Exclusive Painting Exhibition & The Launching Book of Dadan Gandara

Posted at 2010-06-29

MEDAPRADA ART GALLERY
Book Launch “TROPIS” by Dadan Gandara and
Painting Exhibition in collaboration with Harry Darsono Foundation the Central Park-Experience Centre,
on 15th January 2011

Visiting Dadan
Exploring Nature and Our “Self”

This solo exhibition sponsored by Medaprada Art Gallery, represent a solemn ritual involving nature and our heart.

The painting exhibition in January 2011 at the Central Park in West Jakarta focuses on a classic issue in art history, i.e. transferring a painter's sensual perception and subjective perspective about nature onto canvas. Ars Imitatur Naturam, a Latin expression meaning arts imitate nature.

Experts and art historians say that Dadan’s mimetic concepts are his efforts to transfer forms and physical perceptions of nature onto his canvas. Dadan uniquely processes forms that go beyond one’s daily experience - especially for us living in urban areas - showing a distance caused by our restless lives in cramped spaces.

Apart from that, Dadan added various personal elements creating representations of nature in all of its flawless beauty.

Essentially, Dadan encourages us to look into our inner selves, to reflect upon the meaning of natural beauty and the unpretentious happiness of villagers as an interlude to soothe our minds .

Intimacy with the Village Women

Looking at the village women, Dadan is presenting humans in their ability to enjoy happiness. An expression often lost to us through the bustle of daily life, that we forget to appreciate.

Observe them in their typical garb, with sincere smiles and honest looks on their faces. Created realistically with appropriate technical skills, he engages us in a conversation about the burdenless balanced rural life.

The idyllic market scenes with vendors interacting intimately with their buyers, a wooden bridge and bustling morning scenes, all maintaining a peaceful atmosphere. The rice storage, houses, and figures of farmer families struggling for their livelihood, yet bearing expressions of joy and happiness in going through life with optimism.

Nature and the Village Spirit

The village scenes Dadan presents on his canvases emphasize harmony. The positions and proportions of rivers, mountains, paddy fields, and village roads convey his peaceful mind affecting us deeply.

Through Dadan’s paintings we can easily grasp the meaning of devout gratitude, through his colors yellow, brown, and green converging neatly on the vast paddy fields, the farm animals, and harvest scenes.
Today Dadan's paintings seem to take us on a spiritual pilgrimage along nature and in our heart.