Young artists display abstract works

Young artists display abstract works

Boudewijn Brands, Contributor, Jakarta

When visiting Bali, the country's most popular tourist
destination, one may stumble across some abstract paintings and
notice that the prices are sometimes too high.

Some people even comment on abstract art, saying: "I can do
that myself", or "My (baby) daughter/son, could make that too"
and so on.

The paintings are expensive as they position themselves as
"progressive" art from Australia or Singapore. However, in order
to make good abstract art, one needs to master his or her skill;
one must master the lines and application of color in order to
achieve the desired emotional effect.

The exhibition: Colors, Rhythm, Energy, at Rumah Seni AIR,
exposes the meaning of these words through the main
characteristics of each participating artist's style.

The exhibition, which finishes on May 27, focuses on abstract
works which curators hope will make the visitor ponder on what
the artist is trying to express.

The gallery is taking a risk here, as most people interested
in art rarely seem to appreciate abstract art and prefer to pay
hefty sums for beautiful realistic works like pieces by Willem
Hofker.

On show at Rumah Seni AIR are works by three relatively young
artists. The only female painter is Zaira Adilla from Jakarta.
She was born in 1976 and studied at LaSalle Singapore Institute
of the Arts (SIA).

Her works have, according to her, some influence of Kandinski
and Basquiat. She also refers to influences by Twombly and Tapie.
Besides colors, you may find forms and letters in her work.

As she says: "My work focuses on the quality of color, line,
marks and texture, that will engage the spirit and emotion of the
viewer, evoking a sense of mystery, excitement or joy."

She likes to play with colors but not as children do: the
quality and freshness of color is not only important, but
placement of a specific color has equal importance.

Zaira considers her work abstract representational painting.

The other two artists have studied at the Indonesian Art
Institute (ISI) in Yogyakarta: Nahum Suwarsita (born in
Yogyakarta, 1965) and Sigit Fitri Nugroho (born in Kediri, 1971).

Nahum just participated in an exhibition at Gelaran Gallery in
Yogyakarta, a gallery owned by and mainly showing young artists'
works and now considered a good alternative contemporary art
gallery in the south of Yogyakarta.

He will also have an exhibition in the Netherlands in August
and September.

Nahum's work is generally abstract and the inspiration comes
mainly from the rhythm of nature. He has made abstract pieces
since 1992, as he says figurative works "bored" him (and doesn't
a photograph do a much better job in reproducing a realistic
landscape?).

The title of one of the paintings is Landscape II inspired by
an evening under the full moon. Your association with a full moon
will depend on what you experienced. It may be an evening with a
loved one or cows in a field. In Indonesia, it can also be an
evening in a mountainous landscape with high trees; and, as Nahum
says, "with damp rising from the soil". I am sure you can find
this element in this painting here.

Since his stay in Jakarta in 1997 and 1998 he has sometimes
included figurative elements. Examples are Blue City and Melintas
Kota Asing (Passing an unknown city), a painting selected in the
Philip Morris competition in 2000.

Sigit's works are inspired by nature as well. However, in this
particular case it is the arid and dry landscape close to the
small South Javanese coastal town Baron. He would go there by
himself and observe and experience nature at different times of
the day and year.

The results are relatively "quiet" paintings showing the flow
of water and the sun rays at different moments of the day.

An example is: Sisa Rawa-rawa (Leftover of the swamp) which,
according to him, depicts the dry and still firm soil, for the
first time wet as the rainy season begins and before it is worked
on by the farmer.

In other paintings he tries to capture the "feel" of nature;
the way the moon shines when the weather turns from the dry to
wet season.

He works both with knife and brush and applies usually "warm"
and natural colors. Sigit's works will be sent to Singapore after
the exhibition where they will be offered for rent by
www.sylviesart.com.