Aichi Triennale 2019

The work is composed of four large wood-block prints. Looking at the four panels, one can see that each of them depicts an individual view of the world. There are no human figures appearing, but only insects.
From right to left, the panels illustrate the beginnings of urbanization, followed by the introduction of financial/monetary economy, and subsequently, depictions of consumer and information society, political corruption and war, and environmental destruction. The final work addresses various issues that concern mankind at large, such as how to preserve the limited resources of the earth, and what kinds of things we humans really need to live. In addition, one also notices that there are various forms of "education" included for each era at the bottom of the prints.
Pangrok Sulap is an art collective based in a nonurbanized region in Malaysia. In order to alert the local people so they don't get exploited, the collective engages in awareness building cultural activities and take action by way of art in a DIY fashion.
What is important is that the technique of wood-block printing is not employed for its nostalgic notion, but because the collective considers it to be one of the most effective methods for their work in the present age. Even in a society with unstable infrastructures regarding electricity, communication and distribution, wood-block printing makes it possible to communicate large amounts of information quickly and easily, anywhere and anytime. For such rational reasons, the wood-block printing technique is considered relevant even today.