The Godown and Andrew Pok are proud to present What you are the World is, a site-specific installation by artist Andrew Pok. What you are the World is comprises six foot tall welded fences that make up a maze spanning the entire main hall of the arts centre.

 

In response to a year significantly impacted by COVID-19 and its domino effect on industries and individuals, Andrew Pok’s massive installation invites visitors to immerse themselves as they navigate through the maze, encountering smooth passage or obstacles, in much the same way one would juggle life’s challenges in the quest for a more purpose-filled existence. 

 

The installation is a continuation of Andrew Pok’s exploration of mazes as a metaphor for one’s journey through life. According to the artist: “The maze is an allegory of the dichotomy between our unsettled inner states and a world of illness, climate disasters, political polarity, wars and other widespread global issues.”

 

The Godown interprets, presents and celebrates art and our diverse heritage through curatorial and educational initiatives, targeted at all those with an interest in the arts. The new arts centre seeks to do this by forging collaborations and co-operations with practitioners in the creative communities and arts organizations in Malaysia and abroad.

 

Wan Yee Lim, Director of The Godown, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Andrew Pok for our first exhibition in 2021, with a theme that many of us would be able to relate to. With this work and our future exhibitions, we hope to stimulate ideas and discussion around issues that matter through the arts and also to attract more interest in the arts by making it accessible to all.”

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Andrew Pok Chong Boon (b. 1964. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) is an artist devoted to the attentiveness of everyday, ordinary objects and activities that people may take for granted. The artist transforms mundane objects into sculptural forms and installations, by assembling them in response to current events. His works also involve food and the performative act of cooking to interact with the public and to emphasise the potential of our daily actions as a means to connect. His works connect his perspective of acceptance and impermanence, as well as the interconnected relationships between people and their objects. His philosophy is centred around the practice of mindfulness, memories, the self and society. Pok is the co-founder of Studios Samasama, a space that hosts alternative practices and community focused activities. He has exhibited locally as well as around the region, in Singapore, Thailand, UK and Italy.