Paintings by Made Wianta
At Ganesha Gallery, Four Seasons Resort, Jimbaran Bay Tel: 701010
As one of Bali’s senior and most respected contemporary artists, Made Wianta has explored the formal and conceptual issues of Art since he first burst upon the Indonesian art scene in the 1970s, as a brash, fresh new force.
In his exhibition ‘Archetypes’, Made returns to arts’ basic roots, that is: a painting’s basic building blocks of vision, but, with a new sophistication and panache. These paintings are dominated by cubes, lines and rectangles, and a belief that reality around us is merely a reflection of a deeper truth. A Platonic vision of reality, wherein the surface appearance of observed empirical reality may in fact be illusionary. As a conceptual artist Made plays with our vision and minds as we contemplate these intellectual art works. For example, the canvas ‘Four Monuments’, presents four slightly out of whack three dimensional obelisks floating about in space. Each of their sides is a window into a universe of its own. Viewers familiar with Stanley Kubrick’s classic film, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1969), will immediately associate with the mysterious Monolith, the repository and instigator of all knowledge, which hovers benignly throughout the movie.
As a visual trickster, Made Wianta proves that his artistic powers have only sharpened with maturity, and the inspiration of new technology. Much of the works in his exhibition seem influenced by the basic drawing and rendering tools to be found in computer programs such as ‘Adobe Illustrator’. It seems Made Wianta has embraced the ‘computer generation’ with much pizzazz!
Neng Nong Neng Pur
Group Exhibition of Paintings
At Hanna Art Space, Jl. Raya Pengosekan, Ubud
Tel: 978216
This exhibition, ‘Neng Nong Neng Pur’, displays a variety of works which include paintings from Ida Bagus Alit, Sura Ardana, Gohouen Toshi, Yasco Kanehira, Yung Min and Ipphing. The artists all live and work in Bali, even though they come from different cultural backgrounds. The title of the exhibition is a form of onomatopoeia, which implies the sound of a Balinese Gamelan Orchestra. In a gamelan, the sound is created from very different instruments, creating very different sounds, but, when played collectively, the result is a harmonious rhythm. Using the analogy of a Balinese Gamelan Orchestra, this exhibition wants to express the diversity of concepts, themes and styles of the various artists, but, which unites them all by their sense of enthusiasm and togetherness. Hopefully, this will remove their differences.
Ida Bagus Alit’s abstract painting ‘Unforgettable’ is inspired by the ‘sarad’, traditional Balinese offerings of large crackers which symbolize the content of the Earth. In Alit’s paintings there is a wave of spontaneous expressive energy and emotion. The works seem very frenzied, but, there is always a controlling structure that suggests a form of strength stabilizing the chaos.
Through the discipline of realism art, Balinese artist Sura Ardana explores ideas of aging. Several of his paintings focus on the image of natural aging, like the wrinkles on the face of an old lady. However, Ardana is also deeply absorbed in the symbolic structure of aging. The concept of ‘social aging’ is evident in the canvas ‘Mengayuh Menempuh Hidup’, which clearly depicts the society of the poor, those who are aging and endure financial difficulties.
Originally from Japan, Gohouen Toshi attempts to convey in his calligraphy paintings, such as ‘Karma’, knowledge he has gained from his mystical experiences. Toshi’s calligraphy tries to reflect his spiritual connection with the Creator. He aims to describe mystical moments of his awareness of God, and, he also asks penetrating questions concerning the eternal and universal.
Also from Japan, Yasco Kanehira examines the spontaneous processes of creating a painting. In works such as ‘Hope’, the actual process of painting symbolizes for Yasco the understanding of the reality of himself. For Yasco, the creative moment is oriented within self reflection. Yasco utilizes his personal experiences of life, and pours them out as visual statements. His expressive paintings abound with considered thoughts about his private life.
An Indonesian Chinese, Yung Min’s paintings reflect a search for a vision of harmony, behind the complexities of nature. Yung Min’s vision can then lead to various types of decorative motives. The work ‘Who am I?’ is semi-abstract. A human figure is mixed in with complicated abstracted lines and forms, found in nature. Behind the works of Yung Min lies a concentrated study and investigation into the ordered creation of ‘cosmos’ out of ‘chaos’.
Finally, Ipphing is another Indonesian Chinese artist, and he is concerned with issues of the past and present, offered as contrasts between traditional forms and modernity. In the painting ‘Loyalty’, Ipphing depicts a dog that is faithful to an old aged couple. Together, they all contemplate the changes which have taken place to a cityscape. The progressive movement of time, with all its consequences, is a vital factor which Ipphing tries to understand through his creative observations of special personal and expressive spaces.
The sounds of a Balinese Gamelan Orchestra can sometimes be harsh and abrasive, sometimes soft and mellow, but, all the time, the music can be mysterious and charming. Like the gamelan, this exhibition, ‘Neng Nong Neng Pur’, can sometimes be playful, then sometimes turn serious, but, all the time, the show succeeds very well in conveying a spirit of collaboration. It brings us a message that diversity can indeed provide pleasure and beauty.
