WOAW Gallery Wan Chai works with Croatian-born curator Saša Bogojev to present the group exhibition "Objecting Reality." On view from March 27 to May 11, 2024, the show features recent paintings of 10 international artists: Niklas Asker, Jennifer Carvalho, Ginny Casey, Suzuki Hidetaka, Quinten Ingelaere, Heesoo Kim, Damien Meade, Filip Mirazović, Ken Nurenberg, and Wedhar Riyadi. Each of their works focus on examining the unique qualities of paintings, exemplifying its capability to petrify anything into a still image, and converting the flat painted canvas surface into an illusion of an three-dimensional object.
In this exhibition, Bogojev draws attention to how our artistic heritage is closely intertwined with the idea of objectifying reality through painting - in the Middle Ages, the portrayal of everyday objects carry religious and allegorical meanings, where the emergence of still life as a genre in Netherlandish paintings during the 16th and 17th centuries further accentuated how painters seek to capture the very essence of sculpted forms onto a flat canvas. "Historically, a lot of painters have revolved their practice around the concept of transforming the two-dimensional surface of the canvas into an illusion of space," he said, "This exhibition is basically going back to this idea by presenting works that focus on capturing the dimensional and voluminous qualities of inanimate, often sculptural objects."
Installation shot of “Objecting Reality” at WOAW Gallery Wan Chai
Even though the group show began as an exploration of painting, over time it revealed more of Bogojev's insight towards the medium. "I certainly started developing the concept as an exploration of that idea and aspect of painting, but now that you mentioned it, I feel like it reflects my perception of painting," he stated. "I just like to give my mind the freedom to disregard the factuality and get to experience the painting in a more poetic or abstract way. As in, not just look at what's depicted, but what it might be conveying or representing."
In order to highlight the concept of the exhibition, Bogojev emphasised the weight and volume of the depicted motifs by presenting the paintings the way one would display sculptures. Placed on plinths or shelves, he transforms paintings into something that needs a "ground base" rather than simply hanging them on a wall. "Also, it allows the viewer to peek at the back of the paintings, which isn't something that is often possible," added Bogojev, "And which adds to how the work appears and feels as a whole." With its unique placement, visitors who enter the gallery can experience how the artworks are positioned throughout the space. Presenting a diffusion of colors and objects, there is a form of dynamic interaction between each work - the picture-perfect quality of Quinten Ingelaere's still-life-like objects are framed by the domestic clay items in Wedhar Riyadi's paintings near the back, and Filip Mirazovic's porcelain figures offer a sharp contrast to the bold red and exaggerated curves of Ken Nurenberg's work.
Saša Bogojev introducing the exhibition at WOAW Gallery Wan Chai
With this being the first time Bogojev worked in the new WOAW Gallery Wan Chai space, his curatorial direction led him to "activate" the compact space rather than simply working on the walls. "By breaking its "cubeness" with scattered plinths, I wanted to change the standard way of walking around the gallery and experiencing the exhibits," he stated, "I thought preserving the work in this way would make the experience more special and would ask for a more focused look at the work. Which worked out as far as I could tell on the opening night."
This group show also marks Bogojev's sixth time working with WOAW Gallery. "I never thought I'd work so many times with one gallery, but we have this unsaid agreement that I do a show in each new space they open. And I must say, after so much experience with each other, it feels like we're a well-oiled machine by now, which feels great."
Installation shot of “Objecting Reality” at WOAW Gallery Wan Chai
With the idea of examining paintings in mind, Bogojev chose to include works from artists that frequently explore this particular subject. Amongst the featured artists is Irish painter Damien Meade, whose painting Sseed (2024) features three stalk-like bodies contorted in an "S" shape as if mutated growths, referencing the three witches from Macbeth. The ghostly beings exude a sense of darkness, chaos, and conflict, introducing an almost otherworldly atmosphere as if they defy the limitations of reality.
Damien Meade, Sseed, 2024.
Swedish artist Niklas Asker also focuses on performing painting techniques as a form of ritual, creating alternate realities with existing objects or motifs. One of his paintings, Container (2024), was inspired by the sense of the infinite and the spiritual in the works of Anish Kapoor. His ability to capture the reflective qualities of the glass despite his use of black and dull green renders the two objects eerie and elusive. Placed near Meade's towering figures, the paintings bring to mind Denis Villeneuve's science fiction films, namely the heptapod aliens in Arrival (Villeneuve, 2016).
Niklas Asker, Sign, 2024.
Bogojev also worked with artists who shifted from their existing artistic practice to offer their own take on the concept. Japanese painter Suzuki Hidetaka frequently seeks to prolong the life of images in an era of mass media, hoping to remember the human activity behind each moment. In Body (2023), Hidetaka paints a mould being made - despite the mould being made of plaster, which is the same material as the artwork, Hidetaka questions why the mould is not considered as an art piece as well.
Suzuki Hidetaka, Body, 2023.