In Darma’s coded lexicon, his extensive visual vocabulary of archival material, the Internet and literary references, a fusion of archival treasures, online landscapes, and literary inspirations reveals modern introspection.
In our ever-changing world, discussions about history and preservation in the face of our rapidly changing digital landscape have faded into the distance. Singaporean artist Fyerool Darma, however, emerges as a beacon of relentless curiosity. A painter by training, he combines sound, video, new media, sculpture, texts, and craft practises to create images that juxtapose modernism with Southeast Asian cultures, histories, and politics. His works, which at times resemble cyphers, compel us to decode their complexities. Profound philosophical queries concerning time, history, language, and perception are not just idle speculations in Darma’s visually fragmented artworks — instead, they lead to a greater understanding of our ever-shifting reality.
The poetic subtlety that envelops Darma’s creations is like a puzzle. Within every coded language, each chosen material, and every fragmented visual lies a vital piece contributing to the unveiling of the final artwork — like decoding the hieroglyphics. Attuned to the multifaceted meanings of art and history, his works connect disparate ideas like a Venn diagram, where divergent thoughts intersect.
