Constellations: Global Reflections
“Constellations: Global Reflections“ (CGR) channels the energy and attention from world leaders attending the G20 summit in Bali to the general public through 20 site-specific artworks reflecting on current environmental and humanitarian crises. Fung Collaboratives curator, Lance Fung, worked with the artists for a year to realize their thought provoking commissions and investigations of ecology, colonialism, and consumption amid the political arena.This extremely diverse group of artists includes artists ranging in age from their 30’s to their 90’s. Each artist offers personal views of the need for global cooperation and continued policy changes regarding environmental justice, sea level rise, ocean plastic pollution, gender equity and the return to basic humanity and empathy in this unprecedented exhibition. Participating artists: Tony Albert (Australia), Arahmaiani (Indonesia), Dana Awartani, (Saudi Arabia), Xu Bing (China), Berkay Bugdan (Turkey), Genevieve Cadieux (Canada), Minerva Cuevas (Mexico), N. S. Harsha (India), Kota Hirakawa (Japan), Ilya & Emilia Kabakov (Russia/Ukraine), Naledi Tshegofatso Modupi (South Africa), A.D Pirous (Indonesia), Paola Pivi (Italy), Liliana Porter (Argentina), Caio Reisewitz (Brazil), Thomas Ruff (Germany), Yinka Shonibare CBE (United Kingdom), Kiki Smith (United States), Kimsooja (South Korea), Ben Vautier (France).
The highly visible exhibition may be seen in the day and night on Kura Kura Bali through 2023.
Balinese textiles, lanterns, and Wayang, a traditional form of puppet theater, became the aesthetic inspirations for the exhibition. The 20 sculptures emit a quiet, reverent quality and act as beacons calling people from around the world to come together to experience art and act on creating a better and stronger future. The artworks, digitally printed on an eco-textile made primarily from recycled plastic, elevate the curatorial narrative to a monumental scale. Solar energy powers the rotation of the 20 huge, cylindrical lantern artworks and lights them after dark.
All of the art in this exhibition, curated and project managed remotely, was fabricated within Bali. This ecologically sound and deliberate approach infused the Balinese people with a sense of ownership, pride, and employment. CGR aims to amplify Tri Hita Karana, the Balinese philosophy of life,” said Lance Fung. “Literally translated as “three ways to happiness or harmony”, the philosophy encompasses the three most important aspects of life on Bali including harmony with God, harmony among people, and harmony with nature.”