Revelation
Paintings by Made Arya Palguna
At Tony Raka Gallery, Jl. Raya Mas 86, Ubud
Tel: 7816785
In his exhibition ‘Revelation’, Made Palguna attempts to depict religious miracles. To find personal miracles in Indonesia, Made believes that these revelations will only come to good people, through prayer, dreams and meditation. To conduct a holy life, like that of Mohammad or Jesus, Made feels, can lead to an epiphany. However, what is ironic in Made’s art is that he doesn’t look for these moments of illumination in a spiritually induced trance, but, rather, in the day to day activities of ordinary Indonesian people.
As the works ‘Gembala’ and ‘Beauty Pose’ demonstrate, when creating a painting, Made seeks his inspiration from stories in the newspapers, magazines, television, the movies, advertising, the internet, and even from his handy-phone. Made is seeking stories which contain an element of truth and inspiration. Fragments of these stories, and images, are then collaged together, and over-painted with abstracted patterning and decoration, to create a cohesive whole. The result is an impressive kaleidoscopic representation of a spiritually inclined nation, seeking unity, fulfillment, and personal contentment.
New Color Windows
Paintings by Peter Dittmar
At Tony Raka Gallery, Jl. Raya Mas 86, Ubud
Tel: 7816785
Born in Munich in 1945, Peter Dittmar came in contact with Hindu-Buddhist beliefs in the 1970s, when he went to India to explore the then current Eastern ideas that were entering the minds of Western youth in spiritual revolt. For the Hindu-Buddhist, the world is in perpetual motion, and man, as a component of this world, can only achieve release by adapting his ethics and deeds to its cosmic rhythm. Peter Dittmar’s spiritual leanings took him to practice Japanese Zen Buddhism, and his art is an expression of his Zen inspired quest for an ideal ‘stillness-cum-void’ which finds its translation in a minimalist manner. However, it would be wrong to suggest that Dittmar is a minimalist, because his paintings are more inward looking, contemplative, and emotionally driven, than to strict adherence to the minimalist aesthetic.
In his previous exhibitions, Peter Dittmar aimed to evoke a sense of contemplation and stillness through carefully graduated tonal colors, which were enclosed in regular geometric squares. Those abstract geometric paintings were intended to symbolize the encounter the beholder may have with the absolute stillness of the ‘Void’, and, the works aimed to consciously evoke Hindu-Buddhist symbolism. Whether hung individually, or in groups of two, four or six, the paintings conjured up the notion of meditative Mandalas. In all of those works the viewer was led to a central focal point through a cultured application of geometric proportions. The works combined sophisticated plays of tonal coloration and patterning, along with optical illusions created through protruding and receding space distortions.
In the ‘New Color Windows’ exhibition, Dittmar takes his art one step further by physically depicting for us his concept of the ‘stillness-cum-void’. As the works ‘Color Windows 2 & 3’ show, the central focal point of each painting has been removed, and, is now replaced by a cut-out empty space. These new paintings take us ever deeper into an ultimate ‘stillness-cum-void’ of Dittmar’s making. All of his works can best be understood as vehicles for meditation. Dittmar’s paintings are not ‘colored windows’ of the visible world but are ‘colored windows’ for the mind.
Mental Gerilya
Paintings by Stefan Buana
At Tony Raka Gallery, Jl. Raya Mas 86, Ubud
Tel: 7816785
As the son of an Army officer, the life of Sumatran artist Stefan Buana has been conditioned by military ideology and imagery. His exhibition ‘Mental Gerilya’, depicts a ‘Hero’s Journey’ whilst Indonesia struggled to become independent. But, simultaneously, Stefan is also suggesting that common people, like farmers, factory workers, office personnel, fishermen, artisans, and even ojek boys, can all become Hero’s as well, as they labor to unite and emancipate Indonesia.
In works such as ‘Untitled 2 & 3’, Stefan builds up dense canvases with a variety of materials such as sand, butcher-paper, and found discarded objects. Into these backgrounds are scratched pencil-like etchings which can be highly evocative and powerful, or pleasantly decorative. The result is reminiscent of ancient cave paintings, but, perhaps, implies a more modern day image of Indonesian tribalism.
Visual Spa
Photography by Stephan Max Reinhold
At Hanna Art Space, Jl. Raya Pengosekan, Ubud
Tel: 978216
For Stephan Max Reinhold it all started one hot and steamy afternoon by the pool. While exploring Bali on his rented motorcycle, Stephan got caught in the rain. He was soaked by the time he got back to his budget hotel, and he decided to jump into the pool. It was still raining hard. As he swam with the water at eye level, he saw for the first time the magic of drops of water hitting the surface, splashing, crowning, rebounding, and coming back down. He was captivated. He returned that night with a camera in a plastic bag, and took his first water drop pictures. This became the inspiration for his ‘Liquid Art’ photography.
Now, in his exhibition entitled ‘Visual Spa’, Stephan Max Reinhold shows that magical process of the play of water, in a way the human eye cannot perceive it. He considers his images to be a fusion of art and science. His hallucinatory photographs, such as ‘Infinity’ and ‘Friends’, are beautiful, educational, thought-provoking, and a gentle reminder of the importance of water to our very existence.
