Ari Bayuaji - Whitechapel Gallery Art Icon Charity Auction London Thursday, January 12, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Ari Bayuaji is an Indonesian-born artist based in Montreal and Bali whose work reveals unseen aspects of everyday life. Often using readymade or found objects, he seeks to show the artistic merit embedded in the texture of life. In this jewel-coloured work, The Sky and the Ocean, Bayuaji continues his investment in found materials, re-purposing found plastic rope used in fishing and boating he encountered wrapped around mangrove trees along the Balinese Coast. Spun into the thread and woven into this gorgeous tapestry, the plastic thread speaks to questions of labour, the economy and environmental concerns. 

     

    This work is part of Bayuaji’s larger project, Weaving the Ocean, which he began during the pandemic in 2020. Noticing the abundance of plastic on the Balinese shorelines and the decimation of the tourist industry, Bayuaji wanted to create a sense of hope and connection. Weaving the Ocean is a community project in which local artisans, weavers and those affected by the pandemic were employed to spool plastic thread and help in the weaving process.  

     

    Hope too is embedded in the form of this work. While the horizontal lines reflect the cool aesthetic of minimalist abstract painting, they also reference the horizon lines that connect sky and sea in Bali.

     

    Ari Bayuaji has been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions internationally, including in Singapore, Taipei, Sainte-Alvère, Düsseldorf, Rotterdam, The Hague and Jogjakarta. Most recently, his Weaving the Ocean project was shown at Warim Lab Contemporary in Bangkok, Thailand (2022). His large-scale sculptural installation Silence (2014-18) has been on permanent display at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, Canada, where he was the artist in residence in 2017. His work is in the collections of the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, Hydro-Québec and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).

    • Description

      Image: Damian Griffiths

      Condition reports, Lot descriptions and information in respect of Lots included in this Online-Only Auction have been prepared exclusively by Whitechapel Gallery following Whitechapel Gallery’s assessment of the Lots. Phillips and its staff are not responsible in any way for such statements, representations or opinions or for any other information provided in respect of the Lots, whether by Whitechapel Gallery, on Phillips website or in any other form.

    • Provenance

      Donated by the artist

9

The Sky and the Ocean

signed and dated 'Ari Bayuaji. '22' on the reverse
woven plastic and cotton, mounted on plywood
92 x 86 cm (36 1/4 x 33 7/8 in.)
Executed in 2022.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
£8,000 - 12,000 

Contact Specialist

Charlotte Gibbs

Head of Sale

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CGibbs@phillips.com

Whitechapel Gallery Art Icon Charity Auction

Online Auction 12 - 20 January 2023