Bayu Utomo Radjikin showcases a different form in his upcoming solo
exhibition Cintakasih at House of
MATAHATI, the female figure.
It’s the artist’s first serious attempt at representing the fairer sex
and Bayu’s new works that center on a classical Odissi dancer leads audiences
across ten charcoal drawings and four paintings that feature the artist’s
vibrant signature style.
Whilst Bayu is widely known as one of Malaysia’s leading figurative
artists, his artworks have thus far centered on the male figure. Self-portraits
and evocations of the Malay warrior fill the artist’s body of work, and until
recent times, Bayu has only ever produced a handful of artworks featuring
female subjects, including one portrait of his wife.
The
concentration on a female classical Indian dancer in Cintakasih thus represents an interesting juncture in the artist’s
career.
The core of this series can be traced back to 2008, when Bayu
participated in Stirring Odissi. The
Sutra Gallery exhibition revolved around the classical Indian dance, and Bayu’s
participation not only launched his exploration of the female form, but also
formed a milestone in his history with the Sutra Dance Theatre, which began
when he designed sets for Ramli Ibrahim’s performances.
From those early days, Bayu has developed an impressive understanding
of the dance, setting out in Cintakasih
to capture the nine different rasas (sentiments) of Odissi instead of conveying
the obvious facets of the dance itself.
Bayu does so by omitting bodily gestures and focusing on nuances of the
dancer’s face alone and this is seen especially in Bayu’s charcoal portraits,
where the medium is blended to create highly realistic facial definitions,
depth, and shadows.
“I’m not portraying a dance,” says the artist, adding that his focus
was on the physiognomy and mood of his female subject.
The title of the exhibition combines signature elements from Bayu’s
practice, as the artist names all his drawings cinta and all his paintings on canvas kasih. And as a solo exhibition, Cintakasih takes on an unorthodox format as it also features two
other artists, Kow Leong Kiang and Marvin Chan.
Both
Kow and Chan are well known for their figurative works, and together with Bayu,
are members of The “F” Klub, a group of local artists that are bound by a
shared interest in figurative art.
Cintakasih’s unique exhibition format is akin
to the music scene, where concerts feature a headliner and several guest acts,
and Bayu hopes that this will encourage networking and more interaction between
artists.
For Cintakasih, Kow and Chan
had a pick at the same photographs that Bayu used for his artworks. They may or
may not pick identical images, observes Bayu, but the point of interest for
audiences will be in the different ways the duo portray their subjects.
Kow and Chan each contribute one artwork to Cintakasih, framing the solo exhibition and giving viewers a chance
to examine different approaches within the genre of figurative art in Malaysia.
Another figurative artist, Anurendra Jegadeva, also takes part in the
exhibition, but on a different note – a critical one. He shares his views in an
essay for the exhibition catalogue, which also contains full-colour images of
all the artworks in the exhibition, as well as a selection of Bayu’s previous
Odissi works.
Artwork
Cinta VIII
2011 / Charcoal on paper / 150 x 114 cm
Collection of Puah Chin Kok
Cinta IX
2011 / Charcoal & pastel on canvas / 150 x 114 cm
Collection of Bingley Sim
Cinta X
2011 / Charcoal on canvas / 150 x 114 cm
Private collection
Cinta XI
2011 / Charcoal & pastel on paper / 150 x 114 cm
Collection of Kendra Gallery
Cinta XII
2011 / Charcoal on paper / 150 x 114 cm
Private collection
Cinta XIII
2011 / Charcoal on paper / 150 x 114 cm
Private collection
Cinta XIV
2011 / Charcoal & pastel on paper / 150 x 114 cm
Private collection
Cinta XV
2011 / Charcoal on paper/ 150 x 114 cm
Collection of Kendra Gallery
Cinta XVI
2011 / Charcoal & pastel on paper / 150 x 114 cm
Private collection
Kasih II
2011 / Acrylic on canvas / 152.4 x 121.8 cm
Private collection
Kasih III
2011 / Acrylic on canvas / 151.5 x 121 cm
Private collection
Kasih IV
2011 / Acrylic on canvas / 151 x 121 cm
Private collection
Kasih V
2011 / Acrylic on canvas / 152.5 x 121.5 cm
Private collection
Marvin Chan
Bayu Chinta
2011 / Oil on canvas / 152.4 x 122 cm
Private collection
Kow Leong Kiang
Indian Dancer
2011 / Oil on linen / 228.6 x 101.6 cm
Collection of Archana Marshal
Cinta III
2008 / Charcoal & pastel on paper / 150 x 115cm
Collection of Mohd Suhaimi Ahmad
Cinta V
2008 / Charcoal on paper / 150 x 115cm
Collection of Roland Santoso
Cinta VII
2009 / Charcoal & acrylic on paper / 150 x 114cm
Private collection
Cinta VI
2008 / Charcoal on paper / 150 x 115cm
Private collection
Cinta IV
2008 / Charcoal & acrylic on paper / 150 x 115cm
Collection of Camille & Anwar Jumabhoy
Cinta I
2008 / Charcoal & acrylic on paper / 138 x 161cm
Collection of Hoo See Kheng
Cinta II
2008 / charcoal & acrylic on paper / 240 x 145cm
Private collection
Kekasih Tiba
2008 / Acrylic on polifax / 246 x 136cm
Collection of Datuk Ir. Rosaline Ganendra
Menanti Kekasih
2008 / Acrylic on polifax / 246 x 136cm
Collection of Datuk Ir. Rosaline Ganendra
Kasih
2008 / Acrylic on polifax / 202 x 158cm
Artists collection