The artists are interdependent and do not exist independently without any need for support. Referring to Bolt's writing; Reframed Heidegger, (2010) where Heidegger explained that the artist is not the one who raises art, but the artist is part of a network of ‘responsibility’ (co-responsible) for the existence of art. Artists are part of the elements that ‘make’ something art - a complex relationship that takes place and is sometimes difficult to achieve. An artist needs other artists, friends, colleagues, galleries, curators, writers, critics, money, materials and so on to succeed in a relationship (production of work) - symbiosis.
An artist needs another artist which leads to sharing ideas, working on questions and producing artistic discourses. Therefore,
some artists started by moving in groups at the beginning of their involvement
in the art world to gather experience and support. Art groups are usually
initiated by a group of artists who work together with a collectively shared
mission and vision
In this post-Covid19 world that we lived in now, it is
understandable for more collaborations or collectives to be formed. Collectives
can be seen as an act that is geared to survival – in sense of financial. It seems clear to me that many people, including artists, are increasingly concerned about basic needs such as paying rent and paying living costs
wherever they may live. The studio is not only a studio – a place to make arts,
but the studio itself is the artist’s home, a haven, a sacred garden for them.
Throughout the art history, be it the Malaysian art or
international art, art collectives formed out of the financial necessity,
living, and working together as an extended family, shared aesthetic, and/or
joint socio-political beliefs and concerns.
In looking at art collective, we can refer to the history of
Malaysian art where there are art groups such as Wednesday Art Group (1954),
Angkatan Pelukis Semenanjung (APS) (1956), Anak Alam (1974), Matahati (1989) and
others. In moving collectively, everyone can still actively work individually
in developing their own artistic practice. This is evidenced by the Matahati, where
they have been successful as an art group and each of their members is also
successful in their respective ways. An art group literally does not restrict
the development of the art of its members but helps and supports the
development, especially art collective that is built based on friendship where
the friendship is more highly regarded, and it will remain intact.
If we refer to the international art scene, the world has
art collectives/groups such as the Fluxus, Projects Inc (Colab), COBRA and the
infamous Guerrilla Girls. The Fluxus was a collective consists of community of
artists, composers, designers, and poets. Much like their Malaysian
counterpart; Anak Alam whose founded by a group of artists and poets. Both
lived and worked together as an extended family. COBRA on the other hand, was
formed by a group of artists from Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam whose
shared the same aesthetics in this case shared the same painting style which
was naïve art. Colab advocating the artist-driven cultural activism as well as
the AIDS crisis through public art projects and finally Guerrilla Girls, a group
of feminist artists that advocating for gender and race equality in the art
world. Both the Colab and Guerrilla Girls started as a joint socio-political
belief.
What all these artist collectives had or still have in
common is that they challenge the popular myth of the lone artistic genius,
creating avant-garde work in isolation, but also the ruling power structures
pervading the art world and society at large.
“There is strength in numbers, yes, but even more so in
collective good will…” This statement by Richelle E Goodrich perfectly describe
the art world. Art collectives serve as a platform for each of the members.
Among the benefits of an artist collective are the ability to participate in
more exhibitions a year.
There are three big benefits of an artist collective. The
first benefit is the ability to participate in more exhibitions in a year. This
is rather true for international events such as art fairs and biennials.
Working in a collective give you better opportunity to exhibit in these prestigious
art events. It also helps the members to participate in multiple events
simultaneously as you are exhibiting collectively, through shared efforts. Doing so brings in larger audiences and increases exposure for the
collective and individual members.
Second in an art collective, members also able to expand and
grow their strengths and can make significant movement. Members can participate
in a singular, contiguous body of work. By engaging multiple members with a
single subject matter, the collective can be the expert for that field. For
example, an art collective that focuses only on performance art. The collective
will be the leader of the respective field. In a way, the collective can lead
national and international conversations on certain subjects that is to the
collective’s area of expertise.
Each member can rally around the same, shared goal in a collective. This is the third benefit of an artist collective. Every member
working together collectively to achieve the same goal. For example, Muhammad
Shamim Sharum and Khairul Izzudin Mohd Hiffni banded together to produce an
installation titled Merbahaya for Young Contemporaries 2019. They shared the
same goal to communicate about strata living impacted the society.
Although artist collectives are not prevalent in the
Malaysian art scene compared to individual artists, it is a fact that they are
few collectives that making an impact on the Malaysian art scene over the past
few decades. In recent years, there were few collective exhibitions such as
Sebiji Padi’s Flush (2015), Studio Pisang’s Attract/Retract (2015), PAKSI’s
Harapan (2015), PAKSI’s Jogja Journal (2017) and Empat Persepsi’s Pameran Empat
Persepsi (2019) are an evident that art collectives have gained serious
recognition. Then there is SEKUTOO.
SEKUTOO was born amidst the Covid-19
pandemic, inspired by #kitajagakita campaign. The pandemic affected us all, but
togetherness is what bring us closer and inseparable. In celebrating the
togetherness, SEKUTOO invites 10 art collectives, namely Studio 333, Studio
Atas, Empati Studio, Studio Kongsi, Studio Kotak Lampu,
Markaz Art Space, NafaSyahdu Art Group, Temu, TuahxKachang
and Yi.Da to create collaborative works that symbolized them – the
collective.
SEKUTOO reflects the combination from different style and technique
in one collaborative work. It surely will be a challenge especially coming from
different styles and practices, can each member of the collective come to
complement each other? Or one overpowering the other? To find the balance
between self and collective, that’s the curatorial intention of SEKUTOO. Does
the SELF being expose in the making process of collaborative works, or it is
buried underneath the marks making of a COLLECTIVE?
Each collective comes up with
interesting body of artworks, ranging from paintings, installations to
performance arts. It is an interesting take by the collective on how a
collaborative work can be. They are experimenting with their art approach and
technique and come up with 22 remarkable artworks. Each of the artwork done, is
an experimentation, to find the best, possible way for each member to pour
their self in, while not overpowering the other. For them to be able to find
the delicate and best ratio is something worth praising. It is such a challenge
to still show your SELF but still manage to make it a COLLECTIVE work.
To conclude, being alone we can do
so little, but together we can do so much.
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