Katrin Figge

Mon Decor Art Space presents Wayan Kun Adnyana’s third solo exhibition, in which the Balinese painter focuses on images of small children and babies. (Photo: Katrin Figge, JG)

Children Celebrated In Show By Bali Artist

“I am fascinated by children,” Wayan Kun Adnyana says. “Children are very important for the future.”

This fascination of Balinese artist Kun is well explored in his third solo exhibition, titled “Rare,” which is being held at Mon Decor Art Space in City Plaza until Monday.

“Rare” is the Balinese word for baby.

Visitors to Mon Decor are greeted by paintings of babies and toddlers, with big, wondering eyes and chubby hands.

Each canvas is meticulously executed in acrylic or black ink, giving it the look of a portrait study done in graphite pencil on paper.

Included in this exhibition is a painting of an oversized, strong baby boy, who is dressed as Superman. The baby is oblivious to the tiny people climbing up the ropes attached to his arms and shoulders, and the look of triumph on his face says it all: Children are the future leaders of the world.

However, the artist also reminds his audience of a lurking danger — children are easily manipulated.

Another painting, titled “Brain Washing,” is a close-up of a baby’s face. Little figures are again climbing all over the baby’s face, trying to pry open his mouth, peering into his eyes, grabbing hold of his cheeks and entering an opening in his head, presumably to implant their own ideas in his brain.

Other paintings show children innocently playing in the grass with toys and crawling around.

When asked why he mainly paints male babies, Kun said it was not intentional, but he might have done it unconsciously as a result of his Balinese origins.

In Bali, the patriarchal system is an integral part of the culture, and since that system is believed to be true and right by the Balinese people, they try to protect it, curator Hadirman said.

But Kun, who was born in 1976 and studied art in Yogyakarta, doesn’t place a great deal of value in this.

“Our inheritance needs to go to all our children, boys and girls,” he said. “In our society, sometimes boys are seen as superior, while it is mostly the girls who care a great deal about their parents.”

“Kun Adnyana’s subject matter is the world of children, especially when they are still babies,” Hadirman said.

The artist, the curator added, decided to focus on this early age because all babies have a clean slate.

“It is the parents’ responsibility to shape their children’s future with whichever ideology they choose.”

Rare By Wayan Kun Adnyana
Mon Decor Art Space
City Plaza, Wisma Mulia
Jl. Gatot Subroto No. 42
South Jakarta
Tel. 021 5297 1264

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