PLANES | SPHERES
Bunga Yuridespita & Nunung W.S.
Catalogue for Planes | Spheres Bunga Yuridespita & Nunung W.S. 15 Dec 2020 - 15 Jan 2021 @ dgalleriejakarta.com @ artjakarta.com Curator Chabib Duta Hapsoro Published by D Gallerie, Jakarta, Indonesia December 2020 Catalogue designed by Kotasis 333 Surabaya, Indonesia www.kotasis.com
DIGITAL EDITION
PLANES | SPHERES
Bunga Yuridespita & Nunung W.S.
P l a n e s | S p h ere s
PLANES | S Bunga Yuridespita (1989) and Nunung WS (1948) are probably two of the few contemporary Indonesian painters whose body of works appears utopian. If I were to briefly describe their practice, Bunga and Nunung have a distinctive way of representing the three-dimensional sensation. Not only are their abstract paintings an effort to break away from the dichotomy of representation and non-representation, but it also offers us a spatial experience.
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B u n g a Yu r i d e s p i t a & N u n u n g W. S
SPHERES
Contemporary abstract painting is recognized as a completely different entity from modern abstract painting. Modern abstract painting exists to be genuinely autonomous in this world. It is almost as if it appears without having to recognize or understand its origin, especially when it comes through the painter’s experience or cognitive situation, which indirectly makes the painting exist. Modern abstract painting is present and lived only through its formal quality, namely
A Duo Exhibition by Bunga Yuridespita & Nunung W.S. 5
P l a n e s | S p h ere s
through overlapping lines, gradations of color present due to the mix of paint on canvas, etc. The painter’s intention could be seen as “limited”. There is no sense of urgency other than the fact that they need to create a composition using various shapes, gestures, colors, etc., on a two-dimensional canvas. On the contrary, contemporary abstract painting is a whole different case. Since modern art’s universal values are no longer valid, the context of an artwork is needed to understand its origin. Therefore, the aspect of purpose--outside of formal matters--is inherent within the creation process. However, interpretation is still within the authority of the audience. Bunga’s paintings are in the form of blocks of color, reminiscent of the blocks used to indicate houses, fields, and other legends on Google Maps. Her body of work results from her perception of the spatiotemporal experience of the
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B u n g a Yu r i d e s p i t a & N u n u n g W. S
“Bunga’s paintings are in the form of blocks of color, reminiscent of the blocks used to indicate houses, fields, and other legends on Google Maps.”
spaces around her. She is like an amateur cartographer trying to translate the spaces she experienced through the visual form of abstract painting. Bunga’s paintings represent the aspirations of humans living in the era of advanced information and technology to prove how spatial experiences are personal and physical. On the other hand, Nunung WS’s abstract painting practice is the epitome of Indonesian abstract painting in the 1970s. 7
P l a n e s | S p h ere s
“Nunung WS’s abstract painting practice is the epitome of Indonesian abstract painting in the 1970s.”
Her paintings offer a lyrical experience for the audience. We get to feel the warmth of her abstraction through luminous, translucent colors that reveal the layers of space that illusively goes beyond the two-dimensional plane of the canvas. Nunung wanted to present the inner spaces through her paintings through her countless experimentation on materials and colors. Quoting upon Nashar’s words--the famous Indonesian abstract painter who was once Nunung’s mentor--this kind of painting practice is 8
none other than to “build a universe [...] to construct an idea obtained from within oneself, from one’s soul, which originates from external influences, then ingrained by the soul “. In other words, Nunung’s paintings represent her lifelong effort to transcend and translate inner conflicts and situations for existential purposes.
Chabib Duta Hapsoro Exhibition Curator 9
P l a n e s | S p h ere s
Brhome Gruple #1 Acrylic on canvas 125 x 125 cm 2020
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B u n g a Yu r i d e s p i t a
Brhome Gruple #2 Acrylic on canvas 125 x 125 cm 2020
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Colored Shadow #1 Acrylic on canvas 245 x 160 cm 2020 12
B u n g a Yu r i d e s p i t a
Colored Shadow #2 Acrylic on canvas 245 x 195 cm 2020 13
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Greamy Bowl Acrylic on Canvas 70 x 70 cm 2020
B u n g a Yu r i d e s p i t a
Lood Shadow Acrylic on Canvas 70 x 70 cm 2020
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P l a n e s | S p h ere s
Pastel Study #1 Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas 40 x 40 cm 2020 16
B u n g a Yu r i d e s p i t a
Pastel Study #2 Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas 40 x 40 cm 2020 17
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It’s Summertime Acrylic on canvas 195 x 195 cm 2020
B u n g a Yu r i d e s p i t a
Pink #Monochromatic Acrylic on canvas 50 x 50 cm 2020 19
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Purple #Monochromatic Acrylic on canvas 50 x 50 cm 2020 20
Turquoise #Monochromatic Acrylic on canvas 50 x 50 cm 2020 21
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Plack #Monochromatic Acrylic on canvas 120 x 120 cm 2020
Extruded Shadow Acrylic on Canvas 100 x 60 cm 2020 23
P l a n e s | S p h ere s
Kuning, Hitam & Putih Acrylic on canvas 100 x 90 cm 2017 24
N u n u n g W. S .
Lukisan 2017 Acrylic on canvas 120 x 90 cm 2017 25
P l a n e s | S p h ere s
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Menuju Biru Acrylic on canvas 150 x 150 cm 2017
N u n u n g W. S .
Pemandangan Biru Acrylic on canvas 100 x 90 cm 2016
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N u n u n g W. S .
Lukisan 2018 Acrylic on canvas 145 x 120 cm 2018
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Bunga Yuridespita
Bunga Yuridespita is an artist based in Bandung. Through space, time, and memory, she juxtaposes her practice with an exploration of her life imprints that built her identity as an individual. She graduated from Pelita Harapan University ma joring in Architecture, then continued her master’s degree in Bandung Institute of Technology, where she ma jors in Fine Arts. Though she decided to pursue Fine Arts, consecutively after obtaining her Bachelor of Architecture degree, she never let go of her architectural instincts; in fact, it became a significant influence in her creative process and artworks. Bunga’s abstraction depicts pavement lines seen from a bird’s point of view (aerial photography); its reduction creates a harmonized composition on the canvas. Visually, it represents shape and color that makes its original object unidentified. The areas and subjects illustrated in her pieces are representations of daily experiences and personal space. Her compositions are achieved using the 30
ID, B. 1989
collage method, which is stimulated by the act of personal meditation, which touches upon ideas of the relationship between humans and spaces. Bunga believes that space is equivalent to the storage of memories of the past, current self (present), and the constant development of our identity (future). Her works cultivate what has escaped from human’s daily activities and their responses towards space. It is like a conversation between the human body and space, which leaves a memory that forms the character of an individual. This concept is then interpreted in the form of a collage; Combining her prior architectural knowledge and her sensitivity towards the aesthetics.
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P l a n e s | S p h ere s
Nunung W.S.
Nunung W.S. is an abstract artist with a career spanning over half a century. Despite receiving family pressure to study religion, her passion for the arts appeared at an early stage. In particular, she was inspired by Kartika Affandi, the artist daughter of Kusuma Affandi, who served as a role model that women too could succeed in art. Under the guidance of Nashar, Nunung transitioned from the dynamic expressionism of Kartika and her father to more reflective studies, juxtaposing planes of color that are both meditative and jewel-like. She is a masterful and subtle colorist, using luminous hues to create artwork that stimulates and mirrors the subconscious’s dreams and emotions. Their beauty and power quickly earned her acclaim, as well as national and international group and solo exhibitions. Nunung tries to re-create what she sees, experiences, lives, and feels in nature through color because colors always attract her attention. Therefore, while painting, she is not bound into shapes because it will only limit her work. Instead, she tries to go deep through total comprehension and the abstraction of forms to express her work solely 32
ID, B. 1948
by using colors she wanted freely. For Nunung, The art of abstract is a transcendent journey-a spiritual journey. Three crucial factors describe her artistic journey, which is: magic, mystical, and religion. She believes that these three factors emerge as we start to drift away from our traditional and cultural beliefs and helps us create an even stronger bond as we try to push it away or forget it. She described the balancing of life as an interpretation of ‘soulscape,’ the ma jor theme of her painting. She takes what she sees and refracts it through contemplation and her inner spiritual lens to express life through color and shape. Nunung has been active in the Indonesian art scene and has held exhibitions since the 1970s,in Indonesia and overseas. The education she received from her Islamic family has made her a strong woman, and her independent demeanor can be seen through her paintings. She chose to pursue abstraction because she wants to invite her observers to not only enjoy her work visually but also to understand what goes on during the process of creating her masterpieces. 33
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