The big picture

Lost and found

Found objects are at the heart of this multidisciplinary artist's practice. "I gravitate toward things I find on the street or come across on my travels. These objects have their history: All you have to do is listen."

The objects picked up from the roadside and brought back to his studio often "end up collecting dust for a year or two," says Erizku, offering a glimpse into his process.

"Then one night in the studio, you're thinking about something unrelated, and you realize (a particular object) could connect that dot for you and birth a new idea."

A number of artists showing at ABHK 2023 seem partial to found objects. A case in point is another installation (not in Encounters) titled The Outlaw's Flag, by Thai textile artist Jakkai Siributr (Flowers Gallery). The piece is a collection of creative flags, supposedly representing fictitious countries. These are embroidered with beads and fishnets the artist found on a trip to Myanmar, where he was working with stateless communities.

As with Gravity, the work has a historical dimension: Each flag is composed of the state colors and emblems of Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh or Myanmar, representing the displacement of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims in 2017.

"I spent that week walking, seeing how things were, talking to people," remembers the artist. "Suddenly, all these images started to appear. I saw beach debris, fishnets, animal bones, and plastic and glass bottles, so I thought of doing a series of flags."