Artjog 10 – Changing Perspective
19 May – 19 June 2017, Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
ENTWINED
“Forget me not” suggests a parting. It also confesses a desire to be remembered. The phrase implies an encounter with someone and a past which was deeply shared. It is both a command and a plea.
The act of remembering is an activity of the mind but the recollection moments become more faithful when it includes the senses.
“Touch me not” is also a command that pleads for understanding. It is a closing in for protection and self-preservation. It relates to the sense of touch and involves almost a reflex action which could suggest trauma.
Between these phrases are fragments of books on a pillar with thorns and petals pressed within pages. A message to a nation, which once trusted and suffered and is now coping.
The recognition of desires and fears and the acceptance of basic impulses is a necessary step towards self knowledge. A kind of knowing which is aware that journeys, encounters, conflicts and resolutions are part of the life experience.
All of these are temporary. Fleeting when viewed from the pages of time yet lasting in impact to a person or a nation. Expressing this is an attempt at remembering through thought and touch.
