Paintings by Yosa Batu Prasada
At Tangkas Gallery, Jl. Raya Ubud, Ubud. Tel: 975793
In the catalogue which accompanies the exhibition ‘How much to Homage?’, the art critic Akhmad Santoso theorizes that if the total combination of visual image possibilities is limited, then it seems that in the present global post-modern condition, the possibilities have all been reached. Santoso feels that there is a temptation to say that the whole gamut of visual ideas has been well trodden, and that all are known in the collective universe of images. Resulting in a feeling that any intention to create something new and unique, with a claim that no other artists have ever made anything that resembles it before, has become something naïve. In the present contemporary era, the motto is “there’s nothing new under the sun”! True, but maybe what is new may not be the image but the message conveyed. Surely, the appropriation and transformation of an image, or a series of images, to achieve a new political and theoretical meaning is a legitimate artistic aim?
Armed with this concept, artist Yosa Batu Prasada has created an intriguing exhibition which makes use of recognizable quotes from the history of art, including Picasso, Matisse, Dali and Miro, which are recycled and blended together with designs and a s ensibility gained from the Pop Art movement. His canvases are literally pastiches, layered with familiar images and symbols. Prasada’s aim is to create ‘familiar’ and easily ‘understood’ images which comment, in a very accessible manner, on pertinent Indonesian issues. Consequently, what we find in paintings such as ‘Bull over Undercover’, ‘Interrogation’, ‘No More’ and ‘Under Moral Justice’ is something contained in the works that ‘clicks’ with the viewer. This is achieved by not taking refuge into ready-made symbols, but, by using pre-existing images critically and ironically to call attention to what is currently happening in Indonesian society.
Further, as an artist Prasada believes that artistic techniques do not bring any added value aesthetically to a work of art. For him, techniques only serve as part of the ideas that are forwarded by the painting itself. Prasada proposes that the ideas will eventually show in the end result, despite the techniques, which he feels no longer leave their imprint on a work of art, but merely serve as processes which are utilized in an aesthetically driven activity to produce a work of art. For Prasada, the real power of a work of art rests in its chosen images and symbols, and how they can reshape our thoughts and perceptions.
Within his exhibition, Prasada is successfully showing that appropriation of forms from the past to be blended into the realization of the present can be itself a homage, where the homage is to the past. But, Prasada is also suggesting that the past can be confronted with the present, and the present can be brought to bow to the past. An interesting puzzle in a post-modern world, which is rapidly dispensing with any past or present standards of any kind.
Twin Sons of Different Mothers.
Paintings and Poetry by Ida Bagus Indra and John O’Sullivan.
At Gaya Gallery, Jl. Raya Sayan, Ubud. Tel: 979252.
For the painter Ida Bagus Indra and the Irish poet John O’Sullivan the concept of creating a joint exhibition entitled, ‘Twin Sons of Different Mothers’, evolved over time. The artists have known each other for six years, and they were attracted by a desire to express and create a mixed-media exhibition that could offer a fascinating glimpse into their shared past, present and possible future. Also, both artists regard the exhibition as a sincere and divine offering associated with the Balinese religious philosophy of Sekala (tangible) and Niskala (intangible).
Ida Bagus Indra comes from Bali, while John O’Sullivan refers to himself as a wandering Celt. This disparity in their backgrounds creates a spirit for the exhibition which is about opposites, yet, simultaneously, it also allows the exhibition to explore virtual sameness. The combination and blending of all the senses is heavily stressed in the exhibition, with the aim to provoke. This provocation is not in a negative or positive sense, but, rather, in a desire for an upward expression of possibilities. The exhibition is intended to have ramifications not only in the souls of the artists but also in the hearts of the viewers as well.
On entering the gallery, the viewer is greeted by many sculptures of different forms and sensibilities. Poetry banners flutter from the ceiling, and “soul sound bites” leap from one hidden loudspeaker to another. The works of the artists hang at different angles defining a world of separate and alternative potentials. It’s a kaleidoscope of images, texts and sounds which literally attacks all the senses.
Of the many works on display, Ida Bagus Indra’s paintings ‘Karma’, ‘Lion Air’ and ‘Twin Sons’ are three fine examples of his flamboyant painting style. While, John O’Sullivan’s insightful poetry is best illustrated by this piece:
poems
are
words
drilled
to
personal
essence
However, the most captivating image in the exhibition is the title piece, ‘Twin Sons of Different Mothers’. In this large photograph the faces of the two men have been manipulated to create one composite person. This blending of their faces personifies the successful collaborative nature of the exhibition. The use of poetry, voice and art creates a show full of quizzical probings and insightful distractions.
