Post Tradition: Revisiting and the Future of Balinese Painting is an exhibition curated by Hermanto Soerjanto & Kemalezedine, featuring artworks by Bagus Prabowo, I Made Djirna, I Nyoman Arisana, Kemalezedine, Kuncir Sathya Viku, Made Wianta, Mandiyasa Wayan, and Sumadi Ketut.

Bali is a very important centre for the development of Indonesian art, wherein the influence of western modern art goes hand in hand with traditional art. The influence of western modern art in Bali began in the 1930s, driven by Rudolf Bonnet and Walter Spies. It was very well received by Balinese artists at that time and influenced the form of Balinese art, both in terms of technique and theme. All of these took place in the form of a balanced cultural negotiation, in which Balinese artists accepted the influence of western modern art without eradicating their cultural roots, thus giving birth to a new artistic form at that time: the modern Balinese art, which we can still see a lot in Bali today. On the other hand, western artists such as Rudolf Bonnet and Walter Spies were also heavily influenced by Balinese art. We can observe this in the deformation of figures in Bonnet’s paintings and the use of multiple perspectives in the works of Walter Spies.

Contemporary art inevitably challenges how we interpret the current situation in Bali, in which the power of tradition, which has experienced obsolescence as a result of the development of global art, is now reviving in a new paradigm, with new analysis using academic tools derived from western education system. This means that studying and reading Balinese painting is now done through a new intellectual process that incorporates local wisdom from Balinese traditions.

The exhibition Post Tradition: Revisiting and the Future of Balinese Painting is an attempt by artists in Bali, regardless of whether they are Balinese by birth or if they are migrants, to create new interpretations of Balinese painting in varying degrees of flexibility. These interpretations will in turn create an urgency to shape the future of Balinese painting. This exhibition features works by Bagus Prabowo, I Made Djirna, I Nyoman Arisana, Kemalezedine, Kuncir Sathya Viku, Made Wianta, Mandiyasa Wayan, and Sumadi Ketut.

Artists: Bagus Prabowo, I Made Djirna, I Nyoman Arisana, Kemalezedine, Kuncir Sathya Viku, Made Wianta, Mandiyasa Wayan, Sumadi Ketut

Venue: Mizuma Gallery, 22 Lock Road, #01-34 Gillman Barracks, Singapore 108939

When: 9 Jun - 23 Jul 2023, Tue-Sat: 11am-7pm, Sun: 11am-6pm, Closed on Mon & PHs

By: Mizuma Gallery