, Chongqing, China

2001 Hangzhou Jincai Gallery

 

 

 

He Wei-Na

Ong-Arj’s painting has point out thoroughly content in a society condition today. Even it express through looks weird human image.

 

Ong-Arj Loeamornpagsin

Fazar paints with his heart. He believes that his interpretation is like “worship”. Any composition existing in his painting is his effort of concretizing what he feels.

 

Fajar Roma Agung Wibisono

With great imagination, he has been using a very unique artistic language to express his very much primitive and strong emotion on the surrounding characters.

Yang Pei Jiang

In Ardana’s works garlic becomes most artistic in various ways it is rendered whether it is presented individually or in groups of bulbs, cut open, blown up, its thin and transparent layers peeled, as well as severed and torn.

Dewa Ngakan Ardana

Filippo Amato Sciascia (born at Palma, Di Montechiaro, Italy, 1972) will present his solo exhibition of his recent works titled Lux Lumina at Kendra Gallery of Contemporary Art from the 12th December 2009 – 14th January 2010. 

Lux Lumina

Hui Xin’s art addresses both the phenomenon of our constant need for visual stimuli, as well as our desire to be surrounded by objects that give us pleasure. His new paintings and sculptures bring out a dichotomy between naive happiness and adult-themed amusements.

Hui Xin

Since childhood, Nano has enjoyed reading comics, even producing his own comic book in junior high school. Comics became the first visual art Nano came to know. 

Nano Warsono

2002:"Ilusi Koran", Semarang Gallery, Semarang. "Transisi", Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta.

Budi Ubrux

Selected Solo Exhibition 

2005:“Paradoks Batas”, Edwin Galeri, Jakarta. 2003: “Painthink”, Edwin Galeri, Jakarta.

F. Sigit Santoso

He got  The Special Award  From The 25th Exhibition of Contemporary art in 2008 and winner Prize from 11th Panasonic  Contemporary Painting Competition when he postgraduate. 

Chalermpon Ratanakomonwat

The inspiration behind his recent paintings came in 2005 while he was observing his second child was a son. People say that when babies sleep they are guarded by angels. This common experience evoked a wave of questions: Was the baby dreaming? What was he dreaming about? What was he feeling?

WAHYU GEIYONK

“Many artists like to ponder on the past and the present through the history of human civilization,” says young artist Wang Mian. “With pieces of information and inspiration they

WANG MIAN
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ART AGENDA

The Tang Shipwreck: Gold and Ceramics from 9th-century China
www.golinharris.com
 
Don’t Forget To Remember
www.dontforgettoremember.org
 
Solo Exhibition of Sui Jianguo and Zang Kunkun happening at MOCA and Linda Gallery
www.lindagallery.com
 
Rhapsody for the Otherness
www.oneeastasia.org
 
Gajah Gallery presents A celebration of our 15 years
 

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