OVER, THROUGH

ANDUNDER

L a i l a A z r a

20 November – 28 December 2014

“The fluidity of paint allows the hand to create faster than the mind can dictate. Making and thinking are so interconnected they can at times be indivisible. When the process is work-ing well, it is unclear which action is leading and which is responding.”- Marc Freeman

W r i t t e n b y A i s h a H a b i r

OVER, THROUGH AND UNDER

The Singapore-based Indonesian mixed media artist, Laila Azra (43 years old), who is known

for her multi-layered and intricate abstract canvases, is showcasing her latest body of work entitled ‘Over, Through and Under.’ This is her third solo show since she made her art debut in 2010.

Australian researcher, Adrian Vickers, in his article on Indonesian Contemporary Art published in Inside In-donesia (112: Apr – Jun 2013) mentioned that along-side the works of political activists such as the New Art Movement, the mainstream of Indonesian art has long had a strong line of abstract and abstract expres-sionist art during the twentieth century. The art form and its influence were notable in both the main artistic schools in Bandung and Yogyakarta, producing great artists in Indonesian art history, such as Nashar, Mo-chtar Apin, A. Sadali and Sunaryo among others.

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Following the fall of Suharto’s regime in 1998, radical politic is by no means the sole narrative explaining the current state of Indonesian art. Other driving forces include religion, ethnic identity, economics as well as globalisation. Vickers wrote that in the 21st cen-tury Indonesian art is simultaneously localised and globalized. This is, among others, due to the increas-ingly close collaboration and relationship between Indonesians and their Southeast Asian contemporar-ies. Laila, can be identified with the latter – as the so-called ‘global’ contemporary Indonesian artist and is not associated with any particular Indonesian artistic school.

Laila has always been interested in the creative world. She initially obtained her degree from Jakarta’s pres-tigious University of Indonesia, in Social and Politi-cal Science. In 2004, after a stint in a multinational company, she moved to Singapore with her family and studied Western Abstract Painting in NAFA (Nan-yang Academy of Fine Arts). “I fell in love with ab-stract [style of painting] because it gives you space to imagine … [where] anyone can freely have interpreta-tions, which in a way makes the painting their own (not only mine anymore). I like that idea of sharing,” Laila explains.

The influences of Abstract Expressionism techniques made popular in 1940s by the likes of Jason Pollock, Willem De Kooning and Mark Rothko, resonate in

Laila’s art. She adapts gestural painting methods, a technique where she uses her hands and body move-ments to drip, splash and scrape on a canvas, which is often positioned flat on the floor. This resulted in bold, rhythmic lines and texture-rich artworks, which are characterised by the interweaving layers of acrylic paint as well as her other chosen mediums. The lattice effect for the artist becomes a way of unravelling a per-sonal biography, which is symbolic of life.

Just as we cannot re-write the past, Laila never erases her painted strokes. She merely paints over them and continues on with her work. “Life as a process and a journey – all the mishaps, miracles and mysteries – is embodied in her paintings.” This belief serves as Laila’s point of departure in artistic experimentation. Laila often starts her painting with only an idea and a hue of paint she will use. Everything else in the crea-tion process is free flowing and happens intuitively. To quote Laila’s artist statement – “my paintings and creative works are reflections of what life is. Despite the confident start, we cannot be certain how it will end.”

The term Mixed Media in visual art refers to a work of art that embodies more than one medium. Although the term has been widely used since the twentieth cen-tury Post-Modern art period, the practice of combin-ing different types of media to create an artwork dates back to antiquity. Many artists as well as collectors are intrigued by the tactile elements of Mixed Media Art

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as well as its two or three-dimensional presentations. Though many artists rely on their technical training when it comes to the mixing of materials, they also often explore new techniques and combinations of styles making this art form consistently a pioneering and continuously evolving form of art.

In her new collection of work, it is evident that Laila has grown more confident in using experimental ma-terials such as liquid latex, water effects, threads and streamers spray, forming multiple dimensions to her often densely composed paintings. Standing in front of Laila’s work is like peeling off layers and witness-ing each of her steps in the art creation process. The meaning becomes less important and methodology emerges as critical. Through the process of layering, she discovers patterns, which with the painting sur-face intensifies the visual impact. Christine Ay Tjoe is another notable Indonesian contemporary artist that also puts great emphasis on process and experimenta-tion with mediums.

Personally, Laila views painting as a passage to explore her roots and identity by finding and realizing her per-sonal voice and purpose in life. “Our understanding of what we see is conditioned by our personal and social cultural experience,” she says. Issues surrounding cul-ture and life encounters thus remain a common theme in this current exhibition.

Laila was born in 1970 to a Sundanese father and an Acehnese mother. She spent her first twenty years in Bogor, West Java. For this exhibition, thin bamboo shafts, known as ‘gedek,’ was adopted in her art to rep-resent her hometown as well as her roots. In Indone-sian villages, gedek is commonly used as an economi-cal option for walls and partition in people’s homes. The simplicity of gedek becomes its advantage and this material provides shelter and security for the major-ity of Indonesians. The gedek is weaved together with Laila’s canvas forming patterns often found in rural homes across the archipelago.

‘Over, Through and Under’ depicts hand movements during weaving in an attempt to highlight the process involved. As a representation of Laila’s multi-layered art, the weaved gedek also tells a story about a person-al journey that is always interweaved with ones past experience, cultural values and norms as well as their aspirations for the future. The notion of being useful is also important to Laila. For when giving birth to a painting she feels that she has fulfilled a purpose or made a contribution – to become useful in her own way. Laila will continue her venture into installation art in Singapore Artstage 2013 in collaboration with Elements Art Space by once more presenting an in-stallation piece in the current exhibition.

A recent but late convert to art, Laila’s theme on ex-ploring identity tends to be more spiritual. Her choice

of vibrant palette and impulsive strokes is energetic and bubbly, yet her works still resonates a strong ret-rospective and reflective tone of voice. She has no in-tention to engage in social political issues like many of her younger Indonesian counterparts. Instead, she presents a compelling sense of conflicting complexity in her recent art as if each work is in constant dialogue with itself.

With the recent rise of Indonesian conceptual art, art-works that are not tied to a grand concept are some-how deemed weaker. This is why Laila’s works, which has little emphasis on the matter, I feel is refreshing and less intimidating. Art becomes great if it is under-stood, but more important it is supposed to stimulate and intrigue the senses. Only then, can artwork truly ‘speak’ to the viewer.

1. Vickers, Adrian. ‘What is Contemporary Indonesian Art?’, Inside Indonesia (112: Apr – Jun 2013); http://www.insideindonesia.org/feature-editions/what-is-contem-porary-indonesian-art-3

2. Emmerling, Leonhard. ‘Jackson Pollock 1912–1956: At the Limit of Painting’. Taschen, 2013 in Koln.

Facing Dusk, 2014mixed media on canvas

165 x 240 cm

Legacy, 2014mixed media on canvas

130 x 130 cm, 60 x 60 cm set of 2

Detail

Play is Virtue, 2014mixed media on canvas

Diameter 122 cm

Re-visiting Equilibrium, 2014mixed media on canvas122 x 204 cm

(Opposite page)

Through Thick and Thin, 2014mixed media on jute200 x 200 cm

Re-emerging from Deep, 2014mixed media on canvas

188 x 60 cm

(left to right)Multifaceted Rainbow (Green), 2014, mixed media on canvas, 234 x 90 cmMultifaceted Rainbow (Blue), 2014, mixed media on canvas, 234 x 90 cm

(left to right)Multifaceted Rainbow (Orange), 2014, mixed media on canvas, 234 x 90 cmMultifaceted Rainbow (Purple), 2014, mixed media on canvas, 234 x 90 cm

As Life Unravels, 2014mixed media on canvas160 x 500 cm

Detail

Artist studio

Detail

Interweaving Conversations, 2014gedek and mixed media on canvas

155 x 90 cm

Weaving Values, Shaping Identity, 2014gedek and mixed media on canvas

230 x 100 cm

Reminiscence, 2014gedek and mixed media on canvas

250 x 250 x 225 cmset of 5

ARTIST BIOGRAPHYLaila Azra

Born in 1970, IndonesiaCurrently lives and works in Singapore

Education2009Western Abstract (Distinction), Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore1995Social and Political Science (Cum Laude), University of Indonesia, Indonesia

Solo Exhibitions2014Over, Through and Under, Element Art Space, SingaporeEKLEKTIKA, Balai Kartini, Indonesia2013Contrary Passage, D Gallerie, Jakarta, IndonesiaMaterial Garden, Art Stage Singapore 2013, Singapore2011Solo Open Studio, Barossa, Singapore2010A Metaphor on Life’s Journey, Y2Art, Singapore

Group Exhibitions2014 ArtJog 2014, Yogjakarta, Indonesia2013Artwalk,@Wessex, Barossa Studio, SingaporeGrand Opening of the new Element Art Space, SingaporeArtist to Artist, Viridian Art House, Singapore2012Joy Forever, Nikei Fine Art, SingaporeOne Foot in the Right Direction, Marina City Link, SingaporeA Conversation In Art 2012, Viridian Art House, SingaporeKaomise, Nikei Fine Art, SingaporeInterArt Greifswald 2012, GermanyArtist 2 Artist 2012, Zaragosa, SpainArtwalk,@Wessex, Barossa Studio, Singapore2011Project Fried Rice Art Fair, Fort Canning SingaporeArtwalk,@Wessex, Barossa Studio, Singapore2010 Art Expo Malaysia 2010, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Award1994Finalist of Indonesia Gold Jewelry Design Contest from World Gold Council Indonesia

PUBLISHED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EXHIBITION OF

Published by Element Art Space Pte Ltd © 2014

Element Art SpaceRaffles Hotel Arcade 328 North Bridge Road #02-13 Singapore 188719TEL: +65 6883 2001 FAX: +65 6883 2707 info@elementartspace.comwww.elementartspace.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form of any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without prior permission of the copyright holder. Copyright of artwork images belong to Element Art Space and their respective artist, and essays to the respective authors.

Dimension of works are given in centimeters, height x length

ArtistLaila Azra

CuratorAisha Habir

DirectorAniela Rahardja

Gallery AdministratorStephanie Seet Ying

Gallery AssistantNeelaufar Binte Haji Mohamed Ayup

Graphic DesignerStephanie Seet Ying

OVER, THROUGH AND UNDER L a i l a A z r a

Raffles Hotel Arcade 328 North Bridge Road #02-13 Singapore 188719T +65 6883 2001 F +65 6883 2707 E info@elementartspace.com

www.elementartspace.com