Boyke Aditya Krishna's art keeps viewers guessing

Boyke Aditya Krishna's art keeps viewers guessing

By Lilia Syarif Naga

JAKARTA (JP): People usually view paintings or artworks as a
diversion or to appreciate their beauty and craftsmanship. They
are probably not seeking to evoke emotional upheaval.

But it is magical when artwork, like that of Yogyakarta
contemporary painter Boyke Aditya Krishna, can do all three.

Millennium Gallery in South Jakarta is exhibiting 30 of his
paintings in conjunction with its soft opening. The exhibition,
from Dec. 20 through Jan. 20, is Boyke's second solo exhibition
after one in Bandung.

A prolific painter, he has participated in many joint
exhibitions at home and abroad. His trademark style is
characterized by neat lines, curves and figures as well as vivid
hues and dynamic movement.

A 1986 graduate of the Yogyakarta Academy of Fine Arts, Boyke
has devoted himself to painting since college. For the past 12
years, he has perfected his style.

He is inspired by nature in making the art because he strives
to capture its beauty, comprehensive existence and mystery.

Through his art, Boyke tries to present nature in the widest
perspective: land, ocean, man, animals plants, sky. He adds other
aspects of human life into the painting, such as the concept of
the future life, the hereafter, expectations, misery,
imagination, emotions and other psychological conditions.

Each of Boyke's paintings is unique and almost unbelievably
succeeds in mesmerizing observers with their wildest
imaginations, simultaneously educating them with its unique
aspects.

Most of the paintings are acrylic on canvas and depict the
uncanny cohabitation of nature and creatures in the universe.
Boyke acknowledges his works are to an extent influenced by local
artistry, traditional values, mythology and folklore, such as the
ethnic touches of Javanese, Balinese and people of Kalimantan.

Boyke is down to earth but believes that we all live in a
complex dimension of life, where we reside, willingly or not,
with plenty of unexplainable mysteries, like the concepts of the
existence of ghosts, spirits, hell, heaven, the life after death
and natural disasters.

He creatively unites all these complex perspectives into his
paintings; to some, they might look bizarre and unconventional.
As a graduate of a leading arts academy, Boyke is well versed in
artistic technique of paintings and fully acquainted with all
contemporary developments in arts.

Boyke dislikes being categorized in a particular painting
style (some classify his works as decorative surrealism). Boyke
always follows his heart in the process of painting; he devotes
wholeheartedly his time, energy and inspiration in every work.

It takes him at least a month to finish one painting. Each
painting bears his recognizable figures of various anomalous
shapes of animals, vegetation, man and nature.

Boyke said he sought to remind people that we live in a mortal
world and that we were on a temporary journey.

Each painting is invested with meaning. He emphasizes he can
paint in any style, and that he can draw objects in more
conventional shapes, but his current style is his identity and
soul for today.

Sometimes he uses oil, and several of the displayed artworks
are sketches made of ink on paper, but most of the time he
chooses acrylic because it is more suitable to his taste and more
adaptable in representing his ideas.

According to Boyke, acrylic is safer for human health.
Chemically, oil is quite hazardous to our health if we inhale its
vapor continually, particularly painters who use it as their main
medium.

Boyke's paintings do not draw a perfunctory glance. A
naturally curious person will surely stay for a while. See that
the surface of the painting is neat and flat almost like a
poster. Every inch of the canvas is crammed with intricate
detail.

At the same time, feast on the richness of color and movement.
Finally, emotional manipulations by our imagination and thought
are drawn out.

Boyke said he did not paint to entertain anyone but himself.
He never compromises to meet public demand, which explains why he
never churns out "sweet" paintings for consumer demand. The
result is that many of his works are too "heavy" to hang in
ordinary living rooms. Despite its name, Dongeng Menjelang Tidur
(Bedtime Story) is definitely not recommended for a slumber room.

Hendro Wiyanto, the curator of Millennium Gallery, agreed that
some of Boyke's paintings would fit in private collections but
others would be more appropriate in public spaces to reach a
wider audience.

He said major buildings and museums were the best places for
his works.

Although an admirer of painters Affandi and Widayat, Boyke's
works are often put in the same elan as those of Nyoman Lempad
and Made Wianta.

Boyke wants to underline through his works that human beings
must lead a harmonious life with the beauty and purity of nature
because it can be friend or foe, depending on people's actions.

His paintings have been displayed in Bali, Japan, South Korea,
Switzerland, Brunei and major Indonesian cities. Boyke has also
won several awards for his outstanding artistry, including
several from biennial events. Among local artists, biennial
events are considered a prestigious benchmark for assessing
artists' prowess and excellence.

Jakartans can assess for themselves Boyke's artworks, most
made in the 1980s and 1990s, until Jan. 20. He also plans to show
his works in other cities and return to Yogyakarta, where he has
a studio and exhibition space.