Douglas Adams called it a "vague wishy-washy agnosticism" that, in England, has replaced "vague wishy-washy Anglicanism".
Which brings us to Man+God: 3 Years on the Road, an exhibition of graphic design, performance and installation art. It's a traveling collection organized and expanded by Art4Soul, a division of local "brand identity consultancy" and design house 3nity. It started in KL in 2003 and has since been to Penang, Singapore, New York and Stuttgart, growing in size along the way before returning to its home base for a stint this month.
And yes, it's about spirituality. Kind of worrying, especially considering the words of one of the founders of 3nity, graphic designer Joseph Foo, as he relates the origins of the idea behind the division.
"I was on a trip with David Lok, a photographer I collaborate with, and I just threw him this idea that being spiritual is a cool thing," recalls the slight, carefully-spoken Foo, "It's being true to where you're coming from."
Sounds like wishy-washy stuff, and it doesn't help that Foo is the urbanite son of Lutheran preacher - a fact which puts him in an ideal position to be your stereotypical spiritual artist, full of ludicrous notions formed in response to rigidities of religion. Until you visit the exhibition itself, you could easily dismiss it has hippie nonsense,
The first thing you notice on approaching the small gallery is that the long window has been pasted over with large, bold white text simply repeating "God Makes Man Makes" over and over again, creating a recursive mantra that encapsulates the vast tensions at the heart of what this show is truly about.
