Paintings and Sculpture by Made Budiandnyana, Didik Widiyanto, Wayan Swantha and Wayan Jana.
At Griya Santrian Gallery, Jl. Tamblingan 47, Sanur.
Currently, at the Griya Santrian Gallery in Sanur, three Indonesian painters, and one sculptor, confront the concept of ‘Identities’. Not only do these artists present visual interpretations of their own personal ‘identities’, their own ‘state of mind’ or psyche, but, they also attempt to present an interpretation of the various artistic ‘styles’ and concerns presently found in contemporary Indonesian art. Together, the artists and the gallery are making a statement about the possible directions Indonesian art may take. This is a rather bold and ambitious concept, for the direction of Indonesian art can not only be influenced by Indonesian trends, but, can also certainly be effected by the ongoing evolution of contemporary International art.
The paintings of Made Budiadnyana are executed in what can be loosely called a Neo Cubist style. Made takes the decorative and dynamic aspects of Cubism, to present an intellectual approach to the Balinese landscape and to daily Balinese life. Within the work ‘Accident’ motion is depicted by successive superimposed images, which suggest the sudden crash of a typical Balinese motorbike accident.
What appear to be traditional Javanese tribal motifs, are appropriated and transformed by Didik Widiyanto, to present highly charged impressions of a ‘state of mind’. In works such as ‘Dead End’ the artist emphasizes a state of confusion and disintegration. A sense of artistic angst and anger is conjured up, through his expression of a more mental or unconscious state of being, rather than by depicting a physical sense of immediate reality.
Wayan Swantha is another artist who also explores the human psyche. He utilizes broad, sweeping, and swirling brushstrokes, along with startling colors and convoluted shapes and forms, to articulate his own particular artistic anguish. The expressive piece ‘Emotion of the Self’ appears to burn and shimmer with a raging inner fire.
Finally, sculptor Wayan Jana explores sexual desire in his pieces ‘Desire 1 through 6’. Carved from wood, Jana presents tactile and fluid organic forms which do not have a likeness to nature, and are not expressively sexual, but, never-the-less, the pieces succeed in resonating on our subconscious to deliver a powerful and elegant impression of sexuality.
As a very brief survey of contemporary Indonesian art trends, the exhibition succeeds rather well, though it is somewhat limited in its actual content. The real strength of the show lies in its ability to convey the various artistic inner concerns which these emerging Indonesian artists are attempting to express.
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Paintings and Sculpture by Sura Ardana, Ida Bagus Alit, Oddy Moelyono and Kondang.
At Hanna Art Space, Jl. Pengosekan, Ubud.
Tel: 08179730898.
In conjunction with the organization Indonesian Art Today, the Hanna Art Space in Ubud is also presenting a very brief survey of three painters and one sculptor, illustrating what they believe to be the current emerging Indonesian art trends.
Sura Ardana is a hyperrealist. In his immaculately created painting ‘Istirahat Sejenak’ Sura presents an elderly lady indulging in an afternoon nap. There is a sense of voyeurism and intimacy as we observe this woman in a very private moment. But, apart from the extraordinary realism, Sura also displays an amazing use of positive and negative shapes, along with an extremely dramatic sense of placement and cropping. His chosen subject matter does not clash with his formal concerns within the painting. The viewer is totally seduced by the decorative elements of the work.
In his five ‘Untitled’ pieces, Ida Bagus Alit presents abstractions on human, animal, fish and vegetation forms. These patterns explode onto the canvases in bright primary colors, and, they seem to suggest some form of expressive, eternal, and ongoing battle between the basic elements to be found in nature.
A battle of different sorts is depicted in the paintings of Oddy Moelyono. These highly realistic images of dead tree trunks, such as in the work ‘Tersisih’, appear to hint at the destruction brought on by rampant and uncontrolled deforestation of Indonesia’s natural environment. Yet, subtly, through the stark placement of the images and the severe painting technique, an allusion to the devastation of a future nuclear catastrophe is also implied.
There can be no denying that the sculptures of Kondang have been greatly influenced by the work of French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). Like Rodin, Kondang’s pieces show a high degree of expressiveness and realism, but, also like Rodin, Kondang’s pieces can range through the maudlin to the sublime. ‘The Dove Race’, depicting a young boy about to release his bird into the air, is a tad sentimental, while, ‘Troubadour’, showing a musician strumming his guitar, really belongs in the hallways of the Hard Rock Hotel. However, it is in the piece ‘The End on Arm Bar’, depicting the conclusion of a wrestling match, in which Kondang excels in creating an impressionistic sculpture full of vitality and energy. Perhaps, though, it is this ability of Kondang’s to explore a full range of subject matter, in a very familiar and appropriated style, which allows his work to transcend the kitsch, and become representational for depictions of contemporary Indonesian life.
Viewed simultaneously the Griya Santrian Gallery and the Hanna Art Space exhibitions both succeed admirably in giving a brief look into current emerging Indonesian art trends. A visit to the galleries is well worth the time and effort.
