The Balinese public was once surprised by the event "Mendobrak Hegemoni" (Breaking through the Hegemony), on February 2001. The core of the art exhibition and performances, done by the art students of STSI Denpasar, was a concern about the condition of visual arts in Bali. The students believed that the established artist, art critics also writers, mass media, galleries, museum, and all other art institutions have become the hegemony in Bali's art world. According to the students, such hegemony could be dangerous for the "well-being" of the art life in Bali. For them, it was a grave problem. Interestingly, however, they presented this problem by creating polemics. Thus ensued supporting and opposing arguments about the event. The mass media, both local and national, intensively covered the event and printed the heated polemical essays about it.

Gede Mahendra Yasa, or Hendra, was one of the conceptor who had conceived the breakthrough event that it was seem sought to bring together the Dada and Futurist manifestos. Hendra has been clearly interested in problems that are in oppositions with each other. With his works and thoughts, Hendra has often placed himself as an opposition against "common" matters. He believes that art must give rise to discourses.

It is also possible that two of Hendra's paintings that are exhibited in this open biennale will give rise to contradictory arguments, placing the public in the supporting or opposing position. But let us first closely follow Hendra's line of thoughts that went alongside his creative processes. There are three arguments that Hendra posed regarding the employment of a male--himself--as the subject matter for his painting. Firstly, for Hendra, his painting serves as a counter-trend against the general tendency of painters who have been using women as the object of their nude paintings. Secondly, according to him, the female shape is not varied enough; and thirdly, he thinks it is unethical to use women continually as an object for paintings.

With these three reasons in mind, we then proceed to read his paintings. Unlike some gay painters, Hendra seems to have no desire at all to view men from an erotic perspective. Neither does he follow the steps of the Renaissance painters who had depicted the body in all its splendid and perfect shape. His painting, questioning about the male body as it does, gives him the chance to explore the formal aspects of the visual arts. Hendra is obsessed with Cézanne's perspective about volumes and also admires the plays of light and shadows that were found in Rembrandt's paintings.

Naked Self Portrait can very well be the naked truth about the condition of the painter's body and soul. The nakedness of the body in the painting plays a dual role as both the interiority and the exteriority of the painting. The mental condition and the inner thoughts of the painter can be read from his unrestrained smile, and from his open and relaxed gestures. Does Hendra have a tendency to be an exhibitionist? Probably. But let us also view the painting for its formal visual aspects.

Hardiman

Born on March 6, 1967 in Singaraja.
Studied at Indonesia Arts Academy (STSI), Denpasar.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2000 "Democracies", Regional Parliament Building, Denpasar.
2001 "Breaking Hegemony", Indonesia Fine Art Academy (STSI), Denpasar; "The Contra of Bali Arts Party (PKB)", in front of Latta Mahosadi Museum, STSI, Denpasar.
2003 "Watch Out! There's a Taxu Ceremony", Gallery of Taxu Art Clinic Community, Bali.

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