Man of Color Exhibit of Balinese Artist Suryana Depicts Bright Paintings of Austria by Carolyn Chapman Yan Suryana was born and raised in Indonesia and eventually settled in Bali, drawn there by its intense and endless colors and inspired by the drama of its daily life. The self-taught artist has traveled throughout Indonesia, observing and studying its diverse cultures and customs and finding art everywhere. So why then is his current exhibition, ìYan Suryana: Distilling the Essence of Bali, Bridging Borders With a Painterís Brush,î being shown at the Austrian Embassy? ìHe has a lot of links to Austria,î said Margareta Ploder, cultural attachÈ at the Austrian Embassy. ìHe spent a few years living and traveling in Austria and he has an Austrian wife.î Ploder said that Suryanaís time in Austria and Europe had a great influence on his work, the results of which can be seen in some of the paintings on display at the embassy. ìHe began using colors that would not be used in Indonesiaócolors that he found in Austria, like winter colors.î A palette of winter grays and whites is occasionally present in Suryanaís paintings, but after viewing his work, it become s obvious that this is not what the artist is known for. His canvases are bursting with vibrant pinks, yellows, oranges, blues and greens. The people he portraysówhich are the real focal points of his paintingsówear their brightly patterned costumes proudly and passionately. Suryanaís bold, exotic, tropical colors are his trademark. He presents the Balinese peopleówomen with long, flowing black hair and men with peaceful, soulful, intelligent looks that people who live in small villages often possessóin an intimate and loving way. Suryana is respectful, almost admiring, of his Balinese people. Paintings such as ìWaiting by the Sea,î ìSelling on the Beachî and ìPlaying on the Beachîójust a few of the ones included in this exhibitionóobviously take their inspiration from Baliís near heavenly environment, and donít have much to do with often cold and snowy Austria. But othersóìTracht Wachau-Austria I,î ìTracht Wachau-Austria IIî and ìBefore Dance-Austriaîódo draw heavily on Suryanaís Austrian experiences. These three paintings show people in traditional Austrian folk costumes. The people, however, do not appear to be native Austriansótheir skin an exotic dark brown and the women wearing what look like blonde wigs. They look instead to be Balinese people transported to the Austrian countryside and surrounded by patches of Tyrolean green, wearing traditional Austrian costumes accented by bright Balinese colors. These three paintings, like all of Suryanaís works, show people very physically close to each otheróa young couple sitting on the grass, a group of girls probably helping each other get ready to go out for the evening. The central point of Suryanaís Bali paintings is not only the colors but the people, who are always holding or affectionately touching each other, or reaching out toward on another. There are rarely fewer than three people in Suryanaís paintings, and his best and biggest piecesósuch as ìHappy Selling Antiquesî and ìSanghyang Dedari Karangasemîócontain more than a dozen people. The closeness of the people in Suryanaís paintings stands out nearly as much as their brightly colored, uniquely patterned clothing and exotic headdresses. ìHappy Selling Antiquesî for instance features 17 people in a group, standing so close to each other that they are almost on top of one another. They are at an antique market but there are few antiques in sight. Instead, it is the people selling the antiquesóand gazing lovingly at each otherówho are the important element to Suryana. Suryanaís work has been shown all over Indonesia and Austria over the past 25 years, and this marks only his second show in America. With winter finally coming to an end, looking at Suryanaís paintingsówith their passionately bright colors, bowls of flowers and inviting beachesócan make you forget that it was even here. ìYan Suryana: Distilling the Essence of Bali, Bridging Borders With a Painterís Brushî runs through April 8 at the Embassy of Austria, 3524 International Court NW. For more information, please call (202) 895-6770 or visit www.austria.org. Carolyn Chapman is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.