Closed Alpha Testing
Stories of the world set by Generation XYZ for Gen Alpha
First Kendys Gallery Exhibition
Exhibited at Jakarta Art Hub, Wisma Geha • March 16th - April 28th 2024
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Starring
Adriel Arizon • Godek Mintorogo • Iqi Qoror • Hannah Shin • Jiwoo Shin • Marrsudi • Nadia Diandra • Petek Sutrisno • Ryan Geraldin • Sel Yoon-Suak • Suwandi Waeng • William Kung • Yoyok Siswoyo
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Hosted by Sendy Widjaja
Organized by Kendys Gallery
Curated by Denny Yustana
Artworks are shown in the order of curation
While the final births of Generation Alpha has been marked four years ago, understanding their defining attributes remains elusive at their formative age of 4-14. Noting especially the fact that Gen Y & Z that came before them has been the least internally idiosyncratic for better and worse under multi-faceted flux of influences. on the mutual side, the latter two were nicknamed the "Strawberry Generation" for their perceived sensitivity, Both qualities attributed to the overwhelming role that the information age has been having in shaping the digital natives and early settlers that sets them apart from the previous rest.
Named after the initial phase of testing period in software release, Closed Alpha Testing aims to scope into the world which our most impressionable fledglings have been plunged into through their predecessors personal or critical lens, as none other comes near in familiarity as older sibling figures for the rapidly shifting sandbox.
Hope you’ll enjoy the show
The exhibition opens with Adriel Arizon’s Mural for his diptych genuine imitation & painted skin
genuine imitation — painted skin
Adriel Arizon - 80 x 120 cm - Watercolor on Paper - 2023
Adriel Arizon opens the exhibition with a mesmerizing mural for the 2 of 8 Diptychs in Adriel’s Becoming Series is telling about how limited one isn’t in all the freedom, but rather the freedom that limitation allows. Echoing of the saying “Limitation is the mother of creativity”, this artwork was selected for the choices or illusion in the old & newly acquired freedom that technology advancement allows, that often intimidates the would-be learners through overwhelming competitions, impostor syndrome and information overload.
Adriel Arizon before his diptych & mural
Summer Wars
Marrsudi - 100 x 75 cm - Watercolor, Acrylic & Resin - 2024
Having bonded a rare combination of 3 mediums and setting the unusual base, Summer Wars also continues flashing a feat through controlling multiple loud imageries amplified it’s vibrant main palette and even yet more three neon color accents. Even before receiving the main figure, this piece sustains interests the moment it was seen.
The symbolisms in this painting is by no means any less dense as Marrsudi locked on to the concept of remembrance, Starting from the base the oblong shape is one of a time capsule, specifically the memories preservation type of one generation for the next. As such the striking accent colors were chosen to be the most vivid to be as memorable visually as the metaphorical counterpart; the times brought by liberating sounds of the particular summer. The latter is illustrated by the iconic cicada, which emerge every summer but will potentially become scarce to come by in the future thus as a result forgotten. To tie everything up, the little girl giddy for what she has on the vinyl expresses the legacy of a child’s memory.
a Sentimental era
Nadia Diandra - 120 x 100 cm - Acrylic on Canvas - 2024
Resuming her signature lightheartedness induced designs, this cuddly piece is first highlighting a tough & defensive exterior, one inescapably donned on the digital landscape despite the civility, common decency and altruism we still practice regularly on in-person encounters.
Continuing the duality are the reddish eyes on the costume that portray an emotional exhaustion and the flowery nature, seemingly longing for embrace that will stay halted as long as the short reach is maintained by the garment of the beast.
Calling Back Memories 3
Suwandi Waeng - 65 x 70 cm - Acrylic on Canvas - 2024
The third piece of the Calling Back Memories series is linked still to the others by the dashing accent of the sapling, this time having been increased giving the sense of progression.
No longer having an equally strong tone to play off against, this time with the company of cracked earth & branches they serve as a natural frame that brings out the cathartic escape the clearing has provided, finally out of the woods.
In contrast to the previous piece, the as-of-now final piece of the series gives a sense of conclusion after tension of the prequel. Reflecting not only the sense of peace much needed in the zenith of day, but also works in tandem as a rest area within the context of the exhibition.
Calling Back Memories 2
Suwandi Waeng - 65 x 70 cm - Acrylic on Canvas - 2024
Resuming her signature lightheartedness induced designs, this cuddly piece is first highlighting a tough & defensive exterior, one inescapably donned on the digital landscape despite the civility, common decency and altruism we still practice regularly on in-person encounters.
Continuing the duality are the reddish eyes on the costume that portray an emotional exhaustion and the flowery nature, seemingly longing for embrace that will stay halted as long as the short reach is maintained by the garment of the beast.
Luminating Gaze I
Hannah Shin - 120 x 100 cm - Oil on Canvas - 2023
Luminating Gaze I is separated into three main sections, a light cool white as a background, a translucent grayscale as a middle and an opaque darker brush stroke as a foreground in a more focused ratio. In the dynamic diagonal eye direction, the three element meets at the off-center as the anchor before the complementing details follow in order through suggested guided lines.
Warm on a Cool Breeze
Jiwoo Shin - 130 x 160 cm - Mixed Media on Canvas - 2024
Continuing her mixed media venture with a turn from previously warmer palette, Warm on a Cool Breeze showcases a clash color scheme of a muted split complementary (Palette; color sections almost opposite in the color wheel) hues. Patches of stark ultramarine branches downwards leading the eye-direction hierarchy. On the jagged brass & edelweiss diffused a further shade of blue, rolling a seemingly rippling monochromatic waves suggested by the title. Both every now and then ebbs and flows with the fluorescent white surface, barely affected by the shades as if reflecting the side of the audience.
Untitled
Sel Yoon-Suak - 100 x 170 cm - Acrylic on Unprimed Canvas - 2023
With an impromptu dance of emotions, Sel allowed the composition to guide the brush across the canvas, unravelling the painting's essence via contrast of depth of texture against the below, where the unprimed canvas lets the cotton stay unearthed, unmitigated by the standard practice of Gesso layers.
As the texture fluctuates between beats of wet blooms & dry strokes, The chiaroscuro (Technique; trapping of light by darkness) focus on the second panel stretches beyond the canvas. Like an open-ended story, she scripted a sense of uncertainty, continuity but also hope in the feeling of a new chapter.
This artwork of double spread format emerged as an intimate introspection of Sel during a particular moment in her past. Deliberately devoid of a title, the narrative of this piece is a blank canvas, an open invitation to weave each own’s tale.
Isolated Cities
William Kung - 100 x 100 cm - Acrylic on Canvas - 2024
Having been honed both separately and the combination of two distinct styles; One of the representational art through realism, surrealism and textural painting, and the other of geometrics through neo-plasticism, cubism and dioramics. William Kung pushed the juxtaposition of his merged technique more than ever in Isolated Cities, The outcome a diorama with the crispness of geometric planes & silhouette brought out by the more realistic rendering & soft background gradation and vice versa.
The polygonal landscape presents the feeling of accessible man-made personal worlds, the sanctuaries above, under, behind the walls and around the corner of the everyday life separated only by so far yet so close margins in between.
Towards the Top
Yoyok Siswoyo - 100 x 100 cm - Acrylic on Canvas - 2024
Poised impasto light hues and oleopasto mid tones are new in their thickness in Yoyok’s paintings, adding a dimension after the marching movement within the midground. The vertical composition of flowery colors on natural green and the stacking of warm bright light lend the image the mentioned climb towards the top, both in Y and Z axis. As a final touch, the ivy-like sprawling piece is locked fittingly with a wooden frame to give a sense of a controlled floral arrangement bloom.
Berteman Dengan Doa
Petek Sutrisno - 170 x 125 cm - Acrylic on Canvas - 2023
Roughly translated directly into BefriendingPrayers, Petek Sutrisno blends subjects of various timespan that adds to the act of praying itself. Hopeful sparkling eyes are vigilant and flowers bloom despite the central figure’s state of metaphorical engulfment. Black leather shoes imply a scholar or worker status, while the different companions seem temporarily distant but spiritually present nonetheless.
Study Bentuk
Godek Mintorogo - 120 x 120 cm - Acrylic on Canvas - 2023
Godek borrowed the term study which in visual art means the exploration or trial and error for the purpose of designing or learning. In this piece, its title for an analogy on the myriad of knowledge it takes to tow in the current age, the layer upon layer of each already a diverging paths in mandatory & optional subject fields.
Generational Relay
Ryan Geraldin - 100 x 100 cm - Acrylic on Canvas - 2024
In yet another complex piece of art, Ryan Geraldin evokes a harmony of imageries united by the aptly leading title. On the forefront, the pipes parting and converging hiding the minor lines that still protrudes within the major, visually conjuring electromagnetic relay; components that control circuits inside using an electrical signal in order to securely allocate power to a system per requested by received signals.
Highlighted by silver and gold accents are the machines and organic shapes latched onto & operating within said system. As per definition of the word, a “group of people or animals engaged in a task or activity for a fixed period of time and then replaced by a similar group” is reminiscent here.
By analogy to a relay race where a baton is passed from one runner to the next, a generational relay paints the transfer of knowledge, skills, or values from one generation working hand-in-hand to the next, happening irrespective of the preoccupying rat race ever-present on the surface.
Berpose Pintar di Depan Panorama 3 Panel
Iqi Qoror - 100 x 120 cm - Acrylic on Canvas - 2023
Smart Posing Before 3 Panels Panorama starts off the final set of Closed Alpha Testing and also the 3 works of Iqi Qoror exhibited with a minimalistic escapism only provided by an artificial method, but by no means a bleak artwork as two figures are locked on in their immersion.
Along with the two other displayed submissions by Iqi Qoror, The resemblance makes it hard not to draw a parallel to Chuck Palahniuk’s messages in his book Fight Club. In this case the anti-consumerism notion against the so-called “Ikea Nesting Instinct” that more so in the present day constantly resurfaces in mainstream media and internet culture through renewing formats respectively.
Rest Area
Iqi Qoror - 100 x 100 cm - Acrylic on Canvas - 2023
Much like that of a highway’s, Rest Area paints the intersection in between rest and action, a man composed while being surrounded by notion of thrill; Cadillac Fleetwood resemblance, clay tennis court, outdoor pool and open field.
Other than as a transition to the other two paintings, The spirit of Chuck Palahniuk’s book continues to reflect with the reevaluation of values thematics. Within the context of the exhibition. the importance of not being lost in the face of fear of missing out and not having the things you own end up owning you.
With one work left to go, this penultimate piece also rounds up the exhibition’s theme as an almost full circle mirroring Adriel Arizon’s concept that opened the exhibition.
Jalur Selatan
Iqi Qoror - 120 x 100 cm - Acrylic on Canvas - 2024
Jalur Selatan (Southern Route) ends both the series and exhibition with a depiction a man on his trail, still but on the move, resting but vigilant. With the mountains and waves pattern behind him, the piece carries a similar spirit of a different stage with Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.
Towards the stallion beside the phallic trees a vanishing point would stretch, tangent to the crashing waves but parallel to the protagonist who like the horse, seems to be stoic on his search.
To tie off the similarities to the book, altogether the mature elements elicits the often debated subject of purpose and elusiveness of masculinity in the emasculating era and more relevantly identity in homogenized society.
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