Looking for "DAD" (study of Kaminariman) 
2024
Typography Stamps and Prints on Paper
£150

Kelvin's studio was flooded a few days before the installation of our exhibition, unfortunately this work is not on show but we still wanted to include it in our exhibition guide.

 
Looking for "DAD" (study of Kaminariman) is a series of pencil drawings of hand gestures layered onto Risograph prints of the same hand gesture. They are coded Japanese Sign Language alphabets; MI, KA and TA. As a word, it means comrade; a nod to solidarity and plea for community. The gesture depicted alludes to messages of resistance while also a nod to Yazima Beauty Salon's 2008 top debut ニホンノミカタ－ネバダカラキマシタ－ (english title; Nihon no Mikata- Nevada Kara Kimashita which means Friends of Japan; Came from Nevada). The camp pop featuring three men cosplaying as trio female singers like The Dreams; echoed by the background print of three hands wrapped in silver greyish cosmetic gloves. The phrase 'comrade' is sung repeatedly in the song, in catchy choruses but at the same time they scream desperation and call for immediate attention. The drawings are accompanied by two passport photographs of the artist punching a stamp on papers stuck to his face. The punched-out pieces of paper are found on the floor below the artwork, each piece of paper is creased as a result of remnants of the action within the artwork above. 
 
Surrounding the work lie sprinkles of metallic silver confetti. 
The work is inspired by travel and the documents related to it, inspired by the artist's own restriction in travel. Kelvin’s travel restriction is primarily due to official documents and bureaucracy, constantly in need of visas and permits as an Indonesian passport holder.  There are hints of violence imbued in the narrative of this piece but the lack of detail and clear narrative is a reflection to uncertainty and anxiety of travel, especially travel that demands documents such as visa. The size and mediums of the work may jolt trauma in the viewer but above all, the work as a whole is simply a prologue; perhaps to a future that allows a more accessible travel for all, way beyond Japan and Nevada as hinted by the song. 
 
The artwork as a whole however, creates a scatter of breadcrumbs that invites viewers to weave their own narratives. Despite this, the clench of fists, scattered confetti on the floor, and the punches on face as captured in the miniature sized photographs can hopefully ignite a sense of emergency and a call for immediate need for community. This is an act that can be applied to other urgent social issues, not solely to travel as referenced by the artist.