Ichwan Noor, born in 1963 in Indonesia, graduated from the School of Visual Arts at the Indonesian Institute of Art, Yogyakarta.
His renowned series of artworks, titled “Beetle Sphere,” is made from an actual 1953 Volkswagen Beetle, combined with polyester and aluminium and transformed into a perfect sphere. The idea emerged from a personal perception towards objects that are products of a “transportation culture”, which induces hints/signs of spiritual emotion. To behold a vehicle (car) is to have a “magical” (supernatural) identity. Sculptures represent the interaction between humans and the object realm, with strong spiritual tension that affects the subconscious, and that yields a new “animistic” attitude. By combining the techniques of manipulation and substitution, the form of this sculpture tends toward realistic distortion, which allows new interpretations about the object (car), as a shift in perception that creates an associative meaning. The sculpture’s visual form yields an impression of a sphere – the basis of all forms. The shape of a car is pressed onto the spherical form, producing a dynamic movement, a certain flexibility, but also fragility. It is a concept of “totems” that is embraced/believed by the people of today.
Selected Exhibition :
2016 Art Central Hong Kong group exhibition, Redbase Art in 2016, Hong Kong, China
2016 Art Expo Malaysia, Redbase Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2013 Horizon of Strength group exhibition, Museum Seni Rupa & Keramik, Jakarta, Indonesia
2012 Kembar Mayang group exhibition, Museum H. Widayat, Magelang, Indonesia
