Artist : Antonius Kho, dana Munut, Gde Sudarma, Hansen C, Hermawati, Kerry Pendergrast, M. Suamba, Odong Junaidi, Pranoto, Regina Bimadona and S. Jiwatman
Genre : Painting
Period : August 1 till August 22, Everyday, 9.00AM to 6.00PM
Location : Hansen Art Gallery, Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud Tel: 970072
Hansen C was born in 1960 in Toho, a pristine hamlet in West Kalimantan. The beauty of the environment in which he grew up inspired Hansen to become an artist. As a boy he was apprenticed to a painter who gave him a solid artistic foundation. Later study took him to Taiwan and Connecticut in the U.S.A. Returning to Indonesia, Hansen resided in West Java for 13 years where he worked as an artist, exhibiting extensively in Indonesia and abroad. Hansen opened his first gallery in 1991, and now, having re-located to Bali, he has opened one in Ubud. For its inaugural exhibition, “Untitled”, Hansen is showing in his gallery a collection of works from local artists resident in the area. Included in the show are the following eleven artists:
Antonius Kho: Decorative sculpture comprising of painted found objects such as driftwood and other timbers. “Abstraksi Figur 2” is most amusing.
Dana Munut: Realistic landscapes, exhibiting a high degree of skill and atmosphere. “Full Moon” being particularly evocative and mysterious.
Gde Sudarma: Strong illustrative draftsmanship, somewhat reminiscent of early David Hockney. “Fashion Show” is kind of sexy and provocative.
Hansen C: Big, bright minimalist paintings, featuring collaged Chinese text. “Lucky Coin” is a beautifully balanced work in Yellow, Red and Turquoise.
Hermawati: An intriguing combination of highly detailed charcoal drawings with painted abstract splashes. “Whistling” is of particular note.
Kerry Pendergrast: Watercolors, where-in the semi-nude female figures are surrounded by patterns based on batiks. “Wave of Cloud” is quite lovely.
M. Suamba: Pure, tonal color abstraction. “Communication with Red” is an impressive and entrancing painting. Beautifully balanced and modulated.
Odong Junaidi: Quite bizarre surrealism, and not without a touch of humor. “Red Earth” features a self-portrait of the artist painting the painting!
Pranoto: Nude studio watercolors. “Male Model” is like a Technicolor version of Pranoto’s acclaimed charcoal drawings. Supreme craftsmanship.
Regina Bimadona: Semi-realistic figure studies where-in the subject matter makes bold feminist political statements. “Back Home” has a lot of angst!
S. Jiwatman: Geometric abstract expressionism. The three panel piece, “MCK”, has a strong sense of rhythm and is another most impressive work.
As you can see, there is something for everyone in this exhibition. Though most of the paintings feature in some way the human form, this is not a prominent aspect, or theme, of the show. Rather, the exhibition is intended to introduce the public to the gallery and give a sample of the quality and variety of the works that will be on display in the future. A sort of “Coming Attractions” event you could say. As such, the exhibition works quite well. The gallery, however, does have a major problem. The front room is floored with bamboo poles and decorative stones. This may look fabulous as a lay-out in Griya Asri magazine, but when you are wondering if you are going to twist your ankle with every step you take the floor doesn’t contribute much to a contemplative viewing experience. Hansen might want to re-think that!
