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De Hal, Grote Combé weg 45 / Opening
August 16 / Expo days August 17 - 21 / 19:00 – 21:00 hrs.
On Tuesday the 16th of
August ‘The weight of darkness’, the first
solo exhibition of artist Sunil Puljhun will open in De Hal. Most Surinamese
art lovers are already well familiar with the artist’s work. At the various
exhibitions that previously included his work, such as ‘Paramaribo Span’ and ‘Vredig,
Vrij en Vriendelijk’ in 2010, the uniqueness of Puljhun’s work already
stood out. This is due not only to his striking imagery and primarily
black-gray palette, but his choice of materials, his technique and his way of
working also set him apart from his colleagues in the Surinamese art
World.
The work that Puljhun exhibits
at this exhibition can definitely be described as unique. No colorful or cheerful scenes as we are often
used to seeing in Surinamese art, but dark, primarily black-gray, and yes even somber
works of art, which have the power to, initially at least, stop you in your
tracks. Then the work starts to reel you in, closer by, deeper…. because
whether you choose to or not, you can’t possibly get around the questions that
the work conjures up. In his work Puljhun portrays, in his own unique
figurative way, subjects such as the slavery that regrettably still exists in
the world today, the fear gripping the young victims of child abuse, the often
still inferior position of women, the occurrence of suicide which is a problem
in Suriname as well, the wars which mankind keeps on fighting in their lust for
power and riches, and many more global social issues. In order to strengthen
the impact of his work Puljhun paints and draws mostly in black, at some point
adding bright deliberate flashes of white which break up the darkness with a
sense of urgency. As a white flame they appear to exclaim in warning; a frantic
attempt to introduce light into the dark; infusing hope to dispel despair…. Good
and evil, yin and yang. The darker side of mankind and the motivation that lies
behind the destructive actions man is capable of; those are the things that
hold the attention of Sunil Puljhun. Why it is that darkness often prevails
over light? ‘The weight of darkness’.
That is literally and figuratively what his work portrays.
By working on paper
instead of canvas and by then allowing water to flow over the paint, Puljhun has
developed a technique which by now defines the look of his work. Paint and water combine to create an interesting
effect of fluidity and movement, while other typical Sunil techniques, such as burning
the top layer of attached collage materials, result in a contrasting, rough and
charred structure. Black silhouettes,
painted, drawn, adhered or stenciled and various collage techniques in which
cut out segments occasionally create white silhouettes, are also
characteristic. Puljhun royally experiments with and on his paper and thus
creates a dynamic surface that reacts and interacts with the images he portrays
upon it. No smooth, neatly framed canvases, but richly textured works on crinkled
paper which especially in the case of the larger pieces, result in artworks that
are unique in look as well as in presentation. In the smaller pieces behind glass the compositions
are more subtle, but no less powerful in impact.
On Saturday August the
20th starting from 7:30 pm, there is a ‘meet the artist’ event
during which the artist tells the public more about his work.
For more
information and/or images please contact Readytex Art Gallery by phone at +(597) 421750 or e-mail at info@readytexartgallery.com
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