Delicate Strangeness, a solo exhibition by Indonesian artist Mujahidin Nurrahman. We are grateful to ArtSociates for their facilitation. Mujahidin Nurrahman’s artworks convey both a sense of threat and a pleasing sensation. These artworks are not entirely the result of drawing, they also involve the arrangement of repeated intricate patterns and complex forms.
In general, the compositions of Mujahidin’s works portray the expression of shapes as an intricate coupling structure. Upon closer examination, Mujahidin’s artworks reveal the smallest elements of their intricate structural and compositional patterns, namely, the iconic AK-47 machine gun. For Mujahidin, the image of the AK-47 gun represents a form with distinct characteristic contours, appearing firm, solid and aesthetically pleasing. Through unique combinations of these images, they form a structured composition with its own unique spatial logic.
The exhibited works feature images of the human body, resembling a skeletal structure. The series of artworks holds a dual-layered significance in Mujahidin’s expression. Firstly, the works serve to highlight the relevance of form in relation to recurring structural patterns found in the body such as the ribcage and spine, or the unity of form that imparts compositional balance notably seen in the depiction of the skull. Secondly, the juxtaposition of the human body’s framework with the construction of a weapon is Mujahidin’s way of illustrating that warfare signifies the inner struggle of humanity in upholding an awareness of the value of humanity itself.
Venue: Art Porters Gallery, 64 Spottiswoode Park Road, Singapore 088652
When: 11 Oct - 26 Nov 2023,
By: Art Porters
