GEORGE TOWN, Jan 20 — Almost 12 years after becoming famous for his evocative murals on the buildings of George Town, Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic is back with his second solo exhibition, but this time with thought-provoking mixed media works that peppered with a dry sense of humour.
Titled The Importance of Being it is not only a witty reference to Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest but is meant to raise questions about the works in the exhibition.
Instead of his usual figurative art that people recognise from his famed murals, the exhibition showcases five different components that are different and yet somehow familiar.
The first to draw attention would be his sound installation with found objects placed around an old bicycle cart that used to belong to a butcher.
Titled Round & Round & Round, Zacharevic rigged the wheels of the cart to move mechanically, interacting with the strategically placed items such as bottles and a guitar to create a rhythmic cadence.
“This is my first kinetic sculpture and this cart belonged to my neighbour and it’s been left there for many years so I wanted to create something using it,” he said.
Next is the row of framed items that one can find in any souvenir shop all over George Town, all of them with one common theme, Zacharevic’s famous Children on Bicycle emblazoned on each item.
The artist turned the blatant appropriation of his art into a set of works titled Ready F-ing Made with individualised serial numbers that will run to #10000.
“My goal is to find 10,000 different items so for every work sold, I will replace it with a new one with a different serial number,” he said.
On display are 25 items that include nail clippers, a keychain, a fan, card case, children’s T-shirt and shorts, a bag and a plastic shot glass.
“I went to many places around George Town, even to Batu Ferringhi, to find these items, I’m sure I can find 10,000 different items,” Zacharevic said.
There was even a video of Zacharevic going around buying these items from souvenir shops that visitors can check out as part of the show.
On the exhibition, he said he wanted to put together a conceptual show that is different from his previously traditional and figurative works.
“I still want my works to be approachable and understood by the audience,” he said.
In one of his works, he brings in Artificial Intelligence (AI) by painting a mural of a chat he had with ChatGPT regarding what constitutes a painting and art.
Titled One and Three Paintings, the set consists of a pair of paint-splattered pants, a painting of the paint-splattered pants and the mural of his conversation with ChatGPT.
“I included AI into this to add another layer to my work,” he said.
His conceptual works are inspired by the ideas of Joseph Kosuth and Marcel Duchamp.
In his moving installation, titled 2.0, a wheel is attached to a robot vacuum cleaner that moves around to create markings on the wall.
“It is art created by the robot and this is my way of incorporating technology to show our capabilities through the use of AI,” he said.
Zacharevic’s exhibition is held at Blank Canvas, an art gallery known for exhibiting mostly conceptual works.
The exhibition is open from 12pm to 7pm from Friday to Sunday.
Blank Canvas is located at 2, Argus Lane and more information can be obtained at blankcanvas.my.
