Museum Rudana presents “Modern Indonesia Masters”

Celebrating its 12th anniversary, Museum Rudana in Ubud presents the works of four Indonesian maestros in an exhibition entitled ‘The World of Abstract’.

Rarely do four painting maestros appear at one group exhibition. But this month it is this rare art happening that takes place at the Museum Rudana in Ubud, where two of Bali’s foremost artists meet up with two of Java’s.
“It’s such a lot of work to make this happen. Therefore we’re proud to be able to stage this rare event, the first of its kind on the island, (and I am sure) in Indonesia”, said Putu Supadma Rudana, managing director of the Museum Rudana.

Bali’s maestros Nyoman Gunarsa and Made Wianta are showing off their ultimate creations together with Bandung-based master of color and horizon Srihadi Sudarsono and master of sculpture Sunaryo Sutono.

The four legends, arguably the country’s most sought after modern artists, will be accompanied by the island’s four rising stars, Made Djirna, Nyoman Erawan, Wayan Darmika and Made Budhiana.

The exhibition, entitled “The World of Abstract”, commences on August 16 and runs through October 1, featuring ten of the finest pieces from the collections of each painter. “There will be 80 abstract works. Even Mr. Srihadi Sudarsono, who is not known as a master of abstract, will present his own figurative works including the famous Borobudur in Horizon to represent the theme,” Supadma said.

Here is a brief background on the four legends.
Nyoman Gunarsa was born to a rice farmer’s family in Banda, Takmung in Klungkung, the same village where he established his own Museum of Classical and Contemporary Balinese Paintings. Uniquely, long before he grew his passion and reputation for classical paintings in the 1980s, especially of Balinese daily life, Gunarsa was much more interested in abstract paintings earlier in his career.

The upcoming exhibition at Rudana is therefore to show off his earlier bursting passion for the abstract world. The abstract ingrained from his surrounding environment includes village life, rice fields, gamelan music, shadow puppets, his father’s dance mastery, and the world beyond, including his vision of the West as he was once fascinated, as young boy, with Western artists and their world.

Made Wianta, by any measure, is Bali’s most successful artist of multiple talents and endless energy. He constantly moves from one art form to another, each with great energy and concentration. The result is that there are close to 15,000 works of arts of various forms ranging from paintings, dance and music performances, poetry, installations, happening arts and more.

Wianta’s mastery of color is yet matched by his mastery of words in poetry and body movements. He has earned his reputation as the island’s most progressive painter, with all the bravery to move from one style to another.
Born in Apuan, a village nestled in the rice paddy fields north of Tabanan, the painter’s strong sense of environmental awareness and social responsibility has brought him into various happening art in response to forest fires and illegal logging, the October 12 blast, poverty eradication, and the AIDS campaign. Last year, as among his special achievements, he was chosen as the only painter to represent Indonesia in presenting their works at the special exhibition marking the Italian sport carmaker Scuderia Ferrari 60th anniversary celebration.

Srihadi Sudarsono, the master of color and horizons, is what this Javanese painter is famous for. He grew up in an aristocrat family deeply ingrained in the philosophical concept of the complex Javanese system of life, synthesizing Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam as well as mysticism. Thus, each of his paintings conveys a deep reflection of this philosophical value.

The master, whose favorite objects are landscapes, beaches, monuments, and human beings, has sold a painting worth US$ 150,000 at an auction, a landmark not many of his countrymen have ever reached. Uniquely, Srihadi has never been known as an abstract junkie (he would rather call his abstract painting more like figurative, or as some say, symbolic). Therefore his presence at this exhibition is highly anticipated.

Last but not least, Sunaryo is another Javanese golden boy his country should be proud of. Although he grew up as a sculpturer (he had been appointed a lecturer of fine arts and design and head of the Department of the Fine Arts and Sculpture Studio at Bandung Institute of Technology) Sunaryo has won various art awards including painting competitions entitled “the Phillip Morris Group of Companies Asean Art Awards” for the two consecutive years of 1995 and 1996, and received an honorable mention from the Indonesian Minister of Culture and Tourism for enhancing the country’s painting creativity.

Sunaryo’s achievement in his own world of sculpture has earned him dozens of prize awards from various establishments, ranging from universities, city councils, five star hotels, and the country’s telecommunication company. He once also won first place at an international creative textile competition. In 1998 he established a studio currently known as Selasar Sunaryo, a private museum and art space.

Photographic Exhibition
The four flair is accompanied by a two-week photo exhibition featuring the works of three photographers from three countries from August 16 – 31. They are Bundhowi of Indonesia, Anna Heggie of Australia and Sandra Phillips of Canada. The three artists feature works dedicated to world peace.