Artist Wianta documents his life’s journey in art
January 24th, 2008
Irawaty Wardany, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
Artists are sometimes associated with indifference and knowing only one thing — creating artwork — but that isn’t the case with Balinese master painter and multimedia artist, Made Wianta.
He realized from the very beginning that creating a record of his artwork was integral to his continued development as an artist. Today he might be the only artist in Indonesia who has a nearly complete documentation of his works, which are kept in his gallery in Denpasar and in his hometown of Apuan, Tabanan.
Dressed in a worn-out white t-shirt and pink pants, the 58-year-old artist talked to The Jakarta Post in his beautiful house in Tanjungbungkak, Denpasar, on Saturday.
“There are around 30,000 of my drawings kept in my hometown and some thousands of others here (at home),” he said.
For the works that have been sold to collectors, the records generally consist of photographs taken from several angles and accompanied by two- to three-page-long written descriptions.
The descriptions cover the business aspects of price, date of purchase and details of the buyer, the physical aspects like size and aesthetic aspects of the works.
The records are stored inside a room with a tall ceiling and a humidity controller that runs around the clock. Needless to say, it is also equipped with a state-of-the-art security system.
Wianta said he had documented almost all his works since 1967.
“But actually I’ve been used to writing and recording every single moment of my life on paper since I was a child.”
He said the constant recording turned into a habit, especially when he knew he had an adventurous spirit.
“I’ve had a nomadic life,” he said.
“I’ve lived in Belgium, Yogyakarta, Switzerland, Japan and many others, so the documentation is very important as a record of my life journey.”
He said he became more aware of the importance of documentation when he studied in Brussels, Belgium, in 1974.
“I realized at that time that for an artist like me the learning process never ends, and therefore we need records to be able to see whether the quality of our works improves or not over the years,” he said
He said artists did not have teachers.
“They (artists) are the teachers for themselves, so it all depends on them whether they want to improve or not. And the documentation is a powerful tool in aiding us in improving ourselves because (it) provides us with more than just an inspiration; it provides us with perspectives and an opportunity for self-reflection.”
He considered his documentation his recorded learning process.
“Art is similar to love. The most important thing in art and love is the process.”
He said his documentation not only consisted of his abstract paintings but also poetry and sketches.
“When Afrizal (Malna, his editor) saw my poetry, he thought they were interesting and published them in a book, even though I have never thought of myself as a poet,” he said.
So far, Wianta has published four poetry anthologies.
“When I decided to be a professional artist, I realized that the documentation I’d made so far was really helpful in my profession,” said the artist, who focuses on abstract paintings.
He said he could file his work neatly because he was supported by a strong team behind him.
Besides painting and writing poetry, he has also created installation and performance art. His “Art and Peace” in 1999 received positive reviews from the critics, and “Dream Land” was shown at the prestigious 2002 Venice Biennale.
“I have been invited to conduct a performance in the Netherlands in February and an exhibition in Guam in March,” he said.
Source: The Jakarta Post
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