PRESS RELEASE
Topic: Nyoman Nuarta Preview Exhibition “Road to Beijing”
Date: Saturday, 24 April 2021 | 13:00 - 1500 WIB, Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta
Organizer: Linda Gallery
JAKARTA, 24 April 2021 - Linda Gallery is pleased to announce a preview exhibition “Road to Beijing” by one of Indonesia's most distinguished artists, Nyoman Nuarta. This exhibition will mark his series of touring exhibitions culminating across China this upcoming year.
Beauty Beyond Metal
Nyoman Nuarta (69) is a resilient artist who never backs down. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, he is still continually working on his artworks. Even in his latest works, we can observe his "tantrum" artistic exploration that increasingly exhibits his identity as an artist. In the midst of mastering the ripe forms of his artworks, he freely narrates the beauty or otherwise the anxiety behind the figures of the statues. After discovering "flexibility" in metallic materials, now he is actually more willing to voice the inner spirituality in him.
In the exhibition entitled "Road to Beijing", 9 (nine) works are exhibited, ranging through the period from 2010 to 2021; from “Sleepy Leopard II” (2010) to “Luh III” (2021). A leopard, sound asleep on a rock, became a metaphor of the “hunter” desire we possess within our human nature. On the other hand, the freezing of wind movements in the work "Luh III" is precisely the case that gave birth to the impression of incomparable beauty. Stiff, frozen metal, as if it is moving and slowly expressing the tenderness of the female soul.
In the midst of this pandemic, Nyoman Nuarta gave birth to other beautiful works such as “Rush Hour V” (2021), where a group of cyclists are rushing on their bikes while joking and having fun. There is joy in being together, there is a galloping party in the street. Aren't we a group of people rushing through the streets? “In general, it implies the spirit of competition. But sometimes we forget that if a group of people get together; the workload will definitely be lighter, right?" Nyoman said.
In his artworks from the last ten years, Nuarta is trying to discover his inner self through a personal journey of his. The figures seen in "Borobudur VI" (2018), "Gelora III" (2017), "The Champ” (2021) or “Circle of Life” (2019), including “Anugerah II” (2020), and “The Legend of a Horse” (2020), are physical figures, but they are representation of Nuarta's search of his inner self-spirit.
“I am restless like everyone else in this pandemic. The question is the same, when will this all end. But if we keep asking questions, of course we won’t get the answers. Because I am an artist, my answer is implied in my works.” Nuarta said. He hopes that the answers inferred through his artworks will give him and most people a solution to those questions.
"At least through beauty, we can bring happiness," he said. The "Road to Beijing" exhibition which was organized by Linda Gallery is an event in participation for Nuarta’s touring exhibition in Beijing, China the following year. According to Nuarta, the touring exhibition in Beijing has been set in motion since several years ago, but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. "All the works are all ready, we just have to execute the exhibition, but because of the pandemic; we postponed it. Hopefully next year it can be done, " said Nuarta.
About Nyoman Nuarta
Born in Tabanan, Bali, November 14, 1951, Nyoman Nuarta studied at the Department of Sculpture, Department of Fine Arts, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Planning at the Institute of Technology, Bandung (1973-1979). The sculptor won the Proclamator Monument competition (1979) when he was still a student. He is well known as the creator of the iconic Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) monument on Ungasan Hill, Jimbaran, Bali which has a height of 121 meters. A lot of his works are monumental, including the Jalesveva Jayamahe Monument (1996) in Surabaya and the Arjuna Wijaya statue (1987) in Jakarta. Nyoman Nuarta received the Satyalencana Budaya award from the Government of Indonesia in 2014 and the Sri Padma award from the Indian Government in 2018. He founded the NuArt Sculpture Park in Bandung in 2000, which consists of a museum, gallery, theater, restaurant, studio, and workshops.
About Linda Gallery
Linda Gallery was established in 1990 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and later expanded spaces in Beijing and Singapore. For over 30 years Linda Gallery has been promoting Chinese and Southeast Asian art and providing an international platform of exchange for artists, curators, collectors, and art institutions. The gallery persistently cooperates with influential and potential artists, standing with exhibitions in high quality as well as participating in well-known art fairs, thus drawing Chinese and Southeast Asian artists ever closer to international dialogue.