The Back Room is pleased to announce our upcoming exhibition, wtfing it then omging it, a solo exhibition by Yogyakarta-based artist Galih Johar. The exhibition will showcase works from Galih’s ongoing Manipulative Object Alteration (MAO) Project, which sees him modifying everyday objects and turning them into dysfunctional or otherwise non-functional “sculptures” that possess a “broken logic”.
Galih’s artworks fall more comfortably within the artistic tradition of the “readymade” rather than sculptures, at least in the sense that general audiences might be familiar with. His artworks are made like visual puns or jokes, by taking everyday objects with an immediately recognisable function (like a pair of work boots) and modifying their form in such a way that subverts said function (by turning the work boots into slippers). Thus the object develops a new function in a literal sense (from work boots into slippers), or becomes dysfunctional, but they also adopt the newer function of becoming “art”, with all the ambiguous connotations that such a label might entail.
Having just emerged from two major achievements in 2023, namely, his first participation in a large institutional show (the group show Voice Against Reason at Museum MACAN) and the mounting of his third solo exhibition (Manunggal at Cemeti Institute for Art and Society), we are excited to be bringing Galih, his works, and his individual sense of humour to our humble gallery this May.
The exhibition is accompanied by a collaborative zine by Galih Johar and Indonesian curator Grace Samboh, with interpretive texts by Grace Samboh for each of the individual artworks. Linked below.
This exhibition is made possible with the support of PNB Merdeka Ventures and Think City.
Opening reception: Saturday, 11 May at 5 pm
Exhibition dates: 11 – 26 May 2024
Exhibition Essays
About the Artist
Back in the day, Galih Johar (b. 1990, Yogyakarta, Indonesia) graduated with a major in ceramics from the Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) in Yogyakarta. At the time, the use of clay had become a daily fixation for him, on the pretext that some of the substances contained in clay formed from soil are the same as those found in the human body, such as calcium, magnesium, ferrum, potassium, and silica. At the time, Galih assumed that perhaps the composition of soil was the result of the decomposition of living things. Over time, he discovered that soil elements were also present in other familiar objects from everyday life. If all things are ultimately material, then many questions arise about the meaning and value of life. From there, Galih Johar started playing around with values, using any available materials for his art. His works are an attempt at expressing his point of view, using a unique visual language.
Since graduating from ISI in 2017, Galih has had three solo exhibitions: Alterasi at BACKSPACE Art Lab & Museum, Yogyakarta, in 2020; Ruang Rekayasa, Alterasi Chapter Sukabumi at Rumah Mesra, West Java, in 2021; and Manunggal at CEMETI - Institute for Art and Society, Yogyakarta, in 2023. He has participated in group exhibitions, including seeing things at Kohesi Initatives, Tirtodipuran Link Building A, Yogyakarta (2024); Voice Against Reason at Museum MACAN, Jakarta (2023); The Things Are Things Whose Things Do Not Only Mean Things at ACE House Collective, Yogyakarta (2023); and the 13th edition of the Indonesian Contemporary Art and Design showcase at Grandkemang, Jakarta (2023). wtfing it then omging it will be Galih’s fourth solo exhibition and his first time exhibiting in Kuala Lumpur.
Installation shots
