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Giant blow-up sex doll is a ‘monster’ unleashed

The enlarged face of a blow up sex doll is the first thing to confront the audience walking into the Monster Pop exhibition in Darwin.

The doll has fangs, representing the artist’s view of monsters and a society struggling to attain gender equality.

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The exhibition presents artworks in different mediums by Indonesian and Australian artists depicting their unique interpretations of monsters and fear.

The doll, by Deborah Kelly, on display at Darwin’s Museum and Art Gallery NT.

“We were exploring monsters and the monstrous, and artists using popular culture, and that allowed us to keep the vision really broad and to include as many ideas as we wanted to,” said the exhibition’s curator, Andy Ewing.

“So the monsters could be politically monstrous, psychologically monstrous, emotionally monstrous, and monsters can be literal monsters.”

From traditional folklore to contemporary fads, shadow puppets to bikie gangs, the artists use Hindu iconography, Indigenous rites and ancient fairytales about ghosts in banyan trees.

“I really hope that by being able to see Australian and Indonesian artists side by side that audiences will be able to draw parallels,” said curator, Fiona Carter.

“There are lots of similarities that can be drawn from both Indonesia and Australia, but at the same time, too, I hope that they can actually see the differences and appreciate the differences and grow and learn from each other.”

Justice, conflict, exploitation themes

Indonesian street artist Digie Sigit’s piece represents his concerns about child exploitation and economic justice.

“I took a picture of an Albanian woman and I printed it and enlarged it onto a stencil,” he said.

“In my second artwork the boy is sitting on the floor. He’s a war victim,”

“A monster for me is something that’s scary and for me, a big and scary problem.”

Bayu Widodo is based in Yogyakarta, and said his artwork used a hand as a metaphor for an executor.

“You can make a good thing or a bad thing,” he said.

“The first artwork is about my hometown, which is changing a lot with many new buildings and malls.

“I don’t refuse development, but sometimes it creates problems and destroys the society and the natural environment.”

The show runs until February 14 at the Museum and Art Gallery of NT.

Artist says, ‘a monster for me is something that’s scary and for me, a big and scary problem’.

 

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