Flotsam, Jetsam, Lagan & Derelict

About

Different stages of remains/structures floating on the surface of the water lost at sea.

There is a certain vulnerability in being adrift, uncertain of borders or location. Searching for familiar images or visual confirmation of our physical presence, 'somewhere' often blurs into 'elsewhere.'

The insignificance of distance outside observation.
Gaze places afar.

A.I. is pleased to present Flotsam, Jetsam Lagan & Derelict, an exhibition focusing on different strategies of constructing archives of encountered territories. A selection of works by three artists, Haffendi Anuar (b.1985, Malaysia), WeiXin Chong (b.1988, Singapore) & artist collective without appeal (b.2016, London), in the form of table-top sculptures and prints examine the versatile and paradoxical power of the flâneur.

Haffendi Anuar’s table-top sculptures entitled Migratory Objects trace the contemporary mutations that occur in cultural symbols as a result of displacement, digitalisation and commodification. Through the current velocity of digital dispersion and pixelation of traditional designs and patterns, these resulting objects become pseudo-artefacts. Their existence, inspired by kitsch decorative pieces and cultural debris, question their potential to enter Western economic exchange markets.

The series Toute La Nuit by WeiXin Chong developed in response to exploring the urban environment whilst on a residency in Paris. Utilising natural and man-made ephemera found at site-specific locations, for example: Bois de Boulogne and the resting place of French writer, Simone de Beauvoir (whose grave she shares with her lifelong partner- the famed existential philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre) -these re-compositions evoke narrative associations simultaneously alongside its flash, frozen-in-flight aesthetic.

without appeal are premiering two bodies of work: a paperback self-publication titled Enthusiasm Is Blasting Out of All of My Holes is the result of a six-month long project which took place between Hunedoara, Warsaw, Venice and Paris. With roots in Guy Debord’s ideas on psychogeography and cultivating a new awareness of our environment, the publication documents a subjective engagement with these spaces and explores personal micro-narratives interwoven in each location.

The series Everything that is Man-Made Requires Maintenance is a response to rising nationalist delimitations and a growing appeal for singular identities and restrictive borders. The hybrid landscapes metaphorically eliminate distances and arbitrary delimitations set between the urban, institutional and natural environments. The resulting fictional territories hold the promise of open access and multiplicity, while they speculate on the possibilities of collaboration and community.