THE CALLING by Malcolm Smith, 19 November - 11 December 2011

The Calling

By Malcolm Smith

19 November – 11 December 2011

The Calling is a term that has several meanings, depending on the context. When I was a kid, my mum told me that people who became a nun or a priest had received The Calling. I was fascinated by this idea, not because I wanted to become a priest, or because I was particularly religious, but because I loved the idea of a supernatural event where the clouds would suddenly part, golden beams of light would shine down, and my destiny would be revealed to me. I’m still waiting for that moment.

Today The Calling has a more general meaning. People whose lives are devoted to charitable work, or science, or art for example, often describe themselves as having felt The Calling. For these people The Calling requires selflessness and devotion. It’s very different from Ambition, which implies self-will and self-advancement.

Perhaps I felt The Calling when I decided to create these works (although admittedly, it was not quite so spectacular as I imagined it’d be when I was a kid). I had no real plan or agenda at the time; it just felt right, so I set myself to the task. I built the set (the wall with the window in it) and collected the telephones, furniture and plastic flowers from various junk shops. At times it was quite laborious and time consuming and I was aware that I was putting an awful lot of work into creating photographs that were a strange simulation of something very mundane – still life images reminiscent of suburban homes from previous decades. But that’s what happens when you feel The Calling; you just do what you know needs to be done, and try not to think too much about the outcome.

November 2011.

Malcolm Smith

OPENING : Saturday, 19 November 2011, 2 pm
Artist Talk before the Opening
officiated by Ibu Tuti Ardilla

s.14 LIBRARY PROGRAM //19 Nov - 11 Dec 2011 :
6 to 5 a drawing by Laurs Oscar Osman
7" a video compilation by Laurs Oscar Osman

BEDAH KARYA & KOPI SORE :
A creative process presentation from Laurs Oscar Osman
Sunday, 4 December 2011, 4 pm - done

PUBLIC WORKSHOP :
"Photography Project no. 1" by Malcolm Smith
a photo session in a custom made background
Open for Public, Free

Sunday, 11 December 2011, start 10 am - done

Artists Short Profile :

Malcolm Smith, an artist and curator from Sydney, Australia who is currently based in Yogyakarta. His recent curatorial projects include Certificate no. 000358/ at Sangkring Artspace and Galeri Soemardja (2011), and The Lake at the Australian Centre for Photography and Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery (2010). From 2007 – 2010 Malcolm was the Program Manager at the Australia Centre for Photography.

Laurs Oscar Osman, lahir pada 17 Oktober 1982, merupakan mahasiswa Anthropologi UNPAD. Dalam perjalanannya, ia lebih aktif melakukan pekerjaan editing video dan disela-sela waktunya ia senang menggambar, membuat coretan dalam kertas-kertas bekas. Pernah berpameran untuk Bandung New Emergence 2 (BNE #2) dan Post-Psychedelic di Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, berpameran bersama di IF Venue pada tahun 2006.