Cosmology of Life

source: curlytraveller

The artist sculpted these miniature, talisman-like figurines to express his view on the world, the micro- and the macro-cosmos. He is an animist, meaning that he believes that every object bears its own energy and character that influences the definite form of the artwork.
That sounds pretty Indonesian to me. In the same trip to Indonesia when I bought my wayang puppets, I was confronted for the first time with animism. The whole culture of Bali, in which animism plays an important role, struck me as beautiful and made me fall in love with Bali on the spot.
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source: singaporebiennale

Consisting of intricately-carved forms, some as small as a grain of sand, Cosmology of Life draws the viewers closer to study the assembly of miniature talisman–like sculptures displayed in the Singapore Biennale 2013. Carved carefully from wood, these sculptures are intuitively shaped by the artist Toni Kanwa, addressing his expression of nature,
spirituality and the macro and micro cosmos. Toni’s creations begin with a special ritual of dialoguing with the materials used, as he believes that every material has its own character. Equipped with that sensitivity, he then follows the movement of energy from within the material, bringing out the life from within the work. The forms he carves embody signs or symbols that draw back to the natural cosmology. The human figure often becomes reference for these forms, as to Toni, the human body is the most perfect of God’s creations. Cosmology of Life is not about the investigation and study of shapes and figures, but rather a manifestation of themes – nature, spirituality, realms and the issues of the cosmos, presenting itself through different forms in the work. Toni’s work and creations often
does not begin with a design or plan; instead its conception follows the flow of the artist’s intuition and instinct.