It has been a while since I haven’t been inspired through an abstract art exhibition here in Bali, but I have to say, Suklu’s current exhibition did really brings me back to that feeling, excitement, emotions for Indonesian modern art.
Plenitude, colorful, spirituality, devotion, poetic, originality…are the words coming to me if I think about ‘The Sun in Nepal’.

The Exhibition ‘The Sun in Nepal’ opened on Sunday 15th of August at Komaneka Gallery on Monkey Forest road in Ubud. The show will run until September 15th.

I actually missed the ‘very busy’ opening, went the day after while it was really quiet, peaceful and chilled at Komaneka. Thus I could appreciate a contemplation of Suklu’s latest works in entire calm.

‘The Sun in Nepal’ exhibition is composed by paintings, drawings and installations.
Suklu was inspired by:
“From a height of 10km above Nepal the sun shines brightly grabbing attention in a flash. White, clean, and colorful. Breaking through cloud, touching the edge of the sky. The sun is as though hanging somewhere within the Himalayas. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief; is this the road to heaven? (19 January 2004, about to land at Tribhuvan Airport).”

Through the amazing landscape he was contemplating that day, near Nepal, a new inspiration came to him which he transposed on his canvases.
“The source of all of this is the land of Nepal that breathes brightness and spiritual clarity. I had gleaned a highly meaningful handful of sun from my spiritual quest”.

By a repetition of line and color with texture that thickens the canvas, and by contrasting these colors, Suklu creates forms representing mountains, temples, flowers, earth, steps, ponds…

“Works with plural dimensions, modern and abstract forms that have an expressionistic flavour, even figurative cynical produced by the SDI (Indonesian Studio of Gods), are rather reminiscent of the early 1970’s until the start of the 21st century.”

With ‘The Sun in Nepal’ Suklu is bringing together his Balinese roots and tradition with the discovery of a new land, a new spirituality (even he found so much similitude between both lands) all through a very contemporary and unique perspective.

Since 1992 and until now I Wayan Sujana (Suklu) has been actively exhibited nationally and internationally. He also received several Art Awards in the past few years.

C.B