Paintings, Expanded Canvases and Objects by Adi Bachmann, at Adi’s Art Studio and Gallery, Jl. Bisma 102, Ubud. Tel: 977104.
Adi Bachmann opened ‘Adi’s Art Studio & Gallery’ in October last year. The first exhibition, ‘Adi’s Bali’, was a collection of Adi’s own works, which sought to capture some of the inspirations and ideas which Adi had experienced since he first came to Bali, from Germany, in November 2005. In this show Adi took us on a whirlwind trip through significant moments of 20th Century Western Art, including brief stops in Dadaism, Art about Art, and Pop Art. The works displayed Adi’s superb technical skills, along with his sly sense of humor. In his gallery’s latest exhibition, ‘Adi’s World’, Adi shows us a variety of objects, which include assemblages, furniture, reliefs, paintings, manuscripts, photos, sculptures and typographical illustrations.
‘Adi’s World’ is an enlargement on ‘Adi’s Bali’, and includes older pieces of art which Adi made in Germany, Italy and Crete. The exhibition covers the time from 1962 to 2008, and it succeeds in ‘filling in the picture’ of Adi’s artistic background. In all of his art Adi exhibits an amazing ability to appropriate existing images or unusual items, and make something new out of them. This makes us reappraise the original material and question Adi’s very subtle aims. Is it homage or humorous criticism? Is Adi implying how banal the original material has become, and its necessity for revitalization?
As usual, with Adi, he once again goes for the ‘overkill’, and there is a lot to take in. Wandering through the exhibition you will be surprised to find what a sharp eye Adi has for identifying Pop Icons. ‘Back from the USA’ is a collage of contemporary ‘Pop’ images, put together in an harmonious composition. ‘Worshipping the Black Pharaoh’ is a collection of unrelated found objects which have been combined to create a mysterious image. One of the more interesting of the older works is a print of a poem by ‘Rainer Maria Rielke’, which Adi illustrated in 1962. According to Adi: “In those days I typesetted the texts in the old-fashioned single letter manner, almost the same way Johannes Gutenberg did, and I illustrated them with typographical elements and methods. Re-discovering this print after many years I felt touched, and impressed by its quality and originality”. Adi was so pleased with this retrieved work that he wanted to share it with the public. It is delightful that Adi has included it, along with many other prints from that era, as they are a charming nostalgic trip back to the ‘swinging sixties’!
As usual, with Adi, there is a lot of wit to be found in his work. And, like its predecessor, the new exhibition, ‘Adi’s World’, is also a hell of a lot of fun.
Japanese Manga and Modern Wayang
Paintings by Norbert Szuk (Ed Narrow),
at Lost in Paradise Art Gallery, Jl. Penestanan Kelod, Ubud.
Tel: 081353310552
As a member of the art going public, I have to admit that I have always been attracted by anything that glitters or glows. Anything in fluorescent paint is sure to catch my eye! Consequently, there could be no doubt that I would be attracted by the work of Norbert Szuk (Ed Narrow). Born in November, 1970, in Gyor, Hungary, Norbert has always loved art. He cites Salvador Dali as his idol, and he also greatly admires the colors and shapes in the work of Andy Warhol. Numerous other artistic influences can be seen in his work, from Action Painting, through Decorative Design, Art Nouveau and Hyperrealism. However, what is apparent in Norbert’s exhibition, ‘Japanese Manga and Modern Wayang’, is that apart from American Pop Art, Norbert is also influenced by Japanese popular culture, in the form of Manga images, and the delicate tracery of traditional Indonesian shadow Wayang puppets.
Manga is the Japanese word for comics. Manga date from after World War II, but they have a long history in Japanese popular culture. Manga are read by people of all ages, so that a broad range of subjects occur in the comics, including action, adventure, romance, sports, games, historical drama, comedy, science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, horror, and sexuality. Manga have become a major part of the Japanese publishing industry, and Manga have also become increasingly popular worldwide. Manga are typically printed in black-and-white, although some full-color Manga exist, and they feature a stylized graphic design, and code of gestures, which are highly distinctive.
Using glowing red, orange, green and yellow fluorescent paints, Norbert creates startling images, such as ‘Red Angel’, which pay homage to this Japanese Manga Pop Art phenomenon. Having the appearance of silk-screens, the works however are hand-painted, and display much virtuosity. The central motifs appear lifted from the comics. They are reproduced in a large format, and are usually surrounded by an abstracted ‘action painting’ border, which gives much vitality to the works. ‘Wayang Love’ combines Indonesian puppet imagery with the contemporary ‘heart’ sign, in a semiotic method, signifying a new meaning, or reference point, for a traditional Indonesian Icon. Aspects of Escher or Dali type surrealism can also be found in the work ‘Supernatural’, where an optical effect, or trick, is created by presenting a woman’s face fashioned from butterflies, flowers and petals.
It is highly refreshing to come across an exhibition that displays so much energy, vivaciousness, audaciousness, and just downright Pop Art humor.
