Thanks to Daniel Komala, CEO of Larasati Auctioneers and the good people at the Big O, I had the privilege of receiving a copy of renowned Indonesian sculptor, Pintor Sirait‘s limited edition race cars catalogue – an artwork in itself (Blankanvas has a wonderful review here).
The exhibition entitled Pintor’s Race Cars Come to ION Orchard, in which life-sized stainless steel re-creations of F1 cars were proudly displayed last month, may have ended its run. The after-taste of Pintor’s intellectual provocations however, continues to linger on.
A product of the International Political Economy (IPE) school of thought, which is a rigorous yet humble study of the common man, I uncovered memories of buried IPE concepts that quite naturally juxtaposed with experiences of my growing up as an individual. An F1 fan long before it became the novel toyboy of Singapore’s It crowd, my appreciation of Pintor’s artworks stems from the fact that I can relate to them from aesthetic, sporting and intellectual points of view.
But before I get too carried away, let me distill any motley crews of greek symbols and bombastic political jargons that plague Ivory Towers of the world, into two intuitive concepts: Love and Power - cleverly forged into Pintor’s fine sculptures.
Disclaimer: This entry is a personal interpretation and appreciation of Pintor’s works. They may or may not align with the sculptor’s intention.
I may be an atypical Singaporean living in the Land of Competition… and Fines. Nonetheless, I am not immune to occassional spurts of abject adherence to the Hobbsian(*) spirit of outrunning all the Lim’s, Tan’s, Wong’s AND Chong’s.
*For the uniniated, Thomas Hobbes said, in Chapter 11 of Leviathan: “… a general inclination of all mankind a perpetual and restless desire of power after power, that ceaseth only in death”
Our primal instinct to be the fittest survivor, drives and motivates us toward our goals. What capitivates me about Formula 1, is its display of how humans have learned over thousands of evolutionary years, to leverage on and in a sense, to co-operate à l’esprit de corps, with simple tools and complex machines, to overcome their inherent limitations and obstacles.
Target, 2008
But victory for the self-serving individual can come at a price. For all the chequered flags conquered, how many tons of fuel have been depleted? How much closer are we to the eventual destruction of Gaia? Indeed, even beyond F1 circuits, victory involves a process of creative-destruction.
Victory can taste as sweet as heaven. It can also be as destructive as the fiery flames of hell.
Victory, 2008
Our history is rife with global political dissonance and the cruelty of the two world wars and countless other ideological and religious battles have shown that our barbaric reduction can produce catastrophic results.
Even if our original intention was born of a noble and just cause, strict adherence typically skews it off-tangent to produce dogmatic and disastrous consequences: think about the Spanish Inquisition, Communism, the war against Terrorism… and Josie Lau’s short-lived foray into the realm of power at AWARE.
Even Democracy (which began in Athens in 508 B.C) has, in many social enclaves, become a tarnished brand, thanks to the Washington Consensus. Big, bad Capitalists in favour of unconditional liberalization and de-regulation, are the reason why many believe, 60% of the world population continue to live in poverty. For every month of an investment banker’s bonus, another impoverished soul’s livelihood is destroyed.
Democracy, 2009
At some point in the rat race (typically when quarter-life crisis hits), we question blind quests and try to make sense of it. What makes it all worthwhile? What gives life meaning? Why am I working so hard?
The glue that binds it all: Love.
The force that calibrates and centers us all: Love.
I see the encapsulation of Love and its offshoots – beauty (not exclusive to aesthetic beauty), desire, drive, compassion, passion and procreation, in Pintor’s tongue-in-cheek work, Playboy (no offense to Feminists out there).
As most athletes will avow, the only real competitor is yourself. And to me, the only real target in life is the continuing betterment of onself and ultimately the betterment of mankind.
Playboy, 2008
Three cheers to Larasati for highlighting Pintor Sirait’s works, and for their continuing efforts in promoting Asian and Southeast Asian art. I’m definitely keeping a lookout for more of such outreach programmes and exhibitions.
thangdynasty is a work-in-progress maintained by an accidental equity trader whose brief foray into the world of investments turned out… not so brief.
Although unmotivated by the senseless pursuit of money in and for itself, she remains sadistically intrigued by the complex anatomy stealthily at work behind the whole spectrum of Markets – Fine Art, Financial, Fish and Fools.
A budding art collector and supporter of emerging artists, she slogs to prevent collateral damage to her bank account resulting from occasional manic art buying sprees.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I must admit, when I first saw Pintor Sirait’s works, I didn’t see or feel anything beyond beautifully crafted sculptures. I couldn’t understand the story behind the metal pieces to be honest.
You have place the works into perspective, and made it relevant to your average Joe (or at least, average Joe with substantial general knowledge of world affairs). Well done.
I don’t know for sure if this is how the artist felt when he created these pieces, but it definitely makes the pieces more comprehensive.
Thanks for the encouraging comments, Pat.
I suppose art is that subjective; there is the deliberate intention of the artist, the realistic or abstract reflection of the sitter or object, and then there is that sublimal connection that some viewers experience.
As for the “accuracy” of my interpretation, I’ll have to leave it to Pintor himself, to confirm or deny it…