I Putu Sutawijaya

Full Name: I Putu Sutawijaya
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Biography

In English

Putu Sutawijaya (1970)studied art at Indonesia Institute of Fine Art (ISI) Yogyakarta. He currently lives and works in Yogyakarta and Bali. As a painter, sculptor and performance artist, he is hailed as one of the most important young artists to watch out for. His canvases are highly charged with the energy, or qi, that is suggestive of Chinese calligraphy masters. While Chinese calligraphy influences his technique, his subject matter captures the essence of Balinese religious and tribal rituals. The visual impact of his canvases is explosive yet contemplative. They reflect the mutual desire for harmony in order and chaos, a oneness with the universe. Man as the centrifugal figure in paintings is distinctively Sutawijaya and continues to be prominent in his works.

Putu Sutawijaya draws his inspirations from the various Balinese religious rituals. He is especially fascinated with the way communion takes place, where spiritual enlightenment is attained through trance, intoxication and even violence.

Movement, energy and trance are the three most powerful stimuli in his canvases. The movements and stance of the kecak dance are symbolic of the Great Gods (sanghyang). The kecak dance is an intense spiritual dance by a large group of people.

A mental and spiritual climax is reached when the soul suddenly rises to a level of experience much more profound than daily consciousness. At that moment appears a peak of self confidence and extraordinary bliss like a trance, followed by enlightenment. Out of these are born paintings of such intense expression that they reach the farthest limits of universal concepts.

In Balinese

In Indonesian

Putu Sutawijaya (lahir 1970) disebut-sebut sebagai salah satu seniman muda yang patut diwaspadai. Kanvas-kanvasnya sangat sarat dengan energi, atau qi, yang menunjukkan para master kaligrafi Tiongkok. Sementara kaligrafi Cina mempengaruhi tekniknya, materi pelajarannya menangkap esensi dari ritual keagamaan dan suku Bali. Dampak visual dari kanvasnya eksplosif namun kontemplatif. Mereka mencerminkan keinginan bersama untuk harmoni dalam keteraturan dan kekacauan, kesatuan dengan alam semesta. Manusia sebagai figur sentrifugal dalam lukisan adalah khas Sutawijaya dan terus menonjol dalam karya-karyanya. Putu Sutawijaya mengambil inspirasi dari berbagai ritual keagamaan Bali. Dia sangat terpesona dengan cara persekutuan terjadi, di mana pencerahan spiritual dicapai melalui trans, mabuk dan bahkan kekerasan. Gerakan, energi, dan trans adalah tiga rangsangan paling kuat dalam kanvasnya. Gerakan dan jurus tari kecak merupakan simbol Dewa Agung (sanghyang). Tarian kecak adalah tarian spiritual yang intens oleh sekelompok besar orang. Sebuah klimaks mental dan spiritual tercapai ketika jiwa tiba-tiba naik ke tingkat pengalaman yang jauh lebih mendalam daripada kesadaran sehari-hari. Saat itulah muncul puncak rasa percaya diri dan kebahagiaan luar biasa seperti kesurupan, diikuti pencerahan. Dari lukisan-lukisan ini lahir lukisan-lukisan dengan ekspresi yang sedemikian intens sehingga mencapai batas-batas terjauh dari konsep-konsep universal.

gajahgallery.com

Examples of work

Sekeliling Kehidupan (Around Life)

Sekeliling Kehidupan (Around Life) conjures the primal intensity of the kecak dance, as dozens of brass figures are captured in hypnotic movement, with their legs squatting as if to balance themselves while their upper bodies let loose. They are gathered in a circle, yet rather than being planted on the ground, the bodies are suspended in air, as if floating towards a higher plane. The brass medium blurs distinctive features on the individual figures, making them blend seamlessly together into a larger body. Here, Sutawijaya employs sculpture to poignantly capture the sacredness and transcendence felt when dance, ritual and community come together in harmony.

gajahgallery.com