Rodney Glick
Project team: Made Leno,
Dewa Tirtayasa, Wayan Darmadi, Chris Hill
Everyone No.17
Detail
2007 Carved
2009 Painted
Carved and painted wood
45 x 20 x 10cm
While there was no concern or offence taken regarding the depiction of Westerners in godlike poses, there was some confusion about what these sculptures actually were. At one stage Leno took me aside and asked me to explain what Rodney was doing, why was he having these strange objects made and what did they mean. It is a reasonable question from anyone, but particularly understandable from someone like Leno who is used to making finely crafted objects for some clearly defined purpose. In reply to his question I said that I had no idea what Rodney was doing, but we both then agreed that we could see that these works were significant, that they had an element of humour but also invited serious contemplation and triggered a variety of associations. Had my Indonesian language skills been adequate, I would have gone on to suggest to Leno that art is often hard to pin down or categorise, and that artworks are not like puzzles or conundrums where you have to find the meaning and then it all makes sense.
Good artworks are ambiguous and open ended, and how they are experienced will depend on the personal experience, knowledge and cultural background that individuals approach them with. I have been around the Everyone sculptures for so long and seen them in every different stage of construction that when people ask why they have multiple arms, it simply seems like an odd question, and it is hard for me to imagine the response of someone seeing them for the first time. It is also hard to imagine how they would be experienced by someone from a quite different culture, with a different set of beliefs and a different understanding of the nature of art. Whilst individual experiences will differ, most will agree that these works have an almost majestic presence, a sort of charisma, and that they are imbued with dignity and pathos.
Chris Hill, 2008