Volery Gallery Dubai, in partnership with City of Talents, has arranged Protect Me, a group exhibition dedicated to the theme of protection and the yearning for safety and security in our changing world. It brings together the works of nine artists (16Mei, Adin, Ryu Ahyoung, Kyeong Hoon, Ksusha Lastochka & Maxim Trulov, Lotta, Leoz Weng, and Cheng Cheng Yi) and will run through 24 July 2023.
The show explores our collective desire to nurture and protect the things precious to us, our loved ones, and our planet from the challenges we constantly face. It calls on us to focus on the beauty around us, the positive moments, and the love which can be spread through our interactions with each other. Devoted to the mother of its curator Jean Claude Geraud, the exhibition also pays homage to the love and support she has been giving to him. It adds an intimate and personal touch to the show. Here, the strength and resilience found within the bonds of familial protection are celebrated.
“This exhibition is a testament to the power of art in sparking meaningful conversations and evoking profound emotions,” Rom Levy, Volery Gallery’s founder, says. “Through [it] we hope to create a collective space where beauty and positivity reign supreme, allowing us all to find solace and embrace the transformative power of art.”
About the participating artists
16Mei (b. 1995, Japan) draws from his childhood fears: plants, which he could not distinguish from humans and which seemed like ghosts; lucid dreaming, when you are conscious but unable to wake up; and the surface of the water (it made the artist feel as if something was coming up from the bottom). Although 16Mei still has not got rid of these phobias, he finds them beautiful and aims to portray this beauty and fear in a comfortable way. His soft coloured acrylic paintings depict plants and girls symbolising innocence and delicacy with an inner strength that is not defeated by fear.
Adin (Wahyu Wiedyardini) (b. 1984, Wonosobo, Java, Indonesia) grew up in a small town surrounded by nature, which is the source of her inspiration. The main theme of her artworks is living in harmony with the world of nature and other creations; her art pieces are also inspired by dolls.
Ryu Ahyoung (b. 1982, South Korea) depicts a fairy-tale world inhabited by little girls — fairies — in her works. Through her art, she reminds us of the things which once were important to us but have been forgotten as we grow up.
Kyeong Hoon (b. Gwangju, South Korea) resides in Seoul. In his artworks, he mixes Eastern colours, Western mythology and iconography, and cartoon elements. The artist says that his work expresses the journey of achieving his dream in the memory of frustration he has felt in life.
Ksusha Lastochka & Maxim Trulov (b. 1991, St. Petersburg; b. 1991, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) are a street artist duo living and working in Istanbul, Turkey. Best known for their black-and-white cutouts, murals, and ceramics, they have created their own universe, where various characters live: knights, Vikings, skateboarders, ordinary people, and different fantastical creatures.
Lotta (b. 1993, Japan) is an artist whose works painted in monochrome colours often depict her original character, a ghost cat named Socks. This character represents the stories in her head and sometimes serves as a self-portrait. Among Lotta’s sources of inspiration are Western cartoons, Japanese animation from her childhood, and the idea of sound.
Leoz Weng (b. 1978, Taiwan) resides in Taiwan, Taoyuan. Using acrylic paint, the artist paints characters which are projections of his own mood. Little monsters appearing on his canvases are derived from a lonely childhood full of longing for a companion and creating imaginary friends. Through his art, Weng hopes to soothe desolate and afflicted hearts, which include his own.
The art style of Cheng Cheng Yi (b. 1985, Beijing, China) is a mix between shape and bold tones. His detailed artworks depict the figure of a boy, his own self-portrait, placed in an urban environment. Yi’s characters tell stories about adolescence and the dreams of the young generation.
To learn more about Protect Me, please visit the exhibition’s official web page.
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