Boomerang
SOLO EXHIBITION BY
BITTO
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The flex of one arm; feet spread apart, one behind the other; a vital angle; the feel of the wooden body in the wielder’s hand; and then, the forceful throw. A boomerang is now on its way back to you. Likewise, Bitto’s solo exhibition that is aptly titled Boomerang explores life’s many returns. The scenarios inhabited by Bitto often have him as the composed, stoic observer of brewing storms, or the epitome of coveted aspirations in contemporary life —particularly in striking a fine balance between work and relaxation. Here, Bitto hurls a boomerang as he contemplates the complexity of recurrence: timing our departures, arrivals, and even homecomings.
While the tool is on its elliptical path, circles and streaks of color appear as Bitto’s backdrop of hyperspeed. Bitto’s stances and ensembles with his accompanying animals exude toughness and a touch of aggression in “Out of the Rabbit Hole” and “Uninterrupted”, bracing themselves for disruptive events that are about to occur. Memories might actually be our first boomerang. We recall parts from where we are, accessing them from a distant bank in our brain, and bring images and feelings back to the forefront. In the wake of such memories, “Titanium” propels a metallic Bitto toward us, hardened by his harrowing experiences. As the worst comes to pass, Bitto comes back indestructible. Boomerang forms from Bitto’s reflections on life’s changing seasons and attitudes recently. While he believes in us reaping what we sow, he also questions what happens when we are affronted by a less than equivalent exchange. What happens when a system only takes? The uncertainty of things may also give way to resistance, where each throw—regardless of the return or object at hand—is a message to the world. In a final act of looking back, we see a juvenile Bitto running in a loop. As we view two versions of this chase ad infinitum, the wide-eyed child lifting a paper plane is a reminder of potential and the vastness of the world. In it, we can create soft places to land upon our return from daring to put ourselves in far-flung places.
