Seven Canadians show Bali in art

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.