Painter exposes man's animal instincts
Wayan Sunarta, Contributor, Ubud, Bali
Entering Chedi Ubud Gallery in Gianyar, one might expect paintings of beautiful girls or Balinese landscapes. But, this time, visitors and arts lovers are given the refreshing opportunity to view a series of unique paintings by young artist I Made Somadita.
In his latest solo exhibition, Soma displays 17 of his latest paintings, which mostly portray varied forms of animal-like figures. There is nothing new in terms of the theme and subject matter of most of Soma's displayed works, but visually his paintings are very attractive.
Soma explores animal figures in order to mock human beings. Soma, for example, deliberately mutates animals into unshaped or unidentified figures. Some appear like cats, others look like foxes. These animals are not painted in a realistic or naturalistic style though. Instead, he freely exposes them in any form he likes.
A number of animals in his paintings are magical and fantastic, due to his careful choice of colors. All of these animals are the result of Soma's wild imagination.
In one painting, Soma exposes a couple of animals seducing each other. Another painting shows strange animals with long male genitals. Soma's works may look vulgar, but that is part of his genuine expression of his fellow human beings.
In his view, although mankind is supposed to have a higher position in the universe than other creatures, many of them still possess a strong animal instinct in their own hearts and minds.
"Animals have a more immediate power, which we humans don't have -- the strong sense of survival and honesty," said Soma, a son of a village farmer.
Soma's interest in painting a large variety of animals was nurtured by his habit of watching animal programs on Discovery Channel. "For me, animals are honest creatures. Human beings, on the otherhand, have been blessed with a lot of knowledge and skills, though they often misuse them," the artist said.
Soma paints with powerful brushstrokes and his choice of dark colors mirrors his personality. Many of his paintings bear dark- toned colors like black, purple, dark blue highlighted with gold, which all together creates a somber atmosphere.
His regular use of dark colors probably expresses his sadness. A dropout from the Indonesian Arts Institute in Denpasar, Soma claims he has had a number of bad experiences throughout his life.
Born in the village of Jelantik in Tabanan regency, the youngest of six inherited his artistic talent from his grandfather, a gamelan (traditional Balinese orchestra) player.
Although his initial interest was in playing the gamelan, he decided to learn painting. He later went to painter Made Budhiana to learn painting techniques and skills. Budhiana's influence and style can be vividly seen in many of Soma's earlier works, especially in his compositions and selection of colors.
Soma had frequently imitated Budhiana's subject matter in creating abstract and naturalistic works. Gradually, however, Soma managed to escape his master's shadows and form his own original style.
Valentine Willie from The Chedi Gallery praised Soma's works, claiming they have become more mature and original.
"After viewing Soma's works, I really liked his unique style. But, I was not able to display his works here until he began to free himself from the influences of other artists," Valentine said.
Curator Christopher Stern has similar views. "Soma's works are unique in the way he chooses themes and color. Instead of creating human figures, he exploits animal-like figures, which undergo various deformations," explained Stern, who also owns Galeri Sembilan.
The exhibition runs at The Chedi Ubud Gallery, Malinggih Kelod village, Gianyar (phone 0361-975963) until April 30.