Artist : Peter Dittmar
Genre : Paintings
Period : September 23 till October 15
Everyday, 9.00AM till 6.00PM
Location : Gaya Fusion
Jl. Raya Sayan, Ubud
Tel: 979252
Peter Dittmar was born in Munich, Germany, in 1945. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, receiving a Diploma in 1976. Peter first moved to Bali in 1982 and established his own studio, while he lectured at the Academy of Fine Arts in Jakarta until 1984. In 1986 he also taught at the Federal University of Para in Brazil, then, in 1994, he established another studio in Sydney, Australia. Since then Peter has been dividing his time equally between Munich, Bali and Sydney and he has come to appreciate a wide variety of diverse cultures. Peter’s initial works were of tranquil scenes depicting houses and trees with the absence of human figures. He also created vast and calm, green and watery landscapes, and powerful images of panoramas destroyed by pollution. But, as Peter became more absorbed and fascinated by the philosophies and values of Eastern cultures, his art began to simplify, yet expand, into an Abstract Constructivism that sought to unite the aesthetic qualities of the East and the West. Indeed, Peter’s current show at Gaya Gallery is entitled ‘Fusion’, and it aims to combine the essential elements of Male & Female, Mind & Emotion, and East & West. Peter’s work appears to be deceptively simple, yet it provides serious intellectual challenges to the astute observer. His paintings can be seen “as a metaphor for our world in which cultures have to open up towards each other”.
Abandoning the square or rectangular canvas, Peter creates curved, circular, triangular and oblong paintings that explore the possibilities of positive and negative space. The curved canvases are interlinked like a chain. Circular canvases can have large or small circular shapes cut from their centre. Portions of the triangular canvases protrude from the pictorial plane to create a dimensional space, while the oblong canvases are tiered in vertical stacks that emphasize the echoing space between them. All of these works utilize a positive and negative space that can be seen to represent the fundamental symbols of Male & Female united in a physical and spiritual harmony.
There is a precise and rigorous discipline behind these impressive canvases. The pieces have been meticulously conceived and created to display a total, cohesive, unity between the paintings. It is immaculate conceptual art. Yet, Peter’s choice of materials, such as handmade Balinese paper embossed with a swirling pattern, onto which red and black paint is freely splashed and dribbled, indicate a subtle artistic aesthetic that is also highlighted by his flawless placement and positioning.Peter’s extremely controlled concept, plus his sensitive execution of the work effectively fuses Mind & Emotion.
The hard, sharp, lines and forms of Western Abstraction Art is very much on display in these paintings, yet the true meaning of these works becomes clear when evidence of the influence of Eastern Philosophy and Spiritualism is sought. The interlocking curved and triangular paintings can be interpreted as depicting the eternal harmony of the Yin Yang. The circular canvases, with their radiating linear patterns, can be read as Buddhist Mantras. While, the tiered stacks of oblong paintings represent the various stages of Balinese Hindu Reincarnation. This is a dazzling display of East & West fusion, which results in a cross-cultural or hybrid art that has been created by a German artist, who has been in Asia for a long time, living between cultures, and consequently has created paintings that are a synthesis of both worlds.
Peter Dittmar’s paintings display a strength and simplicity that brings to mind the calligraphy and clarity of a Zen Master. Yet, his canvases also exhibit all the stylishness and sophistication of the best attributes of Contemporary Western Abstraction Art. This is, indeed, a formidable achievement. Peter could quite possibly have created a ‘breakthrough’ style with these paintings, which could, perhaps, indicate a possible new direction for emerging Western inspired Eastern Art, or, conversely, Eastern inspired Western Art. Maybe it wasn’t just fortuitous that Peter chose to create these works in Bali, for the Balinese artistic community has, historically, always been receptive to Western artists that explore indigenous iconographies in a diverse aesthetic and conceptual way. Bali has allowed Peter to nurture his concepts, and his work has flourished in a spectacular manner. This is a very important show, and should not be missed. But, hurry. It closes October 15.
