Artist : Ruslan Wiryadi
Genre : Painting
Period : January 2 till March 1, 2004
Everyday, 10am till midnight
Location : Café Des Artistes
Jl. Bisma No. 9X, Ubud.
Tel: 972706
Ruslan Wiryadi was born in Cikarang, a small town near Jakarta, in 1967. He started to draw and paint as a child, then, in 1985, he began studying oil painting under the guidance of the artist Nana Wigena in Jakarta. Wigena had a profound impact on Ruslan’s work, inspiring him to devote his life to art. In 1992 Ruslan moved to Bali to further his career, by hoping to enter the Institute of Indonesian Art in Denpasar. Ruslan’s dream was realized in 1995 when he received a scholarship from the government to study art full time. Ruslan graduated in 2000, receiving the prestigious Drawing Terbaik Award (Outstanding Drawing Award) for the best drawing for that year. Since 1995, to the present, Ruslan has participated in 20 exhibitions within Bali, Lombok and Jakarta. With those sorts of credentials it is not surprising that Ruslan presents a thoroughly professional exhibition at the Café Des Artistes.
Gajah-Gajah, or Elephants, is the theme Ruslan has selected for this show, but do not expect to see highly rendered or detailed studies of elephants in these paintings. Rather, Ruslan has taken the form and contours of elephants to experiment with abstract paintings that express more the moods and emotions that the imagery of elephants arouse in us. Within these paintings, the elephantine shapes are merely a structural device that bases the paintings, and directs the abstraction into a specific sphere of consideration. Bold blocks of color are laid one on top of another to create a suggestive form, over which quick decisive brushwork hints at a swaying elephant’s trunk, a flapping ear, a blinking eye or the distinctive mound of the elephant’s head. These marks are scattered throughout the canvases, creating interesting rhythms and motions that immediately bring to mind the lumbering swagger, posture and power of the “elephant”. Over and around the bold color blocks transparent layers of paint are deliberately splashed, and thin lines of paint are freely dribbled onto the shapes, to emphasize the movement and forms within each painting.
Most surprising is Ruslan’s choice of color. Subduing the expected blacks, browns and greys, Ruslan instead features a lively range of colors that depicts the various temperaments and actions of his elephants. Turquoise, lavender, mauve, blue, green, yellow or orange. Hardly elephantine! But these colors work in the canvases, giving them an extra vitality and punch. In the painting “Tegr - Strong Soul” light khaki and dark oranges are the basic motif, creating the abstracted elephant shapes, with the “trunk”, “eye” and “ear” markings highlighted with a rich chocolate. Scattered over the image are little bright dots and dashes in red and white, bringing to mind the ceremonial patterns often painted on Indian elephants. The dots and dashes are placed in a manner that also suggests musical notes, and one can almost hear the tinkle of ankle bells as the elephant sways into focus.
Turquoise, green, lavender, mauve and yellow elephantine shapes are all over-marked and scratched with thick white slashes in the paintings “Elephants. Nos. 0312-3, 0312-4 and 0312-5”. Applied liberally with a palette knife, the blending of these white bands and bright colors suggests a herd of elephants stamping through a vibrant jungle. The energy and force of the physical painting literally propels the passage of the elephants from one canvas to another. A kaleidoscope of movement, color and suggested sound.
These paintings are also not without humor. In the painting “Two Lovers” the elephantine shapes are intermingled in a sensuous embrace. Areas of lush, deep, turquoise, mauve and purple blend together to suggest the elephant forms, while a pale greenish white line delineates their trunk markings. Melting into each other to form an intense amorphous shape, these elephantine forms create an erotic and highly amusing painting. Elephant sex! What next?
Ruslan Wiryadi, at this stage of his career, does not appear to be an artist driven by angst and an overwhelming desire to burden us with his guilt. On the contrary, he seems to find joy in expressing his delight with the world by creating witty and charming pictures that are decidedly decorative and pleasing to the eye. This is not a momentous exhibition making bold statements about art, but it is a pleasant enough show and a nice escape from droll reality.
