MANGU PUTRA

In creating, Mangu Putra believes in absolute freedom in aesthetic expression. Even though the works of Mangu Putra possess certain distinctive characteristics, the artist seldom abides by one style of painting —abstract, realistic, figurative. Painting to him is more importantly, a process of self-discovery and capturing of the spiritual essence of nature.

Mangu Putra’s preferred choice of subject includes mountains, the wilderness, waters and fish, all of which point to a love of nature. These elements serve as metaphors in his commentary on the state of the natural environment and humanity.

‘If I had to choose one theme tying all my works together, it would be nature. I truly love nature, not because of its beauty but because nature contains something awe-inspiring, a strength which words can never be enough to express.

There is something in nature that cannot be perceived but whose presence can be keenly felt...All of my creative work is at base an attempt to capture, reveal, and translate this “something” into a visual-aesthetic language’

• Mangu Putra ( ‘Nature, Culture, Tension’, 2000)

Courtesy Gajah Gallery