Zakii brings out the old Bali icons
Zakii brings out the old Bali icons
Bambang Asrini Widjanarko, Contributor/Jakarta
Bali has long attracted artists from all over the world and their
stays -- fleeting or permanent -- have contributed to the
development of the fine arts on the island.
The legendary Walter Spies, who came to Ubud in 1925,
established a community called Pitamaha together with W.G. Hofker
and Rudolf Bonnet, who arrived later on. The three added modern
touches to the traditional Balinese painting styles that are
still loyally followed by both local and foreign artists today.
The beauty of Bali, which in the past was only depicted as
representative mythical objects, part of the spiritual devotion
to the gods, is now explored in greater detail -- including both
people and nature.
A painting of a male torso, the sensuality of a village
virgin, the everyday faces of the Balinese people and the tall
figures of Legong dancers are richly captured on canvas and
paper, and in wood and other mediums, reflecting what could be
termed exotic voyeurism.
Some artists are still faithful to the myths of Rangda and
Barong as the symbols of bad and evil, which are depicted in many
kinds of art works.
Malaysian painter Ahmad Zakii Anwar has a strong desire to
remind us of the beauty of Bali in the past. Exhibiting 30
paintings at the Taksu Gallery from June 10 through June 30,
Zakii, as he is familiarly known, wishes to showcase the old
Balinese icons -- harking back to Spies' Pitamaha workshop.
His paintings are in black charcoal and display many acrobatic
tricks using an amazing dark-light technique on large (2 x 1.5
meter) canvasses.
The exhibition demonstrates Zakii's expertise in handling this
medium in depicting classical themes. Zakii has traveled around
the world to master painting with acrylic and oil in Hong Kong,
Australia and the U.S.
In his 30 works -- some of them were already sold before the
exhibition even began -- Zakii depicts Balinese Legong dancers, a
dancer wearing the classic Rangda mask, and a few examples of
Balinese women dressed in traditional clothes.
Most surprising is a series of depictions of his friends'
faces that he painted during his stay in Bali. This, once again,
proves his abilities in developing the realism of close-up facial
portraits. Even the skin pores of his subjects can be seen in
detail.
Zakii, an artist who graduated from the MARA Institute of
Technology in Malaysia, is loyal to classical realism. Harmony,
interior design and light are all perfectly presented in his
drawings.
The influence of Goya, Velasquez and Monet can be found in
Zakii's work as he highlights an artistic style that harks back
to classical European paintings.
We can also find this in his own writings about his
impressions of Bali in 1998 in Distant Gamelan, about how far the
taksu (positive energy or the inspiration) of Balinese artists
influenced him, especially as regards how he sees the visual aura
from different perspectives.
His meetings with the families of puppeteer-cum-painter Ida
Bagus Belawa, 92, and Ida bagus Made, 83, have had a profound
spiritual influence on his work.
"Bali nowadays is like a Pandora's box that has been opened,
and it deeply affects the people's lives on this island of the
gods. At the same time, is it quickly converting Balinese
spiritual-artistic values into merely commercial commodities?" he
asks.
It is this sad possibility that encourages Zakii to always
look back to Bali again -- to the place that has played an
important part in his life and influenced his career as an artist
since 1994.
As philosopher Jaques Derrida said "Objects or events in the
past can always be utilized as an imaginary reference, a place
where an art form identifies itself in a dialogist way. Elements
from the past ... also play a role as cultural codes that exist
behind the reality of the past."
That is why Zakii is determined to tackle the reality of
Bali's past icons and their fading beauty, and transpose them
onto canvass.
Arangbali, Ahmad Zakii Anwar; June 10 through June 30; Gallery
Taksu, Jl. Kemang Barat 5-7, South Jakarta; Tel: 62-21 718 0456,
email: jkt@taksu.com.