BEING HAPPY IS SIMPLE by FARID STEVY ASTA
We Cordially Invite you to the opening of a solo exhibition by Farid Stevy Asta Bahagia Itu Sederhana Being Happy Is Simple Curator: Rain Rosidi Guest Writer: Susi Johnston Kendra Gallery – Bali 29th June – 29th July 2013 Opening: Saturday, 29th June 2013, 7-9 PM Opening act: Cangkang Serigala, BBDK Farid Stevy Asta’s current solo exhibition is called “Bahagia Itu Sederhana” Being Happy is simple. Difficult, stress full situations sometimes give birth to simple, but liberating conclusions. At least that was what Farid Stevy Asta had in mind before his hashtag #bahagiaitusederhana (being happy is simple) appeared on social media. When Farid tweeted this hashtag on twitter after going through a peak moment in his social interactions, he found a mantra that could give him freedom: “being happy is simple”. A mantra, brought to life through modern communications technology, which moved fast and could transcend all sorts of gaps, social strata and life problems, and at the same time, give birth to all kinds of creative work. ——————— In the process of preparing for this exhibition Farid hunted for words in between his other activities—playing in the band, designing graphics, and so on. He made some small booklets as a kind of log book, a tool for him to store words or sentences. Each word or sentence a person produces, whether it’s through social media or advertising or a greeting, has already gone through a process of editing in the mind of the message sender. Farid collects these blurbs and puts them into his little books. These leather-bound books get filled with graffiti that become the raw materials for his own writings. This system is similar to the one he uses to write song lyrics. In his studio, Farid executes the words and sentences spontaneously on canvas. Much like a train of thought in psychoanalysis, he writes a word and then writes another word next to it, whose connectedness is subconscious. When he paints, he recycles the words as elements of painting, by sprinkling some words with lines to form fields. / Selama proses pameran ini Farid berburu kata di sela-sela aktivitasnya main band, mendesain grafis dan sebagainya. Dia membuat beberapa buah-buku kecil semacam log book, yang menjadi alatnya untuk menyimpan kata-kata atau kalimat. Setiap kata atau kalimat yang diproduksi oleh seseorang, entah lewat media sosial atau iklan atau ucapan, setidaknya sudah melalui proses editing dalam benak si pengirim pesan. Cetusan-cetusan kata itu dipungut oleh Farid dan dimasukkan dalam buku kecilnya. Buku bersampul kulit itu dipenuhi coretan-coretan yang bakal menjadi bahan mentah untuk tulisan-tulisannya. Pola ini sama dengan yang dilakukannya untuk menulis lirik lagu. Di studionya, Farid mengeksekusi kata-kata dan kalimat itu dalam kanvas dengan spontan. Mirip seperti kereta pikiran dalam psikoanalisis, Farid menulis kata dan menulis lagi di sebelahnya dengan keterhubungan di bawah sadar. Pada waktu melukis, kata-kata itu diperlakukan kembali menjadi elemen lukisan dengan cara membubuhi di beberapa kata dengan garis membentuk bidang. Rain Rosidi, Curator ——————— Farid tells us that this newly completed body of work represents a metamorphosis in his development. He uses the word “raw” with visceral glee. This work is messy. This work is dirty. The world we inhabit here in urban Indonesia is messy. And very dirty. Whatever is sleek or polished or precise becomes blemished instantly, if not sooner. Any newly-arising vision of an Ideal World tarnishes in the tropical and political funk here, even before it has been seen or described. Who knows that more than The Kids? Farid received the invitation to rawness from Philip Guston, via Basquiat, and he finally accepted. Coming from a background in media and graphic design, Farid’s jailbreak from the constraints of clean work, clear lines, and ease of unlimited cheap reproduction is a watershed in his development as an artist. / ...
