Art of drawing real and virtual worlds closer

Artist Rekha Menon (left) and her friend Dr R Sathya posing with her artwork at the Hin Bus Depot, while the companion piece appears on a mobile phone via AR. — Photos by LIM BENG TATT/The Star

A GROUNDBREAKING art exhibition is allowing visitors to be in two places at one time.

“Of Spaces in Between” has 24 artists each presenting a pair of complementary works – one displayed at Hin Bus Depot in Penang and the other at Zhan Art Space in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Through the use of augmented reality (AR) technology, both pieces can be viewed together at a single location. All one has to do is download an app on a smartphone or tablet.

Scanning patterned tiles beside each physical piece in one gallery will result in its virtual companion from the other gallery popping up on the device screen.

Curator Ivan Gabriel said they wanted to harness the possibilities offered by digitalisation to enhance the way people experience an art exhibition.

“People often fear that virtual worlds will one day replace the real world. But this shows that both can coexist and overlap meaningfully,” he shared at the Penang segment’s recent opening.

This style of exhibition is believed to be a first in Malaysia. Its concept of duality is also explored in the featured works.

“Coming from a mixed-race background, I’ve always been intrigued by how concepts like life and death, good and bad, happiness and sadness or light and dark are intertwined.

“They are often regarded as opposing forces but actually coexist in the same space. For example, death brings life when organs are donated. What’s good can be bad from a different perspective.

“The show is a thought-provoking exploration of these contradictory forces that shape our lives,” said Gabriel.

Artist couple Kimberley Boudeville and Silas Oo put up mixed media-on-canvas works titled “A Rock, A Wave and A Home” in Penang and “The Tree and Its Roots” in Selangor.

The pieces are a happy result of their conceptual and ink-based art practices and speak of their search for stability as they navigate their mid-20s and embark on a life together.

“I come home and he’s my rock and vice-versa,” Boudeville said, referring to the scenes which represent uncompromising strength in the face of challenges.

Sharon SS Kow’s colour pencil on paper pieces “Atemporality and Sempiternity” explore the concepts of transience and permanence from the perspective of humanity and nature.

“Living things will die and disintegrate but will also regenerate. Life persists and will continue long after we are gone,” she said.

Kow particularly likes the nature of the show, as it allows artists like her to tell a story via interrelated works.

Moreover, it pushes the local art scene into a technology-driven future.

Syrian artist Aboud Fares, who displayed a pair of untitled iron masks and created the Perk Reality AR app for visitors to view the exhibition, concurred with Kow.

Besides linking geographically distant places, he said such technologies could create possibilities for creatives, such as broadening their audience base.

“It could also let potential buyers visualise having a particular artwork in their space before deciding whether to purchase it,” said Fares.

Zhan Art Space founder and curator Desmond Tong said they had long wanted to collaborate on something with Penang artists.

“Artists are modern-day storytellers, and this allows them to push boundaries further.

What we have is a visual feast that celebrates the diversity, multiplicity and complexities in the human experience,” he said.

“Of Spaces in Between” is supported by Penang Art District. The exhibition at Hin Bus Depot runs until April 30 and is open for viewing noon to 7pm weekdays, and 11am to 7pm weekends.

The show at Zhan Art Space opens today and will run until May 15, with viewing hours of 10am to 5pm daily except Mondays.