WHOSE CANVAS: Aboedt

Kadek Rudiantara, or better known as Aboedt, is a self-taught Balinese artist who hails from the village of Mas in Ubud. It all started off as a ‘fad’, but he is now an active painter; all thanks to the power of social media which has helped him a lot in his journey.
How did it start?
When I was a kid, I liked to doodle and create arty things. However, it was only half a year ago that I started painting seriously. It all started from paper. As a result, I took the pictures and put them on my social media. There were many responses coming, and it gave me more reasons to create better works. And honestly, the virtual world is indeed what makes me feel more enthusiastic about creating art. I’m self-taught, so I never learned to create art, even after I found my own style. Since then, I have become more active in creating art. There is no day without painting.
What do you paint?
Most of my works focus on women. I like to paint women as they are beautiful, and they also have a strong appeal. I love to paint monsters or giants. Sometimes, I love to depict the symbols of divinity. I also love to create paintings that are based on signatures. From the signature of my friends, I would respond it with stripes, and that collection of signatures would then become a masterpiece.
What is your style?
My painting style is a kind of decorative expressionism. It is a development of the traditional Balinese style which is responded with my own style.
And what about the coloring?
There’s no special meanings in the colors I use. For me, those colors are part of decoration, and they enhance the beauty of my art.
What is your art characteristic?
My characteristics lie on the ornaments and decorations in my works. The Balinese touch looks thick, but it flows freely like water. They seem unbalanced, but they actually complement each other.