Sydney based artist
and medico Adam Rish, well known for his 'world art' collaborations,
has contributed works to the City of Hobart Art Prize from his latest
exhibition, “Ethnographica”, at Michael Nagy Gallery, Woollahra. On
show are life-size wooden sculptures made in collaboration with I Wayan
Sumantra in Jungjungan, Bali. The exhibition is based upon traditional
carving from Southeast Asia and more specifically tau-tau spirit
figures from Sulawesi and horse sculptures from West Timor. Rish has
anamorphosed these images with his contemporary domestic iconography:
In “My Kingdom for a Horse” the horse is riding backwards on the back
of a blind king. “Totem”, based upon an Asmat house pole, shows a stack
of cars, phones, houses and soldiers surmounted by winged AK47’s and a
little king. “Noah” has a man in a suit walking his boat over dry land
while “Banci” shows a two headed hermaphrodite. “Etiket/Etiquette” is a
glass coffee table supported by a kneeling figure with a carrot in his
rectum. “Bidadari Jatuh/Fallen Angel” has a dunce capped angel in the
corner on his mobile phone. Also included in the show are the original
sculpture designs on Tongan tapa cloth. Traditionally tau-tau
sculptures were used in ceremonial burials to represent the deceased in
the after-life. Rish says he doubts many of his collectors will be
doing this with these pieces but, in our super-functional society, is
sure they will make very fine, garden furniture.
