This press release was written by The Incubator Creative Hub.
The 14th of April saw the re-opening of The Incubator after renovation works were completed. (On time, might we add.) The new look building played host to the opening night of two new exhibitions: one by Ulemj Glamuzina, titled ‘Becoming’ in The Incubator itself, and the other in The People’s Gallery by Hawkes Bay artist Dali Susanto.
Born in the art capital of Indonesia, Jogjakarta, Dali Susanto was brought up surrounded by artists, both within and outside of his family circle. Dali’s mother and father (and other family members) own batik galleries and teach local and international tourists and students the skills in batik work. He was named by his parents after Salvador Dali in hope that he would follow along the same footsteps and become an artist.
Given the Salvador Dali influence, his work contains a surrealistic element of course, but that has developed over time. His first love and influence was the batik to which he was exposed as a young boy.
‘Batik work for me is part of my life, growing up in Indonesia, around many batik artists in my village. It is art with lots of passion to it. We have lots of patterns in traditional batik. My parents and my uncle are my biggest influences. I put some patterns in my artwork, then twist them with my own style,’ says Dali.
While his home of Indonesia shows a clear influence on Dali’s work, the works of Ulemj Glamuzina are borne of a background that involved a lot of travel.
Ulemj told us, ‘I spent my youth growing up in a socialist Mongolia, while attending a Russian kindergarten and primary school. During my teenage years, I travelled to the UK by myself and went on to do further university studies in Japan. Living and studying in seven different countries in all exposed me to an eclectic mix of culture, and I needed to learn to be flexible and accepting.’
Amongst those influences are Japan and New Zealand. ‘The Japanese concept of wabi-sabi deeply resonates with me as it is about the transient nature of life and its imperfections. My desire is to inspire people to look more carefully at the world around them, and to discover beauty in imperfection.
I’d say all the places played a big part, adding different flavours, colours and layers to my work, but New Zealand has made the biggest impact. It has given me the space and freedom to explore my creativity. In my view, everything is perfect. An example would be my husband, Mate, who has lost the use of his dominant right arm in accident a couple of years ago. He may look imperfect on the outside, but his essence and being is never-changing and beautiful.’
One trip to The Historic Village will show you two unique and powerful exhibitions. Worlds apart, in part, because of the extent of travel undertaken by these talented artists. Being exposed to this level of skill and expression is a rare treat, right at your doorstep. Don’t miss it.
