Artist I Nyoman Triarta AP abandons Balinese flair

Ahmad Solikhan, Contributor, Yogyakarta

The name of I Nyoman Triarta AP may not ring dear in the ears of art buffs. This 29-year-old young artist from Bali has spent eight years developing his career in Yogyakarta. During this period he has had enough of the Balinese tradition in art shared by the community of Balinese artists in this city although his own works still suggests some ethnic Balinese flair.

To avoid being labeled a Balinese traditional artist, Triarta has taken the initiative to express in his works social themes related to humanity and politics, personal experiences and imaginative matters. All his works have been created spontaneously, without going through the process of intellectual exploration.

About 26 paintings that he has worked on for the past three years are now being exhibited at Dirix Art Gallery.

His paintings, most of them large, have done away with ethnic and repetitive icons. Instead, they reflect his observation of human and animal behavior and the complexity of modern life.

Generally, Triarta's works lend more prominence to dark hues, although sometimes he plays with very bright colors, all depending on his mood and imagination.

His latest work, Taburan Kasih Buat Burung (Love Strewn for Fowls, 2002), 200 cm by 120 cm, for example, portrays a woman sitting with her knees bent on the ground, sprinkling grains of rice for her two chickens.

Another of his acrylic canvases Mencari Nafkah, measuring 200 cm by 145 cm, depicts a woman standing on the banks of a river, with her right hand holding a fishing rod. This work, as well as the one mentioned earlier, portray the figure of a woman whose physical anatomy differs from that of a normal woman figure.

Thematically, however, these two works are different: feeding and finding food. This is not uncommon as a social reality in Yogyakarta and other smaller towns far from the hustle and bustle of big city life. In the 1970s, this theme was popular and frequently taken up by social realist artists in capturing social tradition in a particular region.

His other painting, Tahta Merah (Red Throne, 2001), also acrylic on canvas, shows a woman sitting on a red chair with her right index finger pointing at herself and her left hand holding a small red handbag. Meanwhile, Yang Kuat Yang Menang (Survival of the Fittest, 2001), 145 cm by 100 cm, is about a robust-bodied Japanese Sumo wrestler wearing dark blue underwear, with his left hand placed on his head, lifting a fresh green leaf and his right hand pointing at his own face.

Both themes are closely related to power: Whoever is strongest will be able to win the red throne. In varying themes, many artists have referred to this event since the reform era began in 1998.

A graduate of the School of Fine Arts, Indonesia Institute of Arts Yogyakarta, Triarta said that his choice of unusual themes was meant to develop himself as an artist. If an artist sticks only to one painting style, it will take him a long time to gain recognition from the community.

Triarta was a nominee for the Philip Morris Art Award in Jakarta in 2001. During his stay in Yogyakarta, he chose not to rely solely on ethnic Balinese themes, because he fears it would soon bore art aficionados.

"I've now realized that painting must be based on reality, the life that we see around us every day," he noted. With a number of solo exhibitions in a number of major cities across Java to his credit, Triarta said his works were the result of creative spontaneity. He would only follow the movement of his hand, without any concept or sketches, he added. "In my creative process, I rely more on conscience than on my brains, because the latter can be contaminated by something uncalled for," he added.

Triarta's efforts to develop himself as an artist deserves special appreciation and serves a lesson for the community of Balinese artists, particularly those dwelling in Yogyakarta.

Ex-Tradition will run from May 4 through to May 20, 2002, at Yogyakarta's Dirix Art Gallery.