Vibrant – Living in Gallery
with Wayan Januariawan / Donal

I Wayan Januariawan, or Donal as he is so fondly called, is known for following the tradition of plein-air painting, or simply painting outdoors, to achieve the utmost accuracy in landscape paintings. For ‘Living in Gallery’ Donal understood that he had a different playing field, which was the walls of Komaneka Gallery’s airy second floor and the multiple canvases laid out before him.

Beginning his residency at the start of the new year, Donal proudly came out with a new sense of self as seen through ‘Vibrant’. The series of paintings and installations were done within 24 hours, split between 2 consecutive days, and all produced on-site at Komaneka Gallery.

Much of his process was inspired by the isolation he had experienced during the pandemic as Donal was unable to do what he liked the most; going outside to paint. With a lot of self contemplation, this residency marked his choice to use nature as a source of inspiration instead of a direct visual reference. Channeling the heliconia, one of his biggest inspirations that evokes the tropical Balinese gardens around him, he says “the shade of green, red and yellow predominately became the colour of my impressions. Although not visible, the heliconia has shaped my paintings.”

In the gallery also sits a large field of sand which he’s sifted and coloured himself. Titled ‘9 Directions’ and is made up of 9 stones, sand, and rocks that he found himself. He says that these objects “represented my feelings, thoughts and artistic expression. To remind us that balance and harmony can be attained when each aspect is represented in their own direction.” This installation is his favorite as it is something he hasn’t explored since his college years. Accidentally one of his professors was the Balinese painter Suklu who has also participated in Living in Gallery a few months before and presented both paintings and installation pieces.

Through Living in Gallery he’s used the time to pursue a side he’s never painted, the landscape of his inner world. And yet, it ceased to amaze him that there is still an ability to create the same vibrancy and colours from within himself; “During my process I shared my message with my own way of expression. With colour and a different practice to create an optimistic moment as we welcome a new year.”

January 4, 2022
Sri Pande W