“Time will tell” by artist Sunil Puljhun
In the Readytex Art Gallery this month special attention is commanded not only by the special feature which has been selected and installed by artist Kurt Nahar, but the large installation by artist Sunil Puljhun which is displayed in the main hall of the gallery demands special attention as well. Time will tell is the name of this imposing triptych by Puljhun which he launched for the first time at the grand Paramaribo SPAN exhibition at the DSB Bank earlier this year. It is however displayed differently at the Readytex Art Gallery. No dark enclosed space, sound-and light effects, but nevertheless the installation still maintains its strong presence. This is undeniably due in part to its large proportions of 431 cm by 201 cm, the intense primarily black coloring, but also because of the mysterious image it presents with its old partially disassembled clock mechanism and the randomly dispersed small and large numbers which seem to float around on the black surface. Time will tell, we can’t predict what will happen in the future and need to allow time to run its course.
According to the artist his installation regards the time and the future we as human beings are moving towards in not only Suriname, but all over the World. There are so many predictions made even up to the end of the World, and if we take all of these into account, the future does indeed look rather gloomy. Certain things cannot be predicted however and only time will tell what the future holds in store for us. It is however true that most of the negative in the World and thus ultimately also the fate of the future, is the responsibility of mankind. Hence the black and somber coloring on the expanse of the artwork. But, time will tell.
If you stand close enough and look upon the numbers large and small, light and dark, it seems almost as if the minutes are counting down around you. It portrays a certain sense of urgency. With this installation Sunil wants to instill within his public a sense of awareness that the time does not stand still, but that the clock keeps on ticking and that we should not wait too long before we take responsibility and start taking better care of this World that we live in. In the center of the clockwork there is a patch of lighter color which holds within it that essential spark of hope, that light at the end of the tunnel which symbolizes the chance for a better future. Ultimately it is the actions of us human beings that will for the most part determine in time, the direction and the fate of the World. Will we choose for ourselves and our own instant gratification at this moment in time, or will we choose for a better World and a brighter future for the generations that come behind us? Time will tell!
Sunil Puljhun