Jalan: Street Speak International 1.0 by Vallette Gallery

Jalan: Street Speak International 1.0 by

Index

5 _ Foreword 7 _ Context 13 _ Cece Nobre 21 _ Donald Abraham 31 _ Faben 41 _ Fauzan Faud 49 _ Orkibal 57 _ Koo Youenmo 71 _ Soni Irawan 77 _ Vallette Gallery 81 _ Acknowledgement

FOREWORD

Va l l e t t e G a l l er y is p ro u d to p resen t JALAN: STREE T SPEAK INT E R N AT I O N A L 1.0; Th e f ir st in t er n a ti onal s tre et ar t exhi bi ti on w it h the a ct i ve p a r t icip a t io n o f a r t ists from Mal ays i a, Franc e, Korea , B ra z i l a nd I n d o n esia ; a n d t h e f our th of a s eri es of s treet ar t ex hi b i t i o ns th a t were h eld in Va llette gal l er y. W i t h i n the l a s t few yea r s o f p rov id ing an ac ti ve pl atform for s t reet a r t i s ts to b e in t ro d u ced a n d a ccl ai med i nternati onal l y, we h ave rec ei ved a n o u t st a n d in g a mo u n t of e nc ouragement to wi den ou r ho r i zo ns a nd crea t e a co lla b o ra ti ve s pac e for ac c l ai med in t ern a t i o na l a r t ist s a s well, so t h a t t h ey c oul d s hare and di s c us s t h eir ex p er i ences a s st reet a r t ist s f ro m di fferent bac kgrounds . To Va l l ett e G a ller y it is su ch a p lea s ure to be abl e to c reate an en v i ro nment wh ere st reet a r t ist s from c ompl etel y di fferent s o c ia l , p o l i ti ca l a n d t ech n ica l b a ckgrounds c oul d s hare thei r exp er i enc es to get h er in a way t h a t c oul d hel p them grow in n ova t i ve l y, p rov id in g t h eir o b ser vers wi th more s i nc ere and p rof o und i nf o r ma t io n a s well. Bec a us e o f Va l let t e G a ller y ’s p er so n al i nteres t i n eac h ar ti s t’s in di vi d ua l c ha ra ct er ist ics, like So n i’s mus i c al background, or Fa ben’s p urel y s t reet a r t ist b a ckg ro u n d , or D onal d’s s kateboardi ng m a st er y, thi s e x h ib it io n h a s t ra n sf o r med i nto a pl atform of many

pl atforms , where a c ol l ag e of l i ve m us i c p er form anc es , w al l pai nti ng happeni ng and m i rror g az i ng w i th ar tw ork s , w i l l am us e ever yone at i t s b es t. JAL AN: STR EE T S P EAK I NT ERN AT I ON AL i s g oi ng to p roc eed i nto next and nex t l evel s eac h year, e x p and i ng i ts b ranc hes i nto more l oc al and i nternati onal s up p l y of ar tw ork s and ar ti s ts , guarante ei ng our ar t- l overs w i th a refres hi ng s ourc e of g row i ng energy that w i l l enri c h the ar t s c ene i n the c ountr y. Thi s exhi bi ti on w i l l b e a p l ac e for M al ay s i an Donal d Ab raham , Fauzan Fuad, Ork i b al ; and Fab en from Franc e, and Korean Koo Youenmo , and Braz i l i an C e c ê Nob re and S oni I raw an from Indones i a to b ri ng out thei r b es t and d i s c us s them s el ves i n a s i nc ere , humbl e and c reati ve w ay. We woul d l i ke to s how our g rati tud e to the org ani zers of No Bl ac k Ti e for s uppo r ti ng our ar ti s ts w i th outd oor p l atform s , w here they c oul d exhi bi t thei r ar t m ak i ng p roc es s i n a m ore c reati ve w ay.

Patri c e Val l ette .

Context

Ma l ays i a i n t h e recen t yea r s h a s be c ome an ac ti ve hub of p u b l i c a r t w hi ch h a s p rov id ed mo re o p por tuni ti e s not onl y for al l ra n g e o f a r ti s ts to ex p lo re t h eir id ea s publ i c al l y but as wel l for t h e s p ec i f i ca l l y st reet a r t ist s to f in d i nnovati ve i ndi vi dual i s ti c p a t t er ns a nd ma n n er ism to co mmu n icate wi th thei r envi ronment. For t he p a s t th ree yea r s, Va llet t e Gal l er y has been one of t h e m o s t a c ti ve p la t f o r ms f o r a selec ti on of vi s i onar y ar ti s ts , p rovi d i ng them wit h t h e sp a ce a n d t ime to expl ore thei r potenti al s , en cou ra g i ng th em wh ile in t ro d u cin g them to i nternati onal h o ri zo ns . Th is yea r, by o p en in g o u r d o o r s to a w i de r range of pos s i bi l i ti es , w e a re b r i ng i ng i n 4 in t er n a t io n a l a r t ist s from Franc e, Korea, Brazi l an d I nd o nes i a , ga t h er in g t h em to g et h er wi th Mal ays i an D onal d, Fa u za n a nd O r kib a l. Ea ch o n e o f t h em i s di fferent from another in t h ei r b a c kg ro u n d , st y le, t ech n iq u e and c urrent pos i ti ons , but al l of t hem s ha re t h eir in t erest f o r st ree t ar t i n thei r hear t. Th ey a re here to ch a llen g e t h e wa lls of the s treets by breaki ng dow n the w a l l s o f o u r min d set , t h e wa ll s of our l i fes tyl es and the w al l s o f o ur p re j ud ice. Th ey a re h ere to di s c us s the gl obal s oc i ety w h i c h i s ever y yea r mo re ch a llen g ed wi th pol i ti c al and c ul tural

s i tuati ons . An ar ti s t l i ke C e c ĂŞ Nob re w ho i s c om i ng a l ong w ay from Brazi l , w ho i s m ore of an anthrop ol og i s t i n hi s hear t i s g oi ng to i ntroduc e a touc h of never s een b efore p attern i nto the s treet ar t. He i s goi ng to take us i nto c ul ture, i nto hi s tor y and s tori es whi c h have been p as s e d on to the p res ent from eac h g e nerati on to the ne xt generati on. Our w orl d need s ar ti s ts l i ke C ec ĂŞ, w ho are humbl e and p rofound as a s ac red tree; w ho feel them s el ve s as the s houl d ers of a nati on. Fab en on the othe r hand i s a p ure hear t s tre et a r ti s t, w ho fe ed s hi m s el f of s p ray p ai nt. H e w i th hi s power ful s tro kes of s had es and l ayers of te x tured p ai nt i s the revol uti onar y ty p e of ar ti s t w ho i s g oi ng to c ourag eous l y b ri ng the s tre et wall s i nto the g al l e r y. H i s c anvas e s s m el l l i ke c onc rete wal l s , dus t an d s m og . T hey s eem to have l i ved i n the s treets for a good hal f o f thei r l i fe jus t l i ke thei r c reator. On the other hand , the mos t poli ti c al and s oc i al l y ac ti ve ar ti s t of thi s g roup that s tands out with i ts m onum ental c om p os i ti ons , i s the Korean Koo Youenmo, who i s g oi ng to b ri ng a s el ec ti on of hi s ar tw orks i nto the tabl e, di sc us s i ng the c hal l eng e s that hi s g enerati on had to go through to m ake c hang es hap p en i n a s oc i al c ontex t.

W i t h t he ex p er t ise a n d in d iv id u a lis ti cal l y energeti c pres enc e of Do na l d A b ra ha m, we a re g o in g to c onnec t the deepl y s tudi ed s u b j ect ma t t er s o f CecĂŞ, t h e p o wer ful and s trai ght for ward t ex t u res o f Fa b en a n d mo n u men t a l a p proac h of Koo Youenmo wi th a m o re l o c a l l y en clo sed wo r ld v iew of Fauzan, Orki bal and Soni I ra w a n. W hi l e t h e d elica t e p a t t er s o f Fauzan are an expos ure to a s el ec ti ve l yr i ca l v iewp o in t t h a t ex p res s i vel y extends i nto a c l oud of vi v i d ma s s a g es; t h e sh a r p co lo r s and l ogi c al l y trans formed f i gu re s o f O r ki b al t ell u s a b o u t t h e layers of a s oc i ety where the c h ara c ter i s t i cs of t h e p eo p le a re o bv ious and di s c l os ed publ i c al l y in o rd er to m a ke t h e co mmu n ica t i on eas i er. Internati onal l y ac c l a i m ed S o ni Ira wa n is t h e p ea k p o int of the e xhi bi ti on where as al w ay s w i th hi s op en n ess a n d h is mu sic al bac kground he l eads us in to a r hythm o f co lo r s a n d lin es in movement.

Val l e tte Gal l er y i s p roud to p re s ent thi s g roup of ar ti s ts b ec aus e of the val ue an d the p rec i ous l y vers ati l e re s ourc es that they are goi ng to bri ng i nto the Mal ay s i an ar t s c ene. T he reas on b ei ng , wi th provi di ng t hem w i th a m ul ti - d i s c i p l i nar y p l atform and a m ul ti i ns trumental i s t e x hi b i ti on, w e are w i l l i ng to enc ourag e ever yone wi th more opti ons , i n ord er to he l p g row a c om m uni c ati onal method that i s ai m i ng to s ati s fy the ar ti s tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and ar t l over â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thi rs t and hunger for m ore. We hope that to eac h one of us , thi s e x hi b i ti on b ec om es an i mpor tant poi nt of re ferenc e, l eav i ng us w i th a joy ful l y unforg ettab l e memor y and a s trong rel ati ons hi p that w i l l c onti nue to g row through the c om i ng years .

Val l e tte G al l er y

Artists

CecĂŞ Nobre Born in 1984, Brazil

C ec ĂŞ Nobre i s an anthropol ogi c al , m ul ti nati onal ar ti s t, w i th b as es i n the Am eri c as and As i a. Vi brant c ol ors , s toi c fac es , and uni q ue s p ray - p ai nti ng tec hni q ues c harac teri ze hi s work. Hi s por trai ts are an i nteres ti ng m i x ture of w orl d c ul ture. H e ai m s to foc us on c ul tural habi ts i n the new worl d of i nternati onal i s m ; the g oal i s to p rom ote the c ul tural l y mi xed, c ourageous and i ntel l i gent. Strong eye c ontac t or c onte m p l ati ve s i d e- g l anc es are meant to take the vi e wer i nto the mi n d s of hi s s ub jec ts , w ho often res em b l e s toi c g i ants . Thi s i s done to hi ghl i ght the often-s toi c res p ons es of c ol oni zed ethni c i ti es around the worl d i n the fac e of dange r, of the ma rg i nal i z ati on and d evel op m ent of the w orl d c ul ture.

Cecê Nobre Azo-be, 2016

Spray paint and marker on canvas 160 x 125 cm C ec ê i s bri ngi ng c ul ture i nto the s treets of c i ti es around the w orl d i n s uc h a rad i cal way, that have brought hi m more and m ore s tori es from d i fferent nati ons and l and s , maki ng hi m bec ome one of the i nn ovati ve m as term i nd s of c ul tural s tre et ar t i n the worl d. He di s c us s es the deepe s t ro ots of a nati on i n hi s ar t. H i s overs i zed p or trai t s eems to be guardi ans of anc i ent c ul ture s , s i l entl y l ook i ng i nto hori zon, w ai ti ng , obs er vi ng and mes meri zi ng s ongs of nati ons . T hos e rhy thm i c s ong s that have s ur v i ved through generati ons and generati ons are b ei ng rep eated i n the tex tures on the s k i n and bac kground of thi s ar twork. He c ontem p l ated ti m e i n hi s p or trai ts , jus t l i ke the anc i ent sc ri b b l es on her nec k l ac e rep eats “d ay ” and “ni g ht”.

Cecê Nobre Rosa Kilombu, 2016 Sharpie on Chinese paper 80 x 55 cm

Jus t l i ke many of hi s other ar tw orks , onc e ag ai n C ec ê, s urp ri s es us w i th a new approac h i n por trayi ng ever yd ay l i fe i n the trop i c al v i l l ag es . H i s l i nes , hi s forms and hi s us e of fl at p ers p ec ti ve – w hi c h d eri ves from anc i ent m ural s – and hi s us e of an extremel y c ontem p orar y tec hni q ue – w hi c h i n thi s c as e i s a s harpi e – on a tradi ti onal ri c e p ap er s how s how of a c reati ve and i nnovati ve ar ti s t he i s and how muc h he i s d ee p l y i nvol ved i n a m i nd s et that val ue s the roots and ram i fi c ati ons of a c ul ture i nto a c ontem p orar y s oc i ety.

DONALD ABRAHAM Born in 1981, Malaysia

Donald A braham’s b e ginnings were c entere d on a m entor- m ente e ar rang em ent , wi th the young ar tis t honing his sk ills under the tu telag e of prominent ar tis t , Yusof Gajah. Donald ’s ear lies t wor ks ref le c t his mentor ’s naï ve ar t s t y le, bu t has s teadil y c ar ve d a niche for hims elf, and his wor k now c ombines trac es of graf f i ti, s tre e t ar t , and a sp ontanei t y that is b oth engaging and fresh. W i th his sub tle ou tlines , de cisi ve c omp osi tions , c aref ull y s tudie d mater ials , and transfor me d f igures he tells a s tor y that grows wi thin the t wo dimensions and evol ves ever y tim e into a m e ticulousl y l y r ic al and theatr ic profoundnes s in order to amus e the obs er ver wi th s tor ies and m es sag es of grand quali t y that radiates from the pas t and pres ent of the so cie t y. T he s tre e t is ver y mu ch in his wor k , wi th inf lu enc es from Ed Temple ton and Mar k Gonz ales , all of this and more are ref le c te d in his adul t c ar toons and his c omplex c anvases.

Donald Abraham Street banner, 2016

Mix media on street banner 122 x 153 cm

In hi s new s eri es of a r tw ork s , Donal d onc e ag ai n am us es the ob s er ver wi th a vi brantl y fl ui d c om p os i ti on that i s us i ng do n a l di fi e d el em ents of l i vel i hood, s uc h as mus i c i ns trum ents , vari ous ani m al s , nature and w al l wri ti ngs . Throughout the w hol e c om p os i ti ons he i s m i x i ng hi s us ual outl i ned fi gure s wi th an ove rl ayi n g rai n- s how e r of c ol ors that w hen they m ake thei r way i nto the forms and fi g ures they affec t thei r c harac ter w i th c reati ng a ne w m i x of c ol ors .

Donald Abraham Street banner, 2016

Mix media on street banner 122 x 153 cm

D onal d Abraham i n thi s p ai nti ng i s am az i ng l y us i ng one of hi s fam ous D onald ified Al ber ti ne pers p e c ti ve, b ri ng i ng a ty p i cal l y p os t m od ern w ay of l ooki ng bac k at hi s tori c a l i nfo i n an ex trem el y c ontem p orar y c ontex t. H i s s tor yl i ne i s bei ng l yri c al ly s ang out throug hout the w hol e p ai nti ng s tar ti ng from the l eft s i de of the p ai nti ng and c onti nui ng to the ri g ht s i d e w here w e are s tep by s te p draw i nto an ad venturous ri d e of joy and w ond er. Yet he i s bri ngi ng out hi s uni que i nd i v i d ual s i n a w ay that they p as te them s el ves i n our memori es , b e c om i ng a p ar t of our v i s i on i n our d ai l y l i fe.

Donald Abraham Street banner, 2016

Mix media on street banner 122 x 153 cm

Faben Born in 1985, France

Fab en is a mul time dia ar tis t from the S tre e t A r t sc ene. He def ines hims elf as an ac ti v is t of “ Love in a Broad S ens e“, and qu es tions the m eaning of love in our moder n so cie t y. He b elieves that A r t mus t b e, jus t like love, “sp ontane ous and magic al, i t mus t ref le c t ins tant emotion and ups e t reali t y “. T he charac ter of Mr. Love f ights to re es tablish shar ing , exchang e and the love c oming from ever y p er son, ever y mom ent , ever y ac tion. His wor k leans also towards “posi ti vi t y “ which he de ems to b e the es s ential engine, “p osi ti ve br ings posi ti ve“. In each of his wor ks , one fe els an ex plosion of fe eling , joy and c olour which re c alls posi ti vi t y in all i ts shap es. He ref us es the v iolenc e of cur rent so cie t y by creating a c olour ful, emotional wor ld.

Faben Mr. Lover Bubble, 2015

Spray paint, ink, acrylic on canvas 100 x 100 cm Fabe n i s a pure hear t s t reet ar ti s t. H e need s the roug h tex ture of c em ent, or c onc re te wal l s o that hi s ar tw ork s even tas te l i ke d us t and s m og . H e bri ngs i nto the c anvas the s am e v i vac i ous energ y of a w al l , w hether i t i s l oc ated i n downtown or the s ub urb s . H e i s ab out that ty p e of tal k , that c areful l y c hoos es the word s , thi nk s ab out them and s i m p l i fi es them and then vi s ual i zes them i nto an ex p l os i on of ene rg i es , c ol ors and tex tures that we c an fi nd i n ever y angl e of a c i ty that i s al i ve and eag er to c onti nue and ex p l ore and feed ever yone w i th l ove.

Faben Through The Abstract, 2015

Spray paint, ink, acrylic, glitter on canvas 83 x 108 cm Fabe n i s abl e to mas ter f ul l y us e a m i x of s p ray p ai nt and b rus hw ork i n a w ay that they reac h the l i mi ts of ab s trac ti on. But hi s ab s trac ti on i s d eri vati ve from the c i ty wal l s , that i f c ut i nto, w i l l s how l ayers and l ayers of s tori es , memori es and l i ve l i hood s . H e s uc c eed s w i th hi s d el i b erate ex p eri enc e i n c apti vati ng s uc h es s enc e i nto a p i ec e of ar tw ork that w i thi n i ts c l os ed form at rad i ates and s hi nes w i th energ y and l ove.

Faben Fight Your Own Demons, 2016 Spray paint, ink, acrylic on canvas 80 x 80 cm

Fauzan Fuad Born in 1987, Malaysia

A s elf-taught ar tis t , mos t of Fauz an’s wor ks are ex pres sions of his li v ing life ensc onc e d in his wor ld - view. T hes e subje c ts and his ex p er ienc es c onvey his choic es and de cisions in life and wor k , and the intent to share his ex p er ienc e wi th the v iewer / par ticipant . Fauz an wor ks wi th acr y lic , oil and pas tels. Jean Michel - B asquiat was his favour i te ar tis t b e c aus e “ he reall y li ves like he was naturall y ”.

Fauzan Fuad Untitled 1 (layer), 2016

Acrylic, collage paper, oil stick and ink on canvas 120 x 120 cm Fauzan us es hi s c omposi ti ons i n a c i rc ul ar w ay s o that they c onvey a feel i ng of ac c urac y of an ongoi n g s tor y that hap p ens w i thi n the d eep es t ang l es of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mi nd, body and s oul . T he l i q u i di s h b rus h s trokes and s i m p l i fi ed fi g ure s are a bl e nd of expres s i ons that hap p en to c om m uni c ate i n an i nti m ate p attern wi th eac h obs er ver about the ever yd ay l i fe of ar ti s ts i n a c ontex t that re l ates to the c i ti es , s oc i ety and rel ati ons hi p s .

Hi s wi l l to c hal l enge the w al l s of a c onte m p orar y env i ronm ent that tend s to keep ever ythi ng under c ontrol and org ani ze, i s to b e ap p rec i ated i n a w ay that enc ourage s al l di ffere nt b ac kg round s to c om e tog ether and d i s c us s and ab s orb and affec t eac h other i n a c onti nuous rhy thm .

Fauzan Fuad Untitled 2 (layer) | 2016

Acrylic, collage paper, oil stick and ink on canvas 120 x 120 cm As a s treet ar ti s t Fauzan s eem s to b e i nfl uenc ed by the el em e nt of d ec ay that fol l ows the ti mel es s trans form ati on of the c i ty s c ap e, b ut he rep res ents i t wi th a touc h of energ eti c s ob ri ety. W hi l e on a hi g her l evel , i n eac h metropol i tan c ontext, the l i fe tend s to rep e at the s am e p as te, i n the s treets where an ar ti s t i s s urround ed by i nfi ni te w al l s and s had ow s that el i m i nated the breeze of nature, he d ras ti c al l y l i ve s eac h el e m e nt i n i ts s oc i al c ontex t, dre ams vi vi dl y and c reates c ourag eous l y. T hat i s w hy ever yone c an s ee a b i t of hi ms el f i n Fauzanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ar tw ork s . Be c aus e they l i ve jus t l i ke w e l i ve, and they c onti nue to di s c over new m eani ng s jus t how w e real i ze new hori zons .

Orkibal Born in 1981, Malaysia

A self-taught ar tis t , “Or k ibal ” aims to br idg e the gap b e t we en graphic design and f ine ar t through his illus trations. His br ight signature c ar toon charac ter s are ref le c tions of his inspiration, philosophy and views on life. Or k ibal ’s wor ks f ind their hom e not onl y in newspap er, bu t also take the for m of murals and thre e - dim ensional obje c ts.

Orkibal People | 2016 Acrylic on canvas 122 x 122 cm

Orki bal i s abl e to radi ate an up ri s i ng s ourc e of energ y i n hi s ar tw ork s that bri ng l i fe to the en v i ronm ent. H i s m as te r ful k now l e d g e of s treet ar t tec hni ques i s obvi ous t hroug hout hi s w hol e p roc es s of ar t m ak i ng . H e c l earl y c hoos es how to c ontrol the c om p os i ti on at b es t i n ord er to p as s on a s ens e of c omfor t that c om es onl y w he n b ei ng i n the hand s of an ex p eri enc ed mas termi nd. Wi th textures and l i nes that are p urp os el y hand l ed i n a c l ean and c ut out manner, he pol i s hes a l oc al s ens e of i d enti ty that c ares ab out the way he i s expe c ted to c on vey the m es s ag e and the feel i ng ab out a s i tuati on i n an ex trem el y s i nc ere and d i rec t w ay.

Orkibal Painful And Friend | 2016

Acrylic, Spray paint on canvas 92 x 92 cm

An extremel y c ol or ful touc h of b ol d and s harp c ol ors w i th m os tl y round and c ur ved s hapes s hows the c ontras t b etw een the ap p earanc e of eac h c ontemporar y c i ty, where even the rai n i s s p ray s trokes of g ol d and vel vet. He knows the anatomy of hi s g e nerati on and he i s w i l l i ng to g ather al l i ts c harac teri s ti c s around s o that they m ay w el c om e you w i th op en arm s i nto a whi rl wi nd of mas ter ful l y d ep i c ted c harac te rs , w hether they are s o i n g uard that they have grown mo re eyes or w hether they are d efens i ve b ut uni q ue as a bl ue uni c orn. Thi s l eaves the ob s er ver i n a s tate of aw e that us ual l y i s fol l owe d by the ver y b es t s ens e of trus t, fri end s hi p and b rotherhood .

Koo Youenmo Born in 1973, South Korea

T he ar t wor ks s er ies of C y nic al B ear is a simulacr um of who Koo You enmo is toward the wor ld we li ve in and b eing p erc ei ve d. T he imag e of the b ear referenc es his nick nam e, and the T- shir t and jeans are t y pic al choic es of clothing that always make i ts mar k on fashion.

Koo Youenmo Series Child Soldier: No body can hurt me without my permission | 2016

Acrylic on canvas 100 x 100 cm

In Koo Youenmoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ar twork s w e d i s c over a new uni vers al i d enti ty that i s vi s i bl y affe c ted by matters of the w orl d . T hey have c ri ti c i s i ng eyeb row s , eval uati ve c ol or ful eyes , an outl i ned m as s ag e on thei r T- s hi r ts and are equi pped wi th paradox i n thei r hand s . T hey are c hi l d s ol d i ers , and they are fi ghti ng for thei r val ue s . Youe nm o i s b ui l d i ng a m onum ental rep utati on for them, maki ng them bec om e the m ai n and onl y s ub jec t of hi s c om p os i ti ons that i s even though s eem i ng l y s i m p l i s ti c b ut are c areful l y s tud i ed i n ord er to b es t c onvey the m es s ag e.

Koo Youenmo Series Child Soldier: Make love not war | 2016 Acrylic on canvas 100 x 100 cm

In thi s ar twork, we c an s ee a l i ttl e b i t of a s m i l e w hi c h i s d eep l y s arc as ti c and paradoxal . Thi s exam p l e of c hi l d s ol d i er i s a p or trayal of a g enerati on whi c h had fought wi th his ow n b l ood for p eac e. T he g ene rati on x of Korea that had no way bac k a nd no w ay for w ard b ut to c hang e and tear d ow n many wal l s i n thei r s oci ety. H e i s a hero, a m onum ent and a w i nne r i n Koo Youenmoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ar tworks , who had to s tep m y s tep m ake the l ad d ers of s uc c es s wi th hi s own bare h and s , i n w hi c h m any c an i d e nti fy them s el ves w i th.

Koo Youenmo Series Child Soldier: Good | 2016 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 150 cm

The way Koo Youenmo com m uni c ates w i th hi s ob s er ver, i s not onl y uni q ue but as wel l profound. He i s us i ng the p ers oni fi c ati on of a c hi l d s ol d i er to tal k about the hards hi p t hat hi s ow n g enerati on had to g o throug h to p us h hi s s oc i ety from the ver y narrow s treets of hi s c i ty to fi g ht for c hang e. T hat i s why i n thi s ar twork th e b ear i s s tand i ng a s tep b ehi nd and as k i ng us to enter hi s worl d, di s c us s hi s c hal l eng es and l earn from i t. H e i s fi g hti ng for good but at the s ame ti m e s arc as ti c al l y s how s the p arad ox of a uni q ue g un on the s houl d ers of a young c ub .

Koo Youenmo Series Child Soldier: Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go to school | 2016 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 150 cm

Ever y obs er ver wi l l un c ons c i ous l y fol l ow the young b ear c ub i nto the l i mi tl es s dark s pac e of th e c anvas . Koo Youenm o i s p os i ti ve that he i s a g ood l eade r, as he has won m any b attl es b efore. Eve n thoug h the future s ee m s dark, the s harp c ol ors of hi s c harac ter, the d i vers i fi e d c ol ors of hi s eyes and hi s open s houl ders are w el c om i ng i t, read y to m ake i t ri g ht. I t m i g ht take a l ong ti me, i t mi ght take years and g enerati ons b ut he p rom i s es s uc c es s .

Soni Irawan Born in 1975, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

S oni Irawan is from Yog yakar ta - Indonesia. He s tudie d in the V isual A r t Facul t y, F ine A r ts D epar tment , major ing in P r intmak ing at the Indonesian A r t Ins ti tu te in Yog yakar ta. His subje c t mat ter s are larg el y p er sonal that revol ve around his famil y and his environm ent , wi th the under l y ing interes t in c ap tur ing the spir i t of human sur vi val in ever yday life. A fan of T in T in, S trapazin, A s ter i x and Lu ck y Luke, S oni us es the tradi tion of c omic and c ar toon as a jumping of f point : the unmodulate d c olor, single line drawing , the c ombination of abs trac t c ar ic ature wi th indi v idual p or trai ture, as well as referencing a tradi tion of so cial cr i ticism through the c ar toon, c omic and s atir ic al humor. His wor k of ten b elies his ambi valent fe elings ab ou t te chnolog y in g eneral, and how te chnolog y s e emingl y c onne c ts us while simul tane ousl y providing dis trac tion and a fals e s ens e of c ommuni t y and c ommunic ation.

Soni Irawan Future Is Now | 2015

Acrylic, paint marker on canvas 200 x 200 cm Soni as a s tre et ar ti s t por tray s the i nd i v i d ual i s ti c s i d e of eac h s oc i ety. H e obs er ves eac h pers on and l ater enc l os es them i n a them e b as e d and c ol or bas ed uni que c harac ter that i s i nterac ti ng w i thi n a c om m uni ty of c ol ors . In thi s ar twork he i s c ou rag eous l y us i ng s harp and fl at c ol ors , l ater g i v i ng them form wi th us i ng l i nes . S om ehow they c oul d s eem l i ke s ti c kers that are pas ted di rec tl y as i de or on eac h other. H e c onnec ts p op c ontem p orar y ar t to s treet ar t and to the s oc i ety i n a w ay that ever yone rec ei ves hi s hop eful mes s age that i nvi te s the ac c ep tanc e of a w orl d that c an c om p rehend al l w i thout any need for c ens ors hi p of c utti ng out.

About Vallette Gallery Va l l e t t e G a l l er y is a mo d er n a n d contemporar y ar t gal l er y b a sed i n Kua l a Lu mp u r, rep resen t in g Mal ays i an and i nternati onal ar t is t s . T he g aller y wish es to d evel op c ul tural exc hanges t h ro ug h ex hi b i t i o n s, a r t ist s a n d cu ra tors , res i denc y programs , edu c a ti o na l even t s a n d p u b lish in g proj ec ts between Franc e, Mal ay s i a a nd S o u t h -Ea st A sia ; g ive them an i ns i ght i nto the c o n t em p o ra r y M a lay sia n a n d I n t er n a t ional ar t market. Va l l e t t e G a l l e r y is a g ro u n d b rea king forum for South Eas t A sia c o nte mp o ra r y a r t ; p resen t in g works of emergi ng and in t ern a t i o na l yo un g a r t ist s. Viewer s o f c ontemporar y ar t c urated exh i b i t i o ns have in crea sed d u r in g t h e rec ent years , as general resp o ns i venes s a n d a t t en t io n to co n t emporar y ar t has advanc ed

i n Mal ays i a a nd overs eas . As a res ul t, Val l ette G al l er y w ork s c l os e l y wi th a s trong netw ork of c urators , ar t c ol l ec tors and i ns ti tuti ons from al l ove r the w orl d . Val l e tte Gal ler y i s d evel op i ng rel ati ons hi p s b etw een ar ti s ts and ar t l ove rs . Thi s c reate s and i nc reas e s the val ue of ar t i n al l i ts s ens es . Val l ette G al l er y i s p roud to p res ent J al an: S treet Ar t Internati onal 1 .0 an ex hi b i ti on w hi ch w ants to p rom ote s even i nternati onal s treet ar ti s ts . We woul d li ke to thank our C urator C harl otte C ous i n, our D es i gner Ana Ol i vei ra and our C oord i nator J i hane Ferrah for thei r c ommi tment and hard w ork i n s up p or ti ng the Val l ette G al l er y projec t. Pat r i ce Va l l e t te, 2 0 1 6 Fo u n de r & D i re c to r.

Spec i a l tha nk you to Evely n e H ii t h e f ounder and ar ti s ti c di rec tor of the Jazz C l ub i n Kual a Lum p ur NO BL AC K T I E for her v i s i on and s uppor t. Sp ecia l t h a n k you to ABSOLU T for thei r bel i ef i n Ar t and th e v i s i on of Val l ette G al l er y. S p ecia l t h a n k yo u to t h e MESU I HOTEL for s uppor ti ng and we l c omi ng our ar ti s ts and thei r ar ti s ti c ac ti v i ti es . Spec i a l t ha nk yo u to Fa b en a n d Sa mir Zai dane for thei r s uppor t and s hari ng e xper t i s e for the real i z ati on of the s treet ar tw orks on No Bl ac k Ti e & The Mes ui Hote l VA LLE T TE G A LLERY WOU LD LIKE TO TH ANK THE ARTISTS FOR THEI R VI S I ONS AND C OM MIT MENT.

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