Benzila Solo Exhibition Good Luck to You: Blind Spots | Tang Contemporary Art Bangkok
Exhibitions
Tang Contemporary Art is pleased to announce that the Bangkok space will host a solo exhibition of Benzilla in November. The exhibition will present more than 20 works by the artist, including his latest series of works and sculptures.
"Good luck" is a beautiful blessing that the artist often uses when saying goodbye to friends, especially with good wishes for the future. People will leave, but memories are stable. We can always revisit them with gratitude, or tell these stories through his characters. We remember those feelings, not the specific scenes, and these works are a vivid expression of these feelings.
This good luck comes from the understanding and acceptance of life.
The original intention of the three-eyed image "LOOOK" in Benzilla's artistic creation is "observation" and "observation". "LOOOK" is like a detached outsider, and the three overlapping "O"s imply a deep insight beyond the conventional perspective. In Chinese, the character "瞐" (mò) with three overlapping eyes has a long history. It comes from the first Chinese regular script dictionary "Yu Pian". The character "瞐" (mò) is used to describe the depth and penetration of the eyes. Like "LOOOK", "瞐" means not only to observe external things, but also to pay more attention to the understanding of the relationship between the inner and the outer. "Theoria" in ancient Greek means both "theory" and "observation".
Deep observation and observation mean understanding. Compared with the happiness given by the outside world, the life of inner contemplation seems to be the ideal way. The etymology of "happiness" means good luck, and most people equate happiness with sensory pleasure, and often pursue a life that relies on sensory enjoyment and is respected. Aristotle regarded the "θεωρία" (theoria) method as the ideal method, that is, non-utilitarian observation is the noblest behavior, which is accompanied by continuous pleasure and self-sufficiency, and is the embodiment of self-awakening and perfection. Benzilla's paintings are his "θεωρία" (theoria) of observation, self-reflection for the purpose of oneself, happiness contains leisure and self-sufficiency, and therefore perfection.
Although Benzilla is color blind, he explores the weight of colors and overlapping techniques to embody the incomparable tension of colors. His artistic style, if you look at his early works, you can find that he used brighter colors and flat brushstrokes to show people with rich and active trendy colors and graffiti images; now he likes to use softer colors, and he seeks a balance between freedom and real life. In the slow-paced process, he casts his eyes from himself to the surroundings calmly and tenderly.
The outsider's eyes of "LOOOK" not only observe the world outwardly, but also explore the heart inwardly. It points to the subtle connection between external opportunities and inner mental state in a peaceful state of mind - an inner peace and strength obtained through deep observation and self-reflection. "LOOOK" pays more attention to the interpretation of human perception in the rules of the world. For artists, the practice process of character creation and cartoon style provides a place of safety and shelter. The character setting emphasizes a simple observation attitude without any criticism or judgment. The character is inspired by the various personalities around him, whether close or far away or as a memory of the people, things and feelings he has encountered, through the image of cartoons or comics to understand and translate in different ways, saying "good luck".
This exhibition is also the artist's reflection on the spread of the inner spirit to the external environment. "Sometimes I hope people can stay together, do nothing, slow down and feel what is happening around them..." The image of "LOOOK" invites us to rethink those uneasy and uncertain constellation boundaries-how we can reshape the axis of the past and the present in our own time.