Doors opened early for VIPs and the media to view the collections before the public opening. In this time I was able to meet and talk with some of the gallery representatives.
Local galleries such as Chalk Horse, Roslyn Oxley9 and Damien Minton Gallery were showing alongside international galleries from India, New Zealand and Japan, among others.
I stopped briefly to talk with a representative at the Equator Art Projects showcase, based in Singapore. They were displaying the works of a young Indonesian artist, Uji Handoko, who derives imagery from cartoons, anime and pop culture. Through his work he explores the difficulties of becoming an international artist. “Jakarta is a long way from New York.” Handoko’s work examines the pursuit of opportunities in the post boom art world, and general human struggles of image and the need to find goals and purpose.
A few stalls down was Nature Morte Gallery based in New Delhi, India. They were displaying the work of New Delhi artists Jiten Thukral and Sumil Tagra, who also work with pop culture imagery. They work within various media, music, fashion, graphic design, product placement and installation, to address issues of Indian identity and international perspectives on Indian culture. These artists are known for their use of humour and pop culture imagery in their work to address heavy topics such as safe sex practices in a conservative environment, HIV awareness, and the growth of the Indian middle class and its social implications.
After a little more wandering I viewed Damien Hirst’s “Transportation”, bragging the biggest price tag at 900k, and Candice Breitz’s “Working Class Hero (A Portrait of John Lennon)”. This comprised multiple screens placed side by side in a large space showing male fans of John Lennon from Northern England each singing their own rendition of Lennon’s first album, Plastic Ono Band.
