Whose Canvas: Basugiart

Basugiart started painting after meeting a Javanese painter on one fine night in Kuta. As a former beach boy, his earlier life was important in his artistic journey, triggering the birth of his creative works. He now often plays with human faces in his art which becomes a platform to channel his personal thoughts about social reality.
Initially, you were a ‘beach boy’ who loved surfing. How did you then become an artist?
Initially, I met someone at a bar in Kuta in 1998. He was Rahmansyah, a painter from Surabaya. He taught me painting techniques, and he supported me to become a painter as well. For about two or three years, I painted together with him. Then he left for Malang and Surabaya and I continued here.
What are the things that inspire you to create your works?
Differences in the characters, customs and cultures of the natives and foreigners, as well as people’s statuses like drug users, prostitutes, beggars, criminals and others.
Why do you choose human faces as your objects?
I just love it because the face is a window of a person’s psychological reality.
In your paintings, the faces have undue anatomy. Is there any particular purpose of such depictions?
There is no specific purpose, just how I create something in artistic forms and the effects thereof.
So, since when did you start painting faces?
Since 2001. There’s been about 2,000 paintings that I made since then. These works have been collected by several collectors from Europe.
In general, what do you want to convey through your ongoing solo exhibition?
That the differences and deficiencies are beautiful, and it’s how we are addressing the differences and deficiencies that makes us special.