The Glass Age
Glass Sculpture, by Ron Seivertson, Julien Espagne, Regis Anchuelo and Francis Auboiron.
At Baliwood Resort, Art & Culture Centre, Jl. Penestanan, Sayan, Ubud.
The exhibition, ‘The Glass Age’, explores the limits of fine art glass creation at a very creative conceptual level. ‘Off Hand’ hot glass masterpieces are showcased, and they have been created by the melding of four artists’ personalities, techniques, and inspirations. The project director and leading artist is Ron Seivertson, a master hot glass sculptor, and, together with, Julien Espagne, an archaeologist, plus Regis Anchuelo and Francis Auboiron, both expert glass blowers, this creative foursome have devised an extraordinary collaborative body of work. Inspired by Julien Espagne’s archeological knowledge, as well as his ability to ‘flake’ glass and to replicate objects from the ‘Stone Age’, the four glass artists started their venture making life size glass spears. This experience transported the artists through the ages, and physically and aesthetically connected them to the roots of mankind.
Each piece, displayed in this exhibition, is produced following the traditional technique known as ‘Off Hand’ hot glass working. The glass artists, and a team of assistants, are led at the workbench by the ‘Gaffer’, whilst the glass is hot and still moving. The results are original and priceless works of art. Currently, the glass pieces are temporarily housed in a bamboo and dry grass structure in the grounds of the Baliwood Resort, in Sayan. Within this structure are mounds of earth, and the sculpted, blown, life-sized, and exactly scaled artifacts, such as ‘Conch Shell’ and ‘Crocodile Fossil’, emerge from the dirt suggesting an archeological dig.
Apart from the superb life-sized spears and other pieces of ‘Stone Age’ relics, the exhibition features an astounding glass reproduction of the ‘Java Man’. The team was highly inspired after researching man’s evolution in Indonesia, so, as a result, they developed the idea to place the Pre-Neolithic ‘Java Man’ at the centre of their glass creations. Homo Erectus, or, the ‘Java Man’, is the name given to fossils discovered in 1891 at Trinil-Ngawi Regency, on the banks of the Solo River in East Java. It is one of the first known specimens of Homo Erectus, and its literal meaning is ‘upright ape-man’. Homo Erectus lived from about 1.8 million years ago to 50-70,000 years ago, and it is an important find, since it is believed to be the first close human ancestor to leave Africa, and the first human ancestor to walk upright. Ron Seivertson, and his team, makes an amazing glass replica of this significant fossil, and, that is a very remarkable achievement within itself. The show, and all its ‘Stone Age’ pieces, are truly unique, and well worth checking out.
Melodies in Blue
Paintings by Heriawan Siauw.
At Ganesha Gallery, Four Seasons Resort, Jimbaran Bay. Tel: 701010.
In his second show at Ganesha Gallery, Sumatran artist, Heriawan Siauw, creates abstracted studies of pure emotion. These paintings are dominated by shades of blue and green, with an occasional splash of red. His moody and thoughtful paintings can be seen as the visual equivalent of the soulful jazz music played after hours in smoky jazz cafes. While exploring a palette associated with melancholy, the titles of Heriawan’s works, such as ‘Hope’, which features a splash of turquoise floating upon a blue-green color field, all exude optimism and joy. The works are a study into the bitter-sweet conditions of human life, pulled between the underworlds of emotions, and the soaring optimism of experiencing the infinite.
Heriawan also explores his Chinese background in his art. In ‘Yin-Yang’ he portrays the concept of cosmic duality, not with black and white, but, with a powerful study of blue and red, against a turquoise background. Maybe, his most stunning homage to his Chinese heritage, and the human condition, is ‘Perfect Life’, which features Chinese calligraphy spelling out his hopes, which are explicitly placed on an abstracted ‘landscape’. Heriawan’s studies of hues of blue, and their emotional links to our hopes, and perhaps fears, are startling and daring.
Put a Skateboard in your Life!
Paintings by Made Suparta Wijaya.
At Adi’s Gallery, Jl. Bisma 102, Ubud. Tel: 977104.
Balinese artist Made Suparta Wijaya was born in 1974 in Negara, and he was educated as a painter at the ISI Yogyakarta. In his exhibition, ‘Put a Skateboard in your Life!’, Made seeks a serious answer to the rather silly question: “Is someone able to change the world with the help of a skateboard”? The question seems to be stupid, and it probably is. But, the idea to look for some adequate support to come along, which is better able to handle all of life’s burdens and its difficulties, is not too much to ask. Actually, the wheel was invented for just such reasons. Made has had a very personal experience with the usefulness of wheels: “In the beginning, I worked in the Konicare factory ”, Made says, “and the workers there used a board with wheels to push around tables and chairs. That experience captured my imagination about skateboards as a tool to alleviate the heavy burdens”.
In his colorful, and boldly brush-worked paintings, such as ‘Eva’, ‘Angel’ and ‘Boxing Gloves’, Made uses the skateboard as a symbol, or label, for youth, skills, body awareness, self-centeredness, overflowing energy, and mobility. Made hopes that his art will inspire all of us to integrate more of these qualities into our lives.
