Young painters display talent, diverse themes

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 06/01/2006 1:51 PM  |  Life

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar,

Putu Wiratha Dwikora scanned the room briefly before fixing his eyes on a colorful painting. Titled Aku di Mana (""Where Am I"", 140x150 cm, acrylic on canvas, 2006), the painting depicted a traffic jam in an urban street. The canvas was filled with at least 45 human figures, two dogs, a wooden cart, two bicycles, a motorbike, a broken red van and the shiny black official car of the Governor of Bali.

""What a commotion. Yet the painter has managed to present each character, each object with different expressions, different aesthetic objectives. I believe that it is a visual metaphor for the disorientation and confusion we all have experienced due to the hectic life brought by the modern, urbanized and mechanized world,"" he said.

""The painter truly has a bright talent and, hopefully, an equally bright future.""

An influential art writer and the chief curator of the respected Bali Biennale, Wiratha's opinion carries significant weight among Bali's visual artists. Naturally, Agus Suwastika, the painter of Aku di Mana, smiled briefly on hearing the praise.

Suwastika is one of four young painters exhibiting current works at Denpasar's busiest alternative art space, Danes Art Veranda. The other participating artists are Agung Astika, Uuk Paramahita and Dewa Wirya. Titled Alter Ego, the exhibition features a total of 31 paintings and will run until June 20.

""On second thought, I think all the participating painters have displayed an exceptional level of talent and skill. I believe they are going to play a significant role in the development of Bali's visual arts in the future,"" Wiratha added, after making a brief inspection on all the exhibited works.

Separately, art connoisseur Marlowe Makaradhwaja said Alter Ego was an appropriate term to illustrate the relationship between the four painters.

""They are best friends, on a very personal level as well as on a creative level,"" he said.

On a personal level, Marlowe said, these young painters sustained each other in coping with their respective private problems. On a creative level, however, they struggled with each other to create artworks that fully reflected their distinct, independent aesthetic individuality.

""It is a very dynamic relationship, with each painter taking a turn at playing the role of an artist and a critic to the other painters. Each of them is, literally, the creative alter ego for the other members of the group,"" he said.

The result of such aesthetic take-and-give is an aesthetic energy that has catapulted them into the frontline of Bali's visual arts development.

""Their works are fresh, poignant and, most importantly, clearly reflect each artist's individual journey and achievement,"" art critic Kun Adnyana said.

Naturally, the exhibition stands out not only as a gathering of the island's high-spirited young talent but also as a celebration of their aesthetic diversity.

""Each of them deals with a specific, distinctive major theme and utilizes a different set of skills,"" he added.

Agung Astika, for instance, exploits various geometrical and angular forms to express his longing for spiritual enlightenment. Some of his works focus on Balinese Hinduism's sacred letter Ongkara. White, black and red, the sacred colors of Balinese Hinduism, are often prominent in his works.

""He tries to create a contemporary visual interpretation of ancient religious teachings,"" Kun said.

Similar religious fervor is also displayed in the works of Dewa Wirya, who experimented with various aesthetic representations of yoga positions.

""He does so by borrowing and slightly modifying a technique commonly used by pointillists. Instead of using his finger, Wirya used the tip of his brush to splatter the color into the canvas and created an illusion similar to pointillism,"" Marlowe commented.

Meanwhile, Uuk Paramahita uses the canvas to create a landscape of tranquility, dominated by empty space and single colors.

""He is an urban guy who dreams of living a quiet life in a peaceful, natural surrounding,"" Kun said.

To some extent, their longings and dreams are a reflection of the prevailing restlessness experienced by a large number of Balinese youths. Their ability to connect their creative selves with the psyche of the Balinese masses, Wiratha said, would significantly influence the future standing of these young artists.

""I am sure that in the future these four guys will stand among the very best of Balinese artists,"" he said.

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