Artist :Buniyal Abroru
Genre :Painting
Period : January 15 till February 28
Everyday, 11.00am till Midnight
Location : Café Des Artistes
Jl. Bisma 9X, Ubud
Tel: 972706
Post-Modernism is a term that emerged in popular parlance from about the middle of the 1970’s. Originally it referred to an architectural style that was characterized by an amalgamation of historical and modern forms. But, by the beginning of the 1980’s, the term was applied to all the Arts, which were then all in revolt against the minimal styles currently in vogue. Post-Modern painting, in-particular, was to herald a return to the conventional pleasures of painting, to the joy of working with that medium, in contrast to the analytical concerns of conceptualism that had fostered such a reduction of form as to make the image almost disappear. One of the most influential Post-Modern movements was the Italian Transavantgarde. This movement reacted against minimal and conceptual art by proposing a return to easel painting, with an emphasis on myths and language, and by a deliberate mixing of appropriated styles and images from the history of art. At the same time, the popularity of the newly formulated science of Semiotics provided a convenient handle onto which theoretical debate could be hung. The Sign, the Signifier and the Signified were all to become buzz words for the Post-Modern movement.
Buniyal Abroru was born in Purbalingga in 1974. Painting and drawing from early childhood he quickly developed a feeling for esthetics that were further enhanced by study at the Akademi Komunikasi Indonesia in Yogyakarta, achieving a degree in Publicity in 1997. Since then Buniyal has displayed his work throughout Indonesia and abroad in many solo and group exhibitions. He says about his paintings: “My work comes automatically and naturally. Sometimes the ideas come complete by themselves from my environment and the world around me. The sea and mountains are my inspiration. I like to walk until I find what I am looking for. A new path or direction. In this land we have many beautiful images and wonderful expressions from the gods”. This statement appears to articulate the inner emotions of an artist at the moment of creation, or inspiration, and would categorize Buniyal Abroru as a typical Expressionist, but this is to do him an injustice. A closer study of his canvases reveals him to be a classical Transavantgarde-Post-Modernist.
Using bright, contrasting colors such as yellow, red, emerald and turquoise Buniyal builds up dense layers of paint, applied in broad, thick gestural strokes. These layers of paint are his Sign: The appropriated technique of historical Expressionism that the viewer consciously recognizes. Into this heavy paint are scoured his Signifiers: A variety of symbols ranging from distorted human bodies, faces, eyes, hands and feet, to hearts and flowers of childlike simplicity, with appropriated images from the world of advertising, such as crosses, dots and dashes. Together, Buniyal’s Sign and Signifiers denote Love, Jealousy, Power or Evil. The Signified themes of his canvases. Consequently, Abroru’s paintings are a clever amalgamation of historical and modern forms that cunningly exemplify Post-Modern painting systems.
“
The Journey 1” is a very thought provoking show. Much consideration should be given to the work to absorb all the ideas being presented. Buniyal Abroru displays a lot of technical skill as a painter in these canvases, but it is his understanding of existing artistic communication techniques that is the truly significant feature of the exhibition. This show is highly recommended.
