Chronicles of Change in the Marketplace

Crowd: Courtesy of ChusinThe announcement of Chusin’s new solo exhibition at the National Gallery here, reminded me of that afternoon in 2002 in Washington, DC when Chusin was sitting on a high stool, holding a 1.5 meter stick in his hand on which a Conte crayon was a fixed at one point.

At that time, passersby who saw him through the transparent window of CP Art Space, were drawn inside. It seems to be no coincidence that almost the same image resurfaces, as does the subtlety with which he had painted a nude whose flesh was tender and shiny, ethereal in the light.

Basically Chusin’s realism has evolved as has the Kintamani market, that is taken as a point of departure. Chusin says, he got interested in the traditional market in the hills of Kintamani as its imminent change was tangible through building activities close by. In this first effort, every little detail is marked on the canvas, but as time went by, the nature of the market changed, as was the mood of the people whose lives were affected by the financial crisis and the politics around it. Small town interests then passed the borders, and the people began to take a lively interest in what actually was happening outside the confines of their village. Monetary crisis or krismon became an everyday term.

Change had set in, and big cities’ culture became the example. Chusin chronicles these changes with images of the people related to the Kintamani market, which could be any market anywhere in Bali. In the painting Crowd, a young girl in a crowd is proudly carrying a plastic bag, and a female trader is carrying a traditional headdress but sporting an Adidas jacket. Above all, Chusin loves to paint children with their fresh, and innocent gazes.

Chusin’s color pallet is one of a kind. His primary colors are refined, subtle, refreshing, sometimes with a touch of the surreal. In Girls the shading of one girl against the highlight on the other girls is particularly interesting, as the facial expressions convey a narrative to each viewer’s own imagination.

While the painting of Kintamani Market no. 4 measures 280 by 780 centimeters, perhaps his masterpiece in this exhibition, adds dignity to the common people.

Chusin’s explorations with realism are well known. Curator Jim Supangkat who has followed the artists since the beginning of his career, at the time named his spectacular paintings shown at the National Gallery in 2002 Post Photography Realistic Portrayal, signaling a new direction in realism.

In 2004, his solo show in Jakarta and Washington, DC went under the title “Massa Kintamani”. At Kendra Bali in 2009, his solo show was titled “Artificial Realism”. The current exhibition is presented as “A Thesis”. Whatever it is called, it is clear that Chusin’s realism calls for what Jim Supangkat says is a redefinition of the term Realism.

A self-taught painter, the 63-year-old artist whose realistic portrayals were initially denounced by his peers, is energetically traveling his path of excellence.

Chusin’s Realistic Paintings:

A Thesis.

Solo exhibition by Chusin Setiadikara
organised by CP Foundation
16-25 March 2011
The National Gallery Jakarta
Medan Merdeka Barat 14