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Artwork by Indonesian artist gets nod of approval from Marvel
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Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Doctor Strange' (2016). (twitter.com/drstrange/File)
A
realistic pencil drawing art by 43-year-old Indonesian contemporary artist Veri Apriyatno has been acknowledged by Marvel Studios as an artwork that shares the same concept with their mind-bending movie Doctor Strange.
Exhibited for one week at Kota Kasablanka shopping mall in South Jakarta, Height Ways portrays multiple Veri who is walking on a tightrope above a city, almost similar to one of the scenes in the movie. In front of the drawing there is a replica of the tightrope made out of iron, where people can walk on it as if they are strolling above a city. “People can try it so they can experience the sensation,” Veri told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
(Read also: How good intentions sparked a 'Doctor Strange' controversy)
Height Ways is part of Veri’s renowned series introduced in 2011, "Hyper Selfie". The series, which took him two years to finish, consists of 25 artworks where he becomes the center in each of them, which is showcased in his solo exhibition at Emmitan Contemporary Art Gallery in Surabaya, East Java.
When creating Height Ways, taking around two months, Veri asked his friend to take photos of him walking on a railroad. “Everything was drawn by pencil in a detailed way,” he said, adding that the one being displayed was actually a resized print version since the actual piece was around 2 by 1 meters.
Later on, Veri, who is also a Marvel enthusiast, met with the representatives of the company. “As far as I know Disney Marvel likes to collaborate with local artists. They are looking for artists whose artwork resembles their concept,” he said. “Height Ways was chosen because it is closest to their concept among others.”
(Read also: 'I am the Forest' exhibition reveals Kalimantan's magnificent wildlife)
The artwork has a quite interesting philosophy. “I want to feel like I can be in many places, but I have to split myself in two,” Veri said. “The point is we need to delegate [our tasks] to other people, that is how we [actually] split ourselves, therefore we can do as many tasks as we want.”
Unlike other artists who are usually shy to put themselves in the spotlight, Veri often features himself as the object of his drawing series. “I found a philosophy [from there] that if we want to know God, we have to know ourselves first. It means that you don't need to search for God everywhere, but inside of you,” he said.
As for his forthcoming object, Veri plans to create encaustic (hot wax) paintings and post the tutorial on his YouTube channel. (kes)
