Young illustrators and graphic designers continue to make their mark in the art mainstream
Is beauty really in the eye of the beholder? Head to Bad taste: an exhibition of illustrations at the Lostgens contemporary art space in Kuala Lumpur, to put this theory to the test.
Curated and curated by members of Meet The Kawan – including Minifanfan (aka Gee Fan Eng), Yuwen Ong and Yunroo – this exhibition aims to shine a light on the contemporary illustration scene in Malaysia.
It features the works of 11 local artists, while 14 international artists from Britain, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain and Taiwan are also in attendance. program.
“As artists and designers, we have been trained in the principles of design aesthetics through our many years of artistic education. But the general public might have a different idea of what beauty is. This led us to ask the question, what is beauty? Are ugliness and beauty two opposing ideas or can something be both ugly and beautiful?
“With these questions in mind, this exhibition explores the idea of beauty, and the roles of ugliness and beauty. From ugly signs to unpleasant everyday situations, we intend to reevaluate them through illustrations, to invoke a common unpleasant memory and feeling, and spark a conversation with our audience,” says Yunroo.
The idea for Bad taste first appeared in late 2019, at a time when the most common genre of illustration was anime-style comics or traditional, realistic art, she notes.
Contemporary illustration was hardly in the spotlight.
“A lot of people also think that you’re only really a ‘good’ artist if you can draw realistically. In presenting the various artistic styles to Bad taste, especially from our international guests, we hope to inspire young artists interested in contemporary illustration and give them the courage to do so.
“For the public, we want them to discover contemporary illustration, and at the same time, showcase our local talents. Many visitors have expressed their astonishment at the quality of the works of our local artists and we are honored to present them. “, she added. adds.
Projek SembangSembang’s digital artwork ‘The Taste-y Society’. Photo: Projek SembangSembang
The artists in Bad taste each brought their distinctive perspective, style and interpretation of “bad” and “taste” to this show.
The result is a diverse range of works spanning digital collage, works on paper, gouache, acrylic, pastels, sculpture and installation.
In collaboration with motion designer Kar Hang, a series of six short animations is also presented in the exhibition.
Reflecting the fun, energetic and seemingly chaotic spirit of the exhibition, this animation project is based on the conceptualization of an imaginative mini-market that sells random trinkets. There are plenty of familiar images here, like toilet paper with a “panic” label on it, inspired by the toilet paper frenzy at the start of the pandemic in 2020, and a banana, which is a dig by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan “The Comedian” at Art Basel in Miami, which was simply a fresh banana stuck to the wall.
‘What You Looking At’ by Diego Mallo (cut paper, pencil, gouache and digital collage). Photo: Diego Mallo
Besides the exhibition, there will be a Illustration Forum – Staying creative in an ever-changing world January 22 (7:30-9:30 p.m.) with Apohapoh, Art:tech and Kathrin Honesta, on site and virtually. This is a paid event (RM50 in person and RM20 virtually).
“Apohapoh has worked as a tattoo artist and illustrator for years, Art:tech as a multidisciplinary artist, and Kathrin Honesta is known for her editorial illustrations. In this forum, we’ll talk about the challenges and changes artists have made or encountered during the pandemic, and how they’re using social media and technology to their advantage.
“Since they have worked in this line for years, we are also curious about their respective creative journeys and setbacks, and how they overcame negativity. These are the topics we find relevant, especially during the pandemic, and we hope our audience would also find these topics interesting,” says Yunroo.
Bad Taste: An Illustration Exhibition is taking place at Lostgens’ Contemporary Art Space, Jalan Panggong in Kuala Lumpur until January 23. Opening hours: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
More information here.