Artist : Agni Ardi & Tanto
Genre : Painting
Period : January 20 till February 28
Everyday, 8.00AM till Midnight
Location : Mercure Resort
Jl. Mertasari, Sanur, Tel: 288833
Generally, when two artists exhibit together, the aim is to compare or contrast their work. When comparing work the artists may have similar styles and themes that compliment each other, or, when contrasting the art, the styles may be similar but there will be a different theme or aim within the work. Either way, the exhibition will highlight these various aspects and open up a dialogue between the works that should be readily visible to the observer. Agni Ardi and Tanto are two artists who are currently exhibiting in a duo show entitled “Mindscapes”. Within the show the work of both artists is well compared and compliments one another, but the show is intriguing for it also successfully contrasts their art, even with their many similarities!
Both Agni Ardi and Tanto work in a style which we loosely call Abstract Expressionism. This term is used as a definition of the free, gestural, action painting that developed in Western Art after 1945. It refers to an art style where the painting process is a direct expression of spontaneous emotions. The act of painting, its sequence of movements, becomes the theme of the picture. Subsequently, the term is also applied to other painters whose works are characterized by an expressive, gestural brush even though they pursue different objectives, such as the depiction of spiritual and psychic energies. Ironically, these days, we now have an art term that represents two poles of the same language. The compulsive action and the calm spiritual gesture.
Tanto was born in Banyuwangi in 1972. He studied at the Fine Art School in Surabaya and his work has been exhibited throughout Indonesia and abroad. Speaking about his work he says: “When I face a blank, white canvas, I am inspired by myself, or by nature or by the environment. Starting from that point I paint colors and lines that will outline a story of life”. Using broad rollers and brushes, Tanto builds up dense backgrounds of grey, lilac, ocher, green and yellow paint over which are dribbled thin lines of contrasting red or navy pigment. The energy of the brushwork and the spontaneity of the dribbles depict a world in constant turmoil, and reflect the enthusiasm Tanto employs when creating his work in an abstract “Action Painting” manner.
Agni Ardi was born in Bandung in 1956, and studied in the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bandung Institute of Technology. Art, for him, is the most important part of his life. “I am expressing all my emotion, passion, anger and love on the canvases after long periods of meditation, which I call Inner World Traveling”. Agni employs a similar subdued palette to Tanto, and his brushwork is equally gestural and the canvases as heavily textured, but his paintings rely on the strength of shapes and forms within the works to create a harmonious impression and a firm sense of balanced emotions. These masterly works impart a strong impression of spiritual peace and serenity.
This exhibition is very clever, for it brings together two artists who represent the current dichotomy in modern-day Abstract Expressionism, yet neither artist overpowers or subdues the other. These works do compliment and contrast each other extremely well, and demonstrates the vitality and vision Abstract Expressionism can still offer to a jaded contemporary audience.
