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I GUSTI AYU KADEK MURNIASIH

Born in 1966 in Tabanan, Bali, I Gusti Kadek Ayu Murniasih or Murni, was

the tenth child of a farmer. She received no institutional art training and had

only a very basic formal education. By 2005 however, she was lauded as

“the brightest star to emerge from the male-dominated Balinese art world.”

(Bianpoen, 2007)

Her artistic life straddled the Suharto era and the ensuing period of Reformasi,

which saw calls for greater openness in Indonesian society. Suharto-era

ideology on accepted feminine behaviour was loosely formed around the sense

that women should be free to pursue their ambitions, but still be ever-mindful

of their domestic roles as wives, mothers and keepers of the household. While

Murni did not self-identify as a feminist icon, her aggressively sexual works

and the reception to them have been identified by art historians as a key entry-

point into the Balinese female psyche.

Murni’s life was punctuated with trauma - she was raped as a child by her

father and worked as a domestic helper at the young age of 10. After a period

of living outside Bali, she returned to her birthplace and got married. When

Murni’s husband indicated that he might take on a second wife after she

turned out to be barren, she initiated divorce proceedings; arguably the first

woman in Bali to ever do so.

She eventually studied art under the tutelage of I Dewa Putu Mokoh, a pioneer

of the Pengosekan style of painting in Bali and her works, with their linear two-

dimensional qualities, demonstrate the influence of her teacher’s style. Murni’s

interpretation however “turns Mokoh’s lines into harsher delineations of the image

of women … her paintings blurring the distinction between a global pop sensitivity

and Balinese linearity.” (Vickers, 2012)

Murni’s career was abruptly cut short with her untimely death in 2006 from cancer,

at the relatively young age of 39, but art historical investigations continue into her

body of work which was both ahead of its time and deeply personal.

PAIN AND PLEASURE -I GUSTI AYU KADEK MURNIASIH

Installation view of I GAK Murniasih’s works at Shaping Geographies: Art | Woman | Southeast

Asia, 2019

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SUARA/ RASA PERUT (GUT FEELING)1999, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 150 X 100 CM

The high-heeled shoe, a ubiquitous representation of femininity, is one hallmark of Murni’s practice. Vertiginous and sharp, they encapsulate the many paradoxes associated with femininity. Shoes are objects of desire, yet often cause the wearer pain. They are both strident expressions of womanhood as well as symbols of patriarchal expectations of what a ‘properlydressed’ lady should look like - her discomfort be damned. Coupled with Murni’s own Balinese heritage, to which such accoutrements were traditionally foreign, this work invites a deeper questioning on the artist’s intent. Is this a fancy shoe, or a symbol of oppression?

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BERDANDAN (PUTTING ON MAKE UP)2002, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 74.5 X 74.5 CM

The female ritual of putting on make-up has been reduced here by Murni to a lowly and base act performed by animals. While the artist expresses, on the one hand, a kind of disgust for patriarchal norms on feminine appearance, her use of the pig also alludes to her Balinese roots. A crudely-scrawled ‘LV’ on the lipstick references both crass consumerism and the artist’s own naïve artistic style. The pig, while a particularly repugnant creature in Muslim ideology, does not carry similar negative associations in Balinese - Hindu society, and can sometimes be found in the work of Balinese contemporary artists as a metaphor for the culturalchasm between Bali and the rest of Indonesia.

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KENIKMATANKU 27 (MY PLEASURE 27)1998, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS,100 X 50 CM

Soft womanly thighs are pierced with a pair of scissors, except that there is no blood or wounded flesh here, nor are there overt displays of gore or suffering. Rather, the viewer is left with a hint of what might be. So many questions emerge. Are the woman’s thighs bloodied on the inside? Why has she allowed herself to be treated so? Yet the implied brutality comes with a silver lining. The object which pierces her thighs now protrudes phallically from under her pelvis, acting as a newly-formed weapon or barrier.

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“What is this? A cartoonist with a shoe-fetish? An Italian shoe factory’s creative new campaign in Asia? A code language that only the initiates of an unknown secret society understand? No, no, no. What’s up is Murni.” Astri Wright, 1997/ 1998

“The symbolism and style of Murniasih’s body of work can be traced to her deep roots in Balinese culture …. Like (her teacher) Mokoh, Murniasih was also interested in depicting the ordinary, everyday life but with female subjectivity.” Wulandani Dirgantoro, 2019

“Perhaps local male viewers of Murni’s works dismiss the sensual paintings as pornography. This is but another way of entirely missing the point, of denigrating her art, and continuing to keep a lid on women’s inherent freedom to paint their own experience.” Astri Wright, 1997/ 1998

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TALI KBKU DI CAPLOK IKAN DALAM MIMPI (A FISH IS PINCHING MY BIRTH CONTROL DEVICE IN A DREAM)1999, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 150 X 50 CM

The pretty pastel shades and clean lines of this work offer a sharp contrast to the pain that underscores it. A large pink fish dangles happily from unmentionable parts, imbuing the painting with a feeling of surreal discordance, a reminder of the dark trauma of Murni’schildhood rape. The title of the work adds an ironic counterpoint, as Murni herself was reportedly unable to bear children.

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KEAJAIBAN MIMPI (THE MAGIC OF DREAMS)2000, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 150 X 50 CM

A pink female breast metamorphosises into a high- heeled shoe while an arm curves upwards out of it, pointing gracefully into elongated fingers set against a grid-like backdrop. The surreal dreamlike quality of Murni’s works has long been an object of fascination for commentators. Her fixation with curvature and the organic blending of one object into another demonstrates an irrepressible sense of freedom, one that is not confined by rigid societal, religious or moral codes.

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MR PABLITO2003, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 152 X 101 CM

These whimsical felines throw down the gauntlet in challenging gender norms. They wear high-heeled shoes but come complete with penile protuberances. Are they man or beast? Male or female? Is the red phallus ejaculating, bleeding or sweating? No one can tell for sure. The theme of the darkly-comical and grotesque feminine is a recurrent one in Murni’s works, a “celebration of feminine power (which) lies in the works that employ humour and laughter in juxtaposition.” (Dirgantoro, 2014).

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“..does Murni, Bali’s young painter star from the village of Pengosekan, Ubud, warrant the name of a female pornographer and sophisticated pervert, and should her work be thrown away in the garbage of art? Some would think so, and Murni has indeed incurred the wrath ofthe ladies of the charity tours for sin of bad taste and morality: her works must not be shown to children, they threaten husbands and the population at large ...” Jean Couteau, 2005

“The strengths lie in the freshness and individuality of the visions as they are translated into the group of themes she likes to paint from different angles. These strengths are evident to anyone with the ability to communicate with art beyond the level of the price-tag. Murni paints images which her subconscious and imagination offer up during sleeping and waking dreams.” Astri Wright, 1997/ 1998

“Just three weeks before her death, Murni reminisced about her early days as a farmer’s daughter. ‘After cleaning the cows, which was part of my daily routine, I used to look for leaves to scratch on. I didn’t have any pen or paper but I still had an indefinable urge to sketch.’” Carla Bianpoen, c. 2006

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UNTITLED2004, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 60 X 100 CM

Few things come close to being as ‘strange’ as a work depicting fellatio in such a graphically nuanced way. Produced shortly before the artist’s death in 2006 from cancer, the female figure here performs the subordinate sexual act, but from a position of physical dominance, on top of the male. The work calls for an unflinching gaze as equality is merely hinted at, only becoming apparent upon close and detailed examination. It also upends Balinese classical conventions that a man’s head should always be more elevated than a woman’s during intercourse (Dirgantoro, 2014).

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UNTITLED2001, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 150 X 100 CM

The roots of Murni’s sexual frankness can be found in her background and upbringing. Having relocated to South Sulawesi at a very young age and having only received formal education till the age of 12, her artistic sensibilities were not informed by the rigorous structures of the banjar or by the usual aesthetic influences of Balinese society. In the absence of formal art training, she fails also to qualify for the title of being ‘modern’ - not having questioned or challenged existing artistic norms. Rather, as Couteau notes, her creativity “occurs spontaneously, from her ‘lack of education’ and formal norms - social, ‘moral’ and visual.” Her ideas are unfiltered, fresh and searingly real.

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“As Murni launched herself with pen and brush at the discovery of her expressing self, sexuality became unrecognisable, yet ever present, constantly hovering between symbol and reality, innocence and violence. A painter was born. By 1995, there was already word in Bali that a girl was making strange paintings.” Jean Couteau, 2016

“Well-thinking ladies, boring moralisers and other low-thinking defendants of the soul of nations, quiet down and rest your anger. Murni is no moral danger. Her works won’t take husbands to the alleys of shame. They are simply moments of joy and candid liberty.” Jean Couteau, 2005

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UNTITLED1999, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 200 X 50 CM

The Pengosekan style of painting closely associated with Murni’s teacher I Dewa Putu Mokoh, is well-known for its use of earthy tones and gentle pastel colours in its depiction of plants and flowers. Brown tones and organic plant-like growths make an appearance in this work, but Murni’s renderings see them juxtaposed against geometric forms and bright swashes of blue and white. The result is clownlike and naive, but also deeply sensitive in its marriage of phallic forms, curved hips and feminine shoes.

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“In Murni’s works, painting acts like masturbation. In an environment where sex becomes an obsession as well as commodity, a woman’s body is worshipped to the extent that she is trapped within a passive narcissist prison.” Farah Wardani, 2003

MENBUATKU TELELAP (MAKING ME FALL ASLEEP)2000, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 70 X 30 CM

The influence of I Dewa Putu Mokoh, Murni’s long-time teacher, is evident in the artist’s work here. Mokoh was a pioneer of the Pengosekan style of Balinese painting, which is well-known for its depictions of wildlife and nature in a flat two-dimensional plane. Mokoh himself produced experimental paintings which were a “gentlecommentary on domestic life that involve(d) simple forms and pastel colours” (Vickers, 2012). While the remnants of Pengosekan and Mokoh’s tutelage are evident in the strong linear elements of Murni’s painting, her points of deviation are clear. Murni’s colours are loud,and her depictions of female sexuality, aggressive and frank.

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“She was the most incredible and creative of the 3 of us.”

Edmondo Zanolini, on Murni when she painted together with him and pioneering Balinese artist I Dewa Putu Mokoh.

EDUCATION1995 Studied at Sanggar Seniwati Gallery; Self-taught Artist

SOLO EXHIBITIONS2019 “I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih - On Beginnings”, Gajah Gallery Yogyakarta2016 “Celebrating Murni”, Sudakara Art Space2003 “Interpelation”, CP Open Biennale, National Gallery, Jakarta2002 Numthong Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand2001 Internet Gallery, Japan2000 Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta, Indonesia “Fantasi Tubuh”, Nadi Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia “Fantasi Tubuh, Lingkar Becik Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia Estro Gallery Padova, Italy1998 Nokia Gallery, Fringe Club, Hongkong1996 “Unveiling the Goddess”, Museum Puri lukisan, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia Stand Bar, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia1995 Sanggar Seniwati Gallery, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

GROUP EXHIBITIONS2019 Shaping Geographies: Art | Woman | Southeast Asia, Gajah Gallery, Singapore “Sea Breeze”, Biennale Jogja, Hong Kong Pavilion “Contemporary Worlds: Indonesia”, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia “Balinese Masters: Aesthetic DNA Trajectories of Balinese Visual Art”, Jl. Kawasan Nusa Dua Resort, Bali, Indonesia “Dunia Dalam Berita”, Museum Macan, Jakarta, Indonesia “Bongkar Gudang #1 XOXO”, RUBANAH Underground Hub, Menteng, Indonesia2018 “MEDIUM @ PLAY”, Gajah Gallery, Singapore2017 “DOMESTICITY VI” Kayu, Bali, Indonesia2016 “Afterwork”, Ilham Gallery with Para Site Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia2014 “TO THE YOUNG GENERATION: A POTPOURRI OF THE CONTEMPORARY”, OHD Museum, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia2005 “Historiografi Seni Rupa Bali” (Historiography of Bali Fine Arts), Summit Event Bali Biennale, Bali, Indonesia ‘Lifestyles”, Danes Art Veranda, Denpasar, Indonesia2004 Art Summit 4, National Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia “Tamarind: In Pursuit of Identity”, Nava Art Gallery, Bali, Indonesia “Merahnya Merah”, Nadi Gallery, Jakarta2003 “Kado”, Nadi Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia “Interpelation”, CP Open Biennale, National Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia Galeri Cipta Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta, Indonesia “All You Need is Love”, Nadi Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia2002 “Sepuluh Perempuan Pelukis”, 80 years of Tamansiswa, Taman Budaya, Yogyakarta, Indonesia2001 Sky Door Art Place Doyama, Tokyo, Japan “Perempuan dan Diseminasi Makna Ruang”, National Gallery, Jakarta “Membaca Frida Kahlo”, Nadi Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia2000 Group Exhibition of the SENIWATI at Gallery Cipta II, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta, Indonesia1999 Group Exhibition of the SENIWATI at Nusantara Rain Forest, Vegal Park, Walarode, Germany Duet exhibition with Nyoman Masriadi, Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta, Indonesia “Knalpot”, inaugural show of Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta, Indonesia1998 Group Exhibition, Rudana Museum, Mas, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia