Artist Statement

I “accidentally” moved to Bali in 2011. I came for a brief escape from Jakarta
but eventually stayed for art. I became fascinated with Balinese painting
and learned about its philosophical foundations, rich history, distinctive
techniques and styles that spurred many great works by local artists. I
wondered, however, about Balinese painting’s standing in the current art
world. Is it appreciated and valued by galleries, museums, and collectors?
Is it considered significant or relevant by the international contemporary
art community? In 2013, along with other Balinese artists, I formed NeoPitamaha, a collective that set out to study and research traditional
Balinese visual art for the purpose of conservation and exploration. For
the last couple of years, I’ve been promoting post-traditionalism, a further
exploration of the artistic potential of Balinese painting by reinterpreting itfrom a contemporary perspective.
Kemalezedine; Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting summarizes
my study and perspective on post-traditionalism. It consists of 3 mainparts: Dawn, Day, and Dusk – each differing in focus, expression, andpersonal meaning.
Dawn represents a beginning that holds a myriad of possibilities. This work
highlights important elements in Balinese painting, i.e., history, drawing,
craftsmanship, narrative language, nature themes, and distinctive colors
while breaking away from traditional conventions and styles.
Day expresses the phenomenon of duality, i.e., old versus new, static versus
dynamic, pale versus vibrant – which often clash resulting in tension anddissonance. Yet, in art as in life, we continue to seek balance and harmony
among the dueling forces while keeping an open and accepting attitude.
Dusk reflects the underlying spirit and process that contributes to theintricacy of Balinese painting. Rather than a slapdash work in pursuit ofsensation, novelty, or controversy, creating a Balinese painting requires along and meticulous process where patience, diligence, and concentration
are an artist’s virtues. So much so it is truly meditative. Once more, in art asin life, we take on a journey with the belief that art/life will reveal its beauty,
wonders, and lessons along the way, from sight to insight.
Matur suksma,
Kemalezedine5

Epigraphic Landscapeof Balinese Painting

Curatorial Text - Hermanto Soerjanto1

Due to the fatigue of living in the big city, in 2011 Kemalezedine decided toleave Jakarta and settle in Bali, closing his chapter in Jakarta as a film andTV producer, and as a part-time artist. Ubud was chosen as the new home
for the new chapter of his life and for his family, based on its serene andcalming nature of the place (back then, Ubud was still a relatively small
town without traffic jams). At that time, Kemalezedine had no knowledge
nor intention for a deeper involvement in Balinese visual art. He was astreet art and lowbrow artist, with no connection to Balinese visual art.
Until one day, he visited Tony Raka Gallery to see an exhibition of an artist
collective, Bali Art Society. The exhibition presented traditional Balinese
art on one side and contemporary Balinese art on the other side, making
him wonder why there was no connection between those two groups ofartworks, although they were all done by Balinese artists. This curiosity led
him to get to know Gede Mahendra Yasa, who was one of the curators ofthat show. Since then, Kemalezedine’s interest in Balinese visual art andculture grew and led him to a long journey of building a bridge between
traditional Balinese art and contemporary Balinese art. Later in 2013,
together with Gede Mahendra Yasa, Ketut Moniarta, and Tang Adimawan,
Kemalezedine founded Neo-Pitamaha, a collective set out to study andresearch traditional Balinese visual art for the purpose of conservation andexploration.
During his research into Balinese art, he found some misinterpretations
about it that we have become familiar with. What we now recognize as
traditional Balinese art, such Ubud style or Batuan style, are actually not
traditional Balinese art. They had been influenced by the modern westernart, which entered Bali in the 30’s through two of the most prominent andinfluential western artists in Bali, Rudolf Bonnet and Walter Spies.
“Calling Balinese painting ‘traditional’ misrepresents the dynamic andhighly innovative nature of painting in Bali. ‘Tradition’ implies lack of change,
adherence to set types. While both the old tradition of classical Kamasan
painting and the new tradition of modern art that developed in the 1930s
work from such set types, they allow for a high degree of change.”– Adrian Vickers1

Adrian Vickers, Balinese Art: Paintings and Drawings of Bali 1800–2010 (Singapore: Tuttle, 2012), p. 26.
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Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Kemal saw this as a way to build the narrative that places traditional
Balinese art and culture at the root of its contemporary art development.
But he is also aware that as a non-Balinese, he does not have any spiritualconnection with the religious practice, nor the culture and social structureof the Balinese. Unlike what happened in the 30’s when Rudolf Bonnet
and Walter Spies came to Bali and founded the artist collective Pita Maha,
modernity in art practice was spared amongst the Balinese artists. Balinese
artists at that time began to understand the concept of perspective in apainting, how to depict volume in their objects, and even in the theme of
their paintings (daily activities, landscape, etc.), coloring technique, and soon. But the final result of their artwork was still strongly connected to theirroots of tradition and culture.
When we look at Kemalezedine’s paintings today, we see very little traceof Balinese painting style. Even though we can identify some Balinese
objects around, which he uses as tools to tell a story, it is very clear thathis paintings do not echo the traditional Balinese painting at all. What hedoes is that he borrows the essence of Balinese tradition in his art making
process as the main inspiration for his paintings. As we can see in thisexhibition, the element of drawing plays a very significant role in all of
Kemalezedine’s paintings. Contrary to the understanding of western art
whereby drawings are often seen as a study for paintings or sculpture or as aplan for an installation, Kemalezedine discovers the importance of drawing
in the process of Balinese traditional paintings. A bamboo pen (a piece ofbamboo with one end sharpened, dipped in the ink and used as a pen) wasused as the main tool to draw and to create shading called sigarmangsi,
before it went to the coloring process using a water-based paint, appliedwith a brush. Bamboo pen was also used in the making of Balinese ritualdrawing to complete a ritual ceremony or even to make an amulet. He
was also inspired by the works of Balinese pioneers in contemporary art,such as Made Wianta, whose Karangasem painting series features his useof a bamboo pen to draw very intricate ornamentation on the Balinese
traditional canvas. In essence, any visual on any surface made with sharp
and hard edges is considered as drawings, and thus, Balinese painting is
the act of putting colors on a drawing. This shows the significance and theimportance of drawing in traditional Balinese painting.

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Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Although he does not use a bamboo pen for the drawing in his paintings,
Kemalezedine still highlights the importance of drawing in traditional
Balinese art and cultural practice. The coloring process in his paintings
presented in this exhibition became his statement on the influence anddomination of western art in the global development of contemporary
art. He chose a range of colors based on the colors used in the classic
traditional Balinese style paintings of Kamasan, which are black, white,yellow ochre, red, blue, and green. Traditionally the process of coloringin classic Kamasan painting used water-based natural pigments. In his
paintings, Kemalezedine uses oil paint as the representation of the influenceand domination of western art in the development of contemporary art inBali and globally. The panoramic format of his paintings is also inspired by
the classic Kamasan scroll painting.
Many of Kemalezedine’s paintings, including those presented in thisexhibition, are predominantly landscape paintings. In my opinion, this isalso influenced by the Balinese paintings, whereby landscape occupies
most of the space in the canvas while figures of human or animals andbuildings are depicted in a smaller scale compared to the landscape, but
together they intertwine harmoniously to build a story. The resemblanceis quite evident in his paintings presented in this exhibition, entitled Dawn,
Day, and Dusk, as explained by Kemalezedine in his statement:

Dawn
Dawn 1-3 is an expression of my individual thoughts and practices
related to the historical dissection of the formation of Balinese
painting to the technical standards in creating works. As aperson who is not a Balinese genealogist, in my works I try toshow my awareness of the distance between myself and Balinese
tradition, giving me a different perspective in analyzing Balinese
painting. Acknowledging Balinese painting as a source of mypractice, this work is about the open and independent positionof Balinese drawing beyond the standards and new possibilities incontemporary art.

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Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Day
My interaction with Balinese painting is not only in the local
Balinese discourse, but it also intersects with national art issues. In
2016, my friends and I launched an art project called NU-Abstract.
This is a comparative project that we carried out in response to apolitical, religious, and cultural movement by a right-wing groupthat echoed the anti-figurative art movement amidst the hustle andbustle of the general election in Indonesia at that time. Most of theartists who did it painted abstract works or inanimate objects. NUAbstract criticized the basis of the practice of creating works thatcame from religious interpretations by making a comparison withthe practice of creating works that came from art itself. Moreover,in the practice of Balinese painting, almost all works produced are
figurative works depicting the lives of Balinese people and theirnature, which will certainly be in contrast to the perpetrators of
the anti-figurative art movement. In my personal view, as the only
Muslim in the group, there needs to be a comparative argument
related to this. In a catalogue from an exhibition held at Nadi
Gallery, I wrote about my research, which started from Islamic
literature related to fine art, to the problem of figure drawings/
paintings. From here, abstraction also became an influence on
my works. Day 1-9 shows a recording of an event, with drawing
symbolism used in one group and painting symbolism (abstraction)in another. However, along with that, the problem of Balinese
painting is not only about being anti-figurative, Balinese painting
also faces the tourism industry that has raised it so far. There are
not many Balinese painters today, and if there are, it is not theirmain profession, as many who used to be Balinese painters have
now left their practice and chosen to work in the more practical
tourism industry that is growing rapidly. The tourism industry not
only benefits the Balinese, but also raises its own problems thatintersect with tradition, social society, culture, and the environment.
This tension between tradition and modern life of Balinese society
is reflected in this work entitled Day.

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Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Dusk
Post-tradition has recently become a strong discourse that I often
speak about. Referring to Balinese modernity which is strongly
colored by traditional values, the image character in traditional
Balinese painting is my main concern, through an in-depth studyof the methods and stages of line formation in Balinese painting.
Not burdened by the rules of Balinese painting tradition, I am
free to appropriate these stages, reversing, changing, disguising,
reducing and adding. If the lines in traditional classical Balinese
painting seem to emphasize the flatness of the object/figure, in mypaintings, the overlapping, repetitive and subtle lines and colors
actually become components that form a three-dimensional
illusion. In my paintings, this is transformed into a different
visual construction. Although aspects of narrative and traditional
patterns actually appear in my works, they are not striking,some are visible and some are hidden. It can be said that mypaintings are abstractions of traditional Balinese paintings, with
an emphasis on more personal visual compositions. Many of myworks show the combination of drawing techniques borrowed
from the drawing methods of traditional Balinese painting with aformal approach to the composition of oil paint colors. This way, I
am also able to work more intuitively. The repetitive aspect brings
out a sense of meditative purification and has depth in seeing thehidden forms of abstraction. Although emerging from the same
basic concept, each painting is transformed into a different visualcomposition. We can feel the genealogy of the lines of traditionalart intertwined with the genealogy of modern painting in color,shadow, composition, and balance. My works aim to be in the
middle ground between traditional and formalist painting styles,
they do not appear modernist, nor do they appear like paintings.
– Kemalezedine10Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

In my mind, Kemalezedine is not merely a painter, he is also a researcher, ascholar, a motivator, and a promoter for young artists in Bali, and an activistof the post-tradition art movement, as well as a student. It is quite rare for me
to meet someone who has the same vision about the position of traditionin the context of contemporary art. Since I organized my first exhibition
discussing this matter in 2010, entitled “Ethnicity Now”, in the National
Gallery of Indonesia, curated by Jim Supangkat, I focused all my effort
into art, to promote the understanding of post-tradition. Kemalezedine has
been my critical discussion partner in this matter for the past few years, I
could say that we are mentoring each other. What impresses me the most,aside from his vision and his quality as an artist, is his quality as a humanbeing, his spirit to bring progress not only to himself but to the communitythat has supported him to become a better artist every single day.

Hermanto Soerjanto (b. 1970, Indonesia) went to Palin School of Arts & Design in Singapore and
Akademi Teknik Desain Interior (ATDI) in Jakarta, Indonesia, before joining Cipta Citra advertising
agency in 1994. Since then, he has built his career in the field of advertising and currently
holds a position at Pantarei Communications as Chief Creative Officer. As an art collector,
Hermanto Soerjanto is familiar with Indonesian artists, having spent much time conversing withthem and visiting their studios. In 2008 he established GARIS Artspace, an art gallery in Jakarta
showcasing works by contemporary Indonesian artists, where he organizes and curates theexhibitions on a regular basis. To date, Hermanto Soerjanto has organized several exhibitions,most notably Ethnicity Now, a group exhibition at Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta (2010),
and Unveiling Fundamentals in Contemporary Art Through Asia at OHD Museum, Magelang,Indonesia (2015). Hermanto Soerjanto lives and works in Jakarta, Indonesia.

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Dawn, 2024

Kemalezedine

acrylic and oil on canvas
140 × 540 × 5 cm (triptych, 140 × 180 × 5 cm each)

Painting Detail12Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Dusk, 2024

Kemalezedine

acrylic and oil on canvas
140 × 540 × 5 cm (triptych, 140 × 180 × 5 cm each)

Painting Detail13

Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Dusk #4 (Epigraph of Stem & Twig), 2024

Kemalezedine

acrylic and oil on canvas
150 × 200 × 5 cm
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Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Dusk #5 (Epigraph of Root), 2024

Kemalezedine

acrylic and oil on canvas
150 × 135 × 5 cm
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Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Myth #1, 2024

Kemalezedine

acrylic and oil on canvas
45 × 140 × 8 cm
(triptych, 45 × 70 × 8 cm, 45 × 35 × 8 cm, 45 × 35 × 8 cm each)16

Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Myth #2, 2024

Kemalezedine

acrylic and oil on canvas
45 × 70 × 8 cm (diptych, 45 × 35 × 8 cm each)17

Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Myth #3, 2024

Kemalezedine

acrylic and oil on canvas
90 × 70 × 8 cm
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Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Day #1 – #9, 2024

Kemalezedine

acrylic and oil on canvas
90 × 350 × 8 cm (set of 9)

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Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

Kemalezedine

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Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

About the Artist

Kemalezedine (b. 1978, Yogyakarta, Indonesia) studied at the Facultyof Fine Arts and Design at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB),
Bandung, Indonesia from 1997 to 2004. He is part of the Nu-Abstract
and Neo-Pitamaha groups in Bali, who study traditional Balinese art, while
incorporating new experimentations and ideas. Kemalezedine’s focus is tocreate and explore the world of painting-drawing. His paintings intertwine
the genealogies of both traditional art lines and modern painting throughcolour planes, composition, and balance. Existing between different
painting styles, his paintings explore the tension between the traditional
and the modern, natural and unnatural, macrocosm and microcosm,
emptiness and fullness. Kemalezedine lives and works in Bali, Indonesia.

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Artist CV

Education
2004

Faculty of Art and Design, Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung, Indonesia
Solo Exhibitions

2024
2023
2021
2020
2016

2012

Kemalezedine; Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting, Mizuma Gallery,
Singapore
Kemalezedine’s Rerajahan: Deconsecrated Mantra, Srisasanti Syndicate,
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Painting - Genic/Synesthesia, CG Artspace, Jakarta, Indonesia
Draw Distance (virtual exhibition), Santi Saptari art consulting X CG Artspace,
Jakarta, Indonesia
Comparing Perspective, CG Artspace Jakarta, Indonesia
Balinese Graphic Art II: Painting and Drawing – Nyoman Ngendon, Pencarian
Corak Seni Lukis Baru Indonesia, Edwin’s Gallery at Art Stage Jakarta, Jakarta,
Indonesia
Balinese Graphic Art: Painting and Drawing, Langgeng Art Foundation,
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Tales of Moving Island, S.14, Bandung, Indonesia
Selected Group Exhibitions

2024

2023

2022

2021

MILESTONE: Pameran ART IASR, Lawangwangi Creative Space, Bandung,Indonesia
SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN, Titik Dua Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Abstraction / Distinction, Semarang Gallery, Semarang, Indonesia
Contemporary Art & Printmaking: Indonesian Artists’ Portfolio, Titik Dua Ubud,
Bali, Indonesia
Post Tradition: Revisiting and the Future of Balinese Painting, Mizuma Gallery,
Singapore
Erotica, Lano Art Project X Sika Gallery, Bali, Indonesia
Landscape: Reinvention, Kemalezedine & Savanhdary Vongpoothorn, 39+ Art
Space, Singapore
Manifesto VIII : Transposisi, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
WARTA #2, Jogja Gallery, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Good News from Bali, Mizuma Gallery, Singapore
Neopitamaha: Tradition in Translation, Titik Dua Ubud, Bali, Indonesia+361 Unfolding the current ripple, Titik Dua, Bali, Indonesia
Vestige, Srisasanti Syndicate, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Garden of dystopia, Can’s Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia
Sixty percent around the sun, Artsphere x Black Hand Gang, Jakarta, Indonesia

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2020
2019

2018

2017
2016

2015

2014

Artist CV

Hidup berdampingan dengan musuh, Ciputra Artpreneur, Jakarta, Indonesia
ARTJOG: RESILIENCE, Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Yogyakarta Annual Art 4, Sangkring Art Space, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
ART•BALI 2019: Speculative Memories, AB•BC Building, Bali Collection, ITDC
Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia
Drawing Bali Today, Sika Gallery, Bali, Indonesia
Intention Please!, Edwin Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia
ART•BALI 2018: Beyond the Myths, AB•BC Building, Bali Collection, ITDC
Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia
NU – Abstract : The NU - Abstract, Orbital Dago Gallery, Bandung, Indonesia
NU – Abstract : Balinese Abstract, Edwin Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia
Spectrum Hendra Gunawan, Ciputra Artpreneur, Jakarta, Indonesia
Redraw III: Ugahari, Edwin’s Gallery Jakarta, Indonesia
NU- Abstract: Political Aesthetic, Nadi Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia
NU-Abstract, Langgeng Art Foundation, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Kecil Itu Indah XV, Edwin’s Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia
What’s Next I, Sika Gallery, Bali, Indonesia
Contemporary Art from Bali, Langgeng Art Foundation, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Crossing: Beyond Bali Seering, 45downstairs, Melbourne, Indonesia
South East Asia Triennal 2016, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
Redraw II : Discovery, Edwin’s Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia
Toyama Art Camp 2015, Toyama, Japan
Violent Bali [Neo Pitamaha], Tony Raka Contemporary Art Gallery, Bali,
Indonesia
Kemalezedine Special Presentation of Bazaar Art Jakarta 2015, Ritz Carlton
Ballroom Pacific Place, Jakarta, Indonesia
Void, Langgeng Gallery, Magelang, Indonesia
Artmoments-Jogja|15 : Rooms With a View, Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta,
Indonesia
NOW: here – there – everywhere [Neo Pitamaha], Semarang Contemporary Art
Gallery, Semarang, Indonesia
Neo Pitamaha, Paradigma Baru Seni Lukis Bali, Platform3, Bandung, Indonesia
Inside/Out, Braddock Tiles event, Brooklyn Street Art Event, Manhattan, New
York, USAArt Supermart 2014, Sika Gallery Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Pameran Besar Senirupa Nusantara 2014, Taman Budaya Jayapura, Papua,Indonesia
Kota Tua Creative Festival 2014, Kota Tua, Jakarta, Indonesia
Good and Wood, Ciputra Artpreneur, Jakarta, Indonesia
ART|JOG 2014: Legacies of Power [Mahendra Yasa feat. Neo Pitamaha], Taman
Budaya Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Manifesto No.4 : Keseharian - Mencandra Tanda-tanda Masa, National Gallery ofIndonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia

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Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting

2013

2012
2008

Artist CV

Pameran Ilustrasi Cerpen Kompas 2012, Bentara Budaya Bali, Denpasar, Bali,
Indonesia
Mythography: Now, Sukadara Art Space, Sanur, Bali, Indonesia
JALAN MONSTER, Ubud Public Art Festival, Seniman Industries Art Project,Bali, Indonesia
Art Mini Mart, Sika Gallery Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Art Bromo: Collision of Nature and Culture, Java Banana Gallery, Mt. Bromo,
Probolinggo, Indonesia
Reposisi, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
Renegotiating Boundaries, Lawangwangi Art Space, Bandung, Indonesia
Indonesian Contemporary Art #1, Mapping, ART: 1, Jakarta, Indonesia
Showcase Showdown, Guerillas Art Space [EAT Clothing company/art project],
Bandung, Indonesia

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About Mizuma Gallery
Executive Director Sueo Mizuma established Mizuma Art Gallery in Tokyo in 1994. Since
its opening in Gillman Barracks, Singapore in 2012, the gallery aims for the promotionof East Asian artists in the region as well as the introduction of Southeast Asian artists
to the international art scene. From 2014 to 2019, the artist residency space “Rumah
Kijang Mizuma” opened in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to create a new platform for dialogue
by supporting exchanges between East Asia and Southeast Asia. From 2018 to 2023,“Mizuma & Kips” opened in New York, USA, as a shared collaboration between Mizuma
Gallery from Tokyo and Singapore and Kips Gallery from New York.
About Gillman Barracks
Set in a former military barracks dating back to 1936 and surrounded by lush tropicalgreenery, the Gillman Barracks visual arts cluster was launched in September 2012.
Gillman Barracks’ vision is to be Asia’s destination for the presentation and discussion ofinternational and Southeast Asian art. Today, Gillman Barracks is a place for art lovers,
art collectors, and those curious about art. The cluster is a focal point of Singapore’s arts
landscape, and anchors the development of visual art in the region and beyond.

Executive Director
Mizuma Sueo
Director
Fredy Chandra
General Manager
Theresia Irma
Project Manager
Marsha Tan
Designer
Yusuf Aji
Published in Singapore, 2024.
Text © Kemalezedine, Hermanto Soerjanto.
Artwork Images © Kemalezedine, Photography by Ghifari Arfan, courtesy of theartist and Mizuma Gallery.
Exhibition Views: Photography by Wong Jing Wei© 2024 Mizuma Gallery, writer, artists. All rights reserved under International
copyright conventions. No part of this leaflet may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy,
recording or any other information storage and retrieval system without priorpermission from the publisher.

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