No Boundaries Contemporary Art at Padma Bali

The Hotel Padma Bali has held a contemporary art exhibition entitled “No Boundaries” which was opened by the prominent Indonesian art collector, Dr. Oei Hong Djien on Sunday, December 26, 2004, and continued until January 2, 2005. Dr. Oei Djien, at both of the opening ceremonies and press conference said that such a unique exhibition has never been done before in Indonesia. “Although there are many exhibitions held on the island, this exhibition at Padma is very unique”, he commented. There were six artists from various disciplines and cultural backgrounds participating is the exhibition : Antonius Kho, I Made Djirna, Filippos, Tjipgito Soerjanto, Hiromi Sana and Sumio Suzuki. The artists show their own paintings and “non-paintings” such as: wooden sculpture (Antonius Kho), wooden mask (Tjipgito), ceramic (Djirna), sculpture (Filippos), kimono (Hiromi), household furnishing (Sumio).

Until now art is categorized into fine art and applied art. In the context of contemporary art this classification is increasingly fading, the title of the contemporary art exhibition is called “Without Boundaries”. No-Boundaries between fine art and applied art. The artist can create whatever they want without any restrictions. The important thing is that the end result, what the artists produce, those can draw attention and can be enjoyed by the public.
Antonius Kho is an Indonesian of Chinese descant who received his art education from Yogya, Bandung and Germany. His paintings and drawings are dominated by simplifications and abstractions of human figures in mixed media and collages. Those faces he would arrange in various compositions using rich colors and texture. The wooden figures adopt primitive nuances. The well-known Balinese artist Made Djirna pursued his education at the Indonesian Arts Institute in Yogyakarta. He also works a lot on abstraction of faces. His alternative works in this exhibition are figurines and faces made of terracotta. Residing in Bali for more than 14 years, the Greek artist Filippos come up with symbolical and semi-abstract paintings. Apart from his realistic bronze sculpture, he also works with onyx that he combines with other medias. His latest creation is a non-figurative stone carving.
A self-taught artist Tjipgito Soerjanto is also an Indonesian from a Chinese background. His paintings on women using soft pastel colors may remind the viewers about “pop art” – very suitable to be used commercial advertising. The colored wooden masks are further elaboration of the women faces the artist paints in his canvases. Hiromi is a female Japanese artist who has lived many years in Bali. Flora and fauna, landscape, and marine life are the favorite themes of her kimono works. Using soft lines and colors, her silk paintings adopt the same style as her kimonos. In his workshop in Ubud, the Japanese artist Sumio creates a range of furniture from various materials. His works are contemporary. He’s very liberated in expressing his creativity on his furnishings. Sumio also presents some drawings of his.
Hotel Padma Bali on Jalan Padma 1 Legian, according to Marketing Communications Manager, Rainata Tjoa, holds art exhibitions annually, during X’mas and New Year.
(Lanus Sumatra)

Golden In Paradise

A solo painting exhibition entitled “Golden in Paradise” by Gun Gun was opened at the Conrad Bali Resort and Spa, on December 15. The exhibition was held in relation with the celebration of X’ mas and New Year 2005 and was closed on January 6, 2005. Gun Gun is the first artist chosen by Conrad management since the hotel was opened on March 8, 2004. Golden in Paradise offered 29 works depicting mostly exotic art and culture living on the island namely : processions , musicians and dancers with vibrant gold leaf elaborating the crown or headdress. Searching the works by Gun Gun, all agree that we do not need talk, the thought is more important. “Look! I prefer to paint closed mouthed to an open one”, he said to a Bali Travel News contributor at the opening ceremony. The artist, in these series of works creates simplicity of space, form, figure and color. He paints the female Balinese dancer only by creating the face, using few lines for figure, and attires the above wider space in white. In the painting entitled “Black Action”, the artist creates the face of a mask dance in red only above a small space on the top of the canvas, the remainder of the canvas s painted in black.
Gun Gun’s bold strokes play optical tricks in the eye of the beholder, suggesting direction and movement with broad strokes that suddenly end, requiring the viewer to “fill in the visual blanks”. His mastery of this distinctive technique is such that truly is ‘less in more’. A scholarship to study animation in Japan with the Ever Green Film Company in Tokyo came Gun Gun’s way in 1990. There he further developed his skill to the point that his drawing now travel the world immortalized as a series on Indonesian postage stamps. In 2004, he received a certificate from Museum Record Indonesia for the biggest cartoon book. He has been exhibiting his own works since 1979 in various places : Bali, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Australia and London.
I Wayan Gunasta better known as Gun Gun is one of the island’s leading cartoonists. His cartoon strip, which mostly deals with political issues is a regular feature in the Sunday edition of the Bali Post. This latest exhibition was held at Conrad Bali Resort and Spa, the award wining luxury group within the Hilton family of 6 brands secluded on 6,8 hectares of tropical gardens and lagoons, next to the Nusa Dua Tourism Area. (Lanus Sumatra)

Beauty of Nature

In conjunction with X’mas and New Year celebrations, a solo exhibition of paintings entitled “Beauty of Nature” will be held from December 20, 2004 to January 31, 2005 at Maya Ubud Resort and Spa. The exhibition is an expression of the beauty of nature by I Wayan Suarmadi, a talented young artist from the village of Peliatan Ubud. By using acrylic and sand, the artist creates unique paintings that are a tribute to the beauty of the natural surroundings. In his series of nature, the titles of his art works are: To The Water Spring, Waterfall, Sunset, Reaching The Top, Crisantinum Spread Out, etc. He also creates the other world of nature, fish, as the subject matter.
On Friday, 24 December, 2004, a Bali Travel News contributor visited the artist at the exhibition, accompanied by Mas Ruscitadewi of Bali Post, the leading newspaper on the island and the Marketing Communications Manager of the resort, Ayu Martiasih a graduate from the Bali Tourism Institute of Nusa Dua, viewed all the collections which involved a close talk with the artist on the creative process of art. I Wayan Suarmadi who is also a graduate from the Bali Tourism Institute of Nusa Dua painted while studying to satisfy others eager to collect his paintings. In fact, he started painting at a very early age, while still in elementary school. Inspired by both his great grandfather I Wayan Gerudug, and his grandfather I Wayan Durus, who were both distinguished painters in the traditional style, Wayan improved his paining skills by studying for one year with I Wayan Daging.
To the press, he said that he has been away from the traditional style since being involved in his form of art. He creates works in his own style. During his employment at a boutique hotel in Payangan village, he could not continue his work. His duty in the hotel gallery gave him the chance to meet artists and collectors which gave him the longing to be an artist. In 2000, he stopped working in the hotel and started painting. Panting is his hobby and the artist also loves going out sight seeing. Through his paintings, he expresses his admiration of nature, a creation of God, and being such he strongly believes, must be protected and preserved. All his works in the exhibition display his own love for the beauty of nature. (BTN/Lanus Sumatra)

Sutawijaya’s Exhibition, A Body Ritus

Longish frizzy hair and dressed offhandedly. That is the picture of Sutawijaya, an artist from Tabanan, Bali, who presently holds the post of Chief of Dewata Indonesia Gallery (DIG). Met in Museum Neka, Ubud, at a painting and sculpture exhibition, Sutawijaya said: “As Chief of DIG, I am responsible to control the success of this exhibition.” That’s was the last writer’s memory at the end of last December’s exhibition.
As the chief of the gallery which has a lot of members in Indonesia, Sutawijaya has to work harder. He has to accommodate all the aspirations to satisfy members whenever the DIG members are at an exhibition, as the chief he must get involved within that activity. The problem is, DIG members oftentimes perform the exhibitions in small groups and at various areas in Indonesia so you imagine how busy Sutawijaya is. The question is when has he the time to paint?
“For me, painting can be done anytime,” he said. For him, managing his staff is not killing his creativity. “I often get the inspiration from their activities. Chatting with them and witnessing their behavior, for me that is a never ending inspiration source,” he said while laughing.
Might be, that is true. For evidence, although Sutawijaya is seen as very busy managing his member’s exhibitions he always succeeds to bear his newest masterpiece displayed in various areas of Indonesia. Within his masterpieces, which always present the motion of man’s body, the expression is still strong and seems never to be exhausted. His emotion is still awaked, so the line attraction creating figure seen is always very lilting.
Until now Sutawijaya is still possesses a high artistry spirit. Since 28 December, he has demonstrated his newest painting in Danes Art Veranda, Tanjung Bungkak, Denpasar. This represents his 12th single exhibition. Exhibitions goes on for one month carrying the theme “ritus body”, with the expression of strength and emotional stability, Sutawijaya portrays the form of man’s body respectfully.
Sutawijaya has exhibited his masterpieces to Hongkong and America, confessing that he has never tired of painting males bodies on canvas. “This represents my choice and I will never stop to paint until people get bored by what I produce,” he said (BTN/Gung Man)