Seven Canadians show Bali in art
By Jim Plouffe
JAKARTA (JP): A unique and surprisingly extensive exhibition of seven Canadian artists is now on show at the Duta Fine Arts Foundation in Kemang and will continue to the end of the month.
Unique because it is a showcase of seven artists who, despite having diverse backgrounds and paradigms, were all inspired by Indonesia, most notably Bali.
Most of the artists first came to Indonesia as tourists and immediately fell for the lushness, artistic wealth and mysticism of Bali. So great was the attraction that it even encouraged a few of them to dive into new art forms or, in fact, as is the case of jewelry maker Penny Burton, become artists in the first place.
"The lighting and the colors are in direct contrast with the Frozen North," commented Jean Miller Harding who immediately had the support of the other artists.
Although they all share the common bond of being Canadians inspired by the contrast of Indonesian, they all express themselves in very different ways. There are pen and ink drawings, jewelry, fantasy oil paintings, sculptures, abstract oils and ultra real water colors in the show.
Patrice De Verteuil shares the common bond to the extreme: two years living in a popular backpackers haunt on Jl. Jaksa. She said that the street had a lot of energy and spirit but it was no place to live if you were very poor or wanted to taste the real Jakarta. De Verteuil made her living teaching English until she realized that she could probably make a go of her masters degree from McGill University in Montreal, her home town, and begin painting.
One artists that does not suffer from the pull between her home and her adopted home is Penny Burton. She came to Bali 18 years ago and has since jetsetted back and for between Canada, Indonesia and where ever else there is an opportunity to show her exquisite silver and gold jewelry.
Mysticism
Drew Harris' abstract paintings have also received a large following, especially in Canada. He too came to Indonesia as a tourist and was inspired by the mysticism of Bali. His abstract oils capture the spirit of the place without explicitly stating the meaning. His topi, hat, theme represents the common sight of farmers bent over their rice in Bali and throughout Indonesia. Harris now lives in Canada and believes that all the artists are "mini ambassadors for Indonesia." He states that whenever he shows his work in Canada there is huge interest in the story behind the work. Indonesia is little known in Canada, although the two countries enjoy excellent relations, and Harris believes that through his works he is able to teach Canadians about this exotic land.
"I always seem to be apologizing for saying that I am one thing and then showing another," warned David Trevelyan after further apologizing for not being much of a public speaker. His contemporary sculptures are what he calls tribal primitivism with a mixture of aboriginal designs from the west coast of Canada, Bali and various other islands including Irian Jaya. The works he is showing at the Duta, more a musical fantasy than anything else, illustrate that he does not limit himself and is always experimenting. He too found the expertise he was looking for in Bali. Trevelyan teamed up with master carver Ida Bagus Oka, not the governor, "in an exciting fusion of cultures," as the show's catalog points out.
There are two realists featured in the show, Ken Pattern and Jean Miller Harding. Pattern is already very well known in Jakarta for his pen and ink sketches of the city's quickly disappearing kampongs that are featured in the American Woman's Association's calender.
Harding's paintings take realism one step further with vivid colors and extra-intricate detail. Her study of a tuber rose could be mistaken for a photograph. Harding's eye for detail comes from her training as a medical artist at the University of Toronto. Her style has mellowed from the illustrations of livers in the shape of the Grand Canyon she did for National Geographic into romantic lily pond scenes. The tropics can do that to a person.
The last artist is Monique Harvey. Her extensive travels are directly reflected in her colorful and fun designs. Harvey takes Polynesian, South American and European styles and blends them together to form lively and bright pictures. It was in Indonesia, however, where "the ultimate and real act of creation" became possible for her, she explained.
"Foreign artists have been traveling to Indonesia for the last four hundred years in search of tropical inspiration," asserted the jovial curator of the Duta Fine Arts Foundation, Didier Hamel (he also writing a book on the subject). When these seven excellent artists display there work in Canada, I am sure that there will be many more people venturing out of the Frozen North to see for themselves.