“I don’t really care what people think about me because I don’t even know who I am. So for sure other people don’t know who I am.”

Artist Federico Tomasi is a man of strong statements. A true believer in individuality, uniqueness and freedom of expression, he won’t even hesitate to do other types of work to support himself as long as he can keep his artistic idealism alive.
JP/Dina Indrasafitri

In fact, the Bali-based painter and video artist, whose works are currently displayed in the Venice Biennale’s 54th International Art Exhibition and the Jakarta Italian Institute Hall, has worked plenty of jobs that don’t require any canvas or paint.

“I have done many kinds of jobs… I can clean toilets also, I have worked as a bartender, I have worked as a waiter,” the 37-year-old said.

According to Tomasi, the need to earn money should be separate from the passion that is art.

“Sometimes art does not give you the money you need to survive, but I think art is not made for that reason,” Tomasi said.

“I am not a painter because I want to be a famous painter. I am sure that even if I would change my job
tomorrow, for need of profit, I would continue to paint for myself. It’s something that I need, something that I do apart from anything,” he said.

But surviving on art he is, and living quite a comfortable life in Bali at that, he said. He said he can surf to his heart’s content, take his dog out for leisurely walks and enjoy the “infinite place” — his reference to nearby beaches.

However, the Stockholm-born artist’s relationship to the island extends far beyond beaches and waves. Bali plays a pivotal point in his career as a place where he had an epiphany-like experience that complemented his already existing technical skills in creating art.

That experience was what he needed to propel his creativity to a more passionate level after getting early doses since childhood from his father, who also has an artistic background.

Tomasi’s Italian father worked for a theater at one time before studying at the Academy of Arts. “He was taking me to the academy every day so I got many friends from the artistic kind of environment… I was attracted to this world of creative people,” he said, recalling his first brushes with art folks.

Tomasi later enrolled at the Institute of Arts in Riccione, Italy. There his work was received favorably but, according to Tomasi, the five years of art school were more of a technical experience than an emotional one.

Then, Bali happened.

His visit to Southeast Asia in 1997 gave him the boost he needed to put what he learned into practice.

“Something happened to me in Bali. I can’t describe [what it was]. I got self confidence… It was something that made me feel that I wanted to express myself,” Tomasi said.

The works displayed at the Italian Institute Hall were bursts of energy and emotion, sometimes comical and enigmatic. The Pollock-style spatters and adventurous play with strokes verge on the abstract, yet are contained within easily recognizable shapes such as the human body or the face.

Not exactly what one would expect from someone who claims to have had a spiritual experience in Bali.

He said at first Bali did affect his style. “In the first years I was very attracted to the strong Hinduism. The strong faith that these people have. So the first painting, let’s say, was an interpretation of their religion, people praying… I was surrounded by it,” he said.

During his first years as an artist, he also experienced a period when he felt he was doing what the market wanted him to do rather than what he did.

“It was eight years ago. It was the beginning, the first contact with the art markets… I had an exhibition and I felt I wasn’t an artist anymore,” he recalled.

So he took time off and explored New York City. He came upon discoveries that saved him from giving up painting entirely; one of them was action painting.

“I was painting [with] oil. The progress was very slow… The oil confused me. The long process of the paint to get dry gave me the chance to change my mind,” Tomasi recalled. In action painting, however, he gained the balance of control and unpredictability he desired.

Yet even this style may be replaced by a new one over time as Tomasi is a person who believes in constant change. He is currently exploring three-dimensional works and incorporating animal images in his art.

One thing that might not change is his place of comfort. After over 10 years, he still loves Bali. Although his works might not be oozing with images of women doing traditional dance or frangipanis, his romantic idea of the island remains unchanged: the smiling people, the spirituality, the shunning of materialism.

And then there is the practical aspect.

“When I go back to Italy, I feel like I fear getting out of my house because when I park the car, the police make me pay a fine because I need to go to the pharmacy for one second to buy an aspirin. It might sound stupid but Bali gives me the freedom not to think about stupid things every day. I need to make my mind free to explore new things,” Tomasi said.

He is not one to keep himself or his works from others. “Art is supposed to be communication. It should not be in my room. It should be reinterpreted. So I am happy when I close my eyes and I think about all my paintings in different houses, different families,” he said.

But Tomasi still has his limits.

“I hate when people buy or choose an artwork from me to match the sofa,” he said, smiling.

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