Artist : Wayan Karja
Genre : Painting
Period : April 9 till May 25
Everyday, 9.00AM to 10.00PM
Location : Gaya Fusion of Senses
Jl. Raya Sayan, Ubud
Tel: 979252
Wayan Karja’s paintings at Gaya Fusion of Senses infuse the gallery space with a serene blue light. These large abstract paintings bring to mind images of the blue ocean, the blue sky, the blue mountains and perhaps the meeting point of the blue tones on the horizon. As Wayan says: “To think about blue for me is to think about wholeness, fullness, circles, loops, space without limit, and as far as I can imagine – the universe. My heart was drawn to blue. Blue is the color that came out of my paintbrush”.
Formally trained in painting at the Indonesian Art School and at the Udayana University, both in Denpasar, Wayan then spent several years in the USA further refining his art and where he was exposed to the schools of Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. Wayan has successfully fused these influences with his own sensibilities as a Balinese artist.
Predominantly inspired by the Hindu concept of color and its reaction to the human spirit, Wayan has achieved a fusion of Eastern and Western styles that initially speak of Color Abstraction but have within them embedded suggestions of Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, depth, stability, peacefulness, tranquility, calmness, trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, consciousness, power, integrity, seriousness and heaven. Qualities that are all derived from the Hindu faith and cosmology. In this successful synthesis of styles it is hard to say that Wayan is an Abstract Expressionist. Rather, it is more appropriate to categorize him as a Spiritual Abstractionist.
These fine paintings are beautiful examples of an artist working at the height of his creative talents. Painstakingly created layer by layer, the shades of blue emanating from the works seem to possess an inner spiritual vitality or light that glows naturally from the canvases and connects immediately to the sub-conscious of the observer. Analysis is redundant with these works for their meaning is instinctive and inspiring rather than theoretical and considered.
The presence of the artist is felt in subtle brushstrokes and splashes. Scratches and marks scoured into the paint offer a humanistic sensibility, while various textures and surfaces can create a tactile response. Restrained squares, circles, rectangles, and linear dashes are dispersed throughout the canvases. These shapes and gestures create tension and balance in the works, but are also representations of symbols of the Hindu cosmology. It is this discreet use of spiritual iconography that gives these works its power and mystery.
In an exhibition that does not contain one lesser work it is hard to isolate any particular painting for singular praise. But if a choice must be made I would select the paintings Imagination I, II, and III. Within these works the themes of color, shape, texture and iconography, that Wayan has explored in the show, find their fruition in three elegant works that irradiate serenity, harmony and peace in a blaze of blue light.
The Blue of Karja is an outstanding exhibition created by a talented and sensitive artist. It is an exhibition not to be missed and is highly recommended.
