Basa-Basi: Solo Show Ida Lawrance at ART SG

12 - 15 January 2023
Overview
Having lived in Indonesia, Ida Lawrence tells her stories through her paintings. Ida's memories of living in Indonesia are vague and appear in various fragments. The touch of humor comes out in the written text, as Ida considers art as her way to weave stories. Ida incorporates common expressions and everyday observations into her artwork, as shown in earlier pieces like "Ayo duduk dulu sebentar. Nyantai dulu." (Sit down for a minute and relax) or "Awas Nanti Masuk Angin." (Be careful when going outside, you might catch a cold.) 
 
Highlighting Indonesian phatic communion, Ida brings the small talk culture into her solo exhibition entitled Basa-basi. This cultural repertoire commonly starts as a question or statement to initiate a conversation or bridge a severe issue. Basa-basi also emerges as a form of politeness in conversation and is agreed upon in society even though the questions might appear invasive in other cultures. The question being asked in a basa-basi might have a different meaning from the literal one. Both people sometimes need to understand that it is not a question that needs a serious answer. Both people are not offended by each other's actions. Ida shared that she needed to be creative by adding humor to her response since people repeat the question of basa-basi. Due to her current residence in Germany, she notices the different cultures of both countries in building a conversation. Ida views the value of basa-basi not in words spoken but in the act of doing the basa-basi itself. 
Works
Installation Views