In conjunction with an ongoing exhibition at its VLAB location, VILLAZAN gallery turns the focus back to its flagship in Madrid for a new group show called IN THE CLOUDS. The event brings together South Korean artist Diren Lee, Indonesian artist Suanjaya Kencut and Spanish artist Edgar Plans who create work that embodies the ‘cuteism’ movement that the gallery’s founder has been an active proponent of.
Known for his big-eyed “Animal Heroes”, Edgar Plans created two wood on canvas works that pay homage to NBA greats, Michael Jordan and John Stockton. Both depict his cartoon figures outstretched like the Jordan Brand logo as they float amidst the clouds. In Suanjaya Kencut’s vibrant paintings, the Indonesian artist creates alien-like dolls overlaid on flat colored backdrops, whose bodily patterns reflect the Balinese artwork he grew up around. In each, Kencut implores his viewer to insert themselves within these characters and reflect on the universal highs and lows of the human experience.
The red thread of fate is a prescient theme in the work of Diren Lee. Popular in East Asian cultures, where two souls are entwined together, Lee subtly depicts a red string in each of her paintings to stress the idea of “one-being” — not exclusively to just marriage, but to all living organisms.
IN THE CLOUDS will be on view in Madrid until February 29.
VILLAZAN
Campoamor 17
28004 Madrid, Spain
