Childhood Memories Shown Through Plush Dolls Suanjaya Kencut Solo Exhibition ‘Beyond the Wall’

[Seoul Cultural Today, Reporter Kim Yeon-sin] A solo exhibition by Suanjaya Kencut (b. 1994), based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, will be held. Gana Art will host Suanjaya Kencut’s solo exhibition ‘Beyond the Wall’ at Gana Art Hannam from July 13 to 28.

**As a Medium: Plush Dolls**

The artist, Suanjaya Kencut, who spent his childhood in Bali, Indonesia, presents works using plush doll characters created from historical, cultural, and religious resources experienced during his upbringing. From painting to sculpture, his diverse media works are showcased in this exhibition. Suanjaya Kencut will present the series **”Beyond the Wall”**, which serves as a sort of memoir capturing his personal memories and experiences related to the walls surrounding the traditional village of Natah in Bali, from his childhood to his youth.

Kencut has developed his unique artistic world using plush doll characters with large eyes made from buttons. His dolls are inspired by the large puppet masks of Barong, a traditional performance in Bali. The vibrant and intense colors and patterns of the dolls are derived from traditional motifs painted on fabrics decorating the temples in his hometown of Bali. The artist chose buttons as the material to express the eyes of the dolls, which he believes are ‘windows to the soul.’ This choice reflects his hope that buttons, like how they connect different pieces of fabric, will serve as a medium connecting him with the viewers.

**The artist views the act of painting as a form of meditation, focusing on detailed expressions such as the doll’s fur and the folds of the fabric. While the dolls in his works are depicted with delicate and realistic detail, other structures and backgrounds are painted in monochromatic planes to make the dolls stand out more. This composition often evokes the feeling of a puppet show. In fact, the artist likened the relationship between the dolls in his works and himself to that between Wayang Kulit, a traditional Indonesian puppet, and its master (the person who manipulates the puppet behind the shadows). Furthermore, the artist believes that an ideal attitude towards life should be found in the purity of a child’s perspective. For him, the pure memories of childhood serve as the primary material for his work, conveying a hopeful message about living a positive life through the dolls.

**To the Village of Natah in Bali…**

The newly presented **”Beyond the Wall”** series is a record of personal experiences related to the walls surrounding the traditional village of Natah in Bali, where the artist was born and raised. This series visually unravels the memories and experiences hidden behind the walls, showing the close relationship between the artist and his friends, family, and the natural environment of Bali, transcending physical boundaries.

The exhibited works **”Take a Line #1 (Go to Temple)”** and **”Take a Line #2 (Back to Temple)”** depict scenes of villagers bustling and gathering at Pura, the sacred temple where village ceremonies are held. In his childhood, Kencut, along with family and friends, would gather between the temple walls, waiting their turn to enter and exit. This is connected to the rituals performed before reaching Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, the highest deity of Indonesian Hinduism, in the temple. The narrow passageways of the temple, intentionally designed to narrow to allow only one person at a time, are depicted as a way to shed worldly anxieties before meeting the highest deity.

In **”Like Seeing a Monster (Ogoh-Ooh Parade)”**, the artist depicts his experience of the annual Ogoh-Ogoh Parade held in the village. The scene captures young Kencut and his friends, feeling fear from the loud traditional Balinese gamelan music and the approaching crowd, hiding behind a wall. The procession of enormous figures symbolizing the evil Bhuta Kala appears to them as gigantic monsters. The walls surrounding Natah sometimes made him feel the suffocation of lacking a personal space for reflection. Therefore, as depicted in **”No More Space #1″** and **”No More Space #2″**, he would retreat to a corner of the crowded wall to indulge in daydreams and contemplation.

In this exhibition, the artist uses the village walls that were always present during his growth as a motif to capture his experiences and memories on the canvas. The walls serve as a dual entity that both protects and isolates the artist, providing solace within a solid community while also evoking feelings of loneliness. As shown in the works, the walls represent not just physical boundaries but also a symbol of deep bonds, camaraderie, friendship, solitude, and love, intertwining various emotional narratives and personal history. Through the medium of dolls, the artist brings forth fragmented memories, recollections, and perhaps nostalgic elements onto the canvas.

A Gana Art representative stated, “We hope this exhibition not only illuminates the artist’s life journey but also emphasizes the value of the profound connections between humans, the environment, and the community, providing an opportunity for reflection on the true essence of life beyond the solid walls.”

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Reporter: Kim Yeon-shin

Original Source: Seoul Culture Today