Meet Pablo Gentile. A gutsy American artist who moved to Bali in the 80 to breathe art and live in the culture of this island.
Well, I am a student at New York School of Visual Arts and after graduating I traveled extensively through Europe, Africa, the Middle East, 'East and Southeast Asia. I was briefly Bali in 1973 and never really got over it. I kept still sketchbooks and journals. When I came back in the 80's from a little grass hut on the beach, I started developing these ideas into finished works.
Bali has a tradition of attracting foreign artists for over a century. Aside from the obvious beauty exotic and mystical aspects of an elaborate culture, from the perspective of an artist a lot of attraction was the magical golden light, he was bathed. The morning light was golden and thick, how it filtered through the foliage was magical. You can feel it in some of the works of Le Mayeur and other paint here around 1930 and 40. Much has been focused around Sanur and Ubud.
What is the major difference in the work in Bali today compared to when you came here in the early 80s?
The type of traveler has changed since it has developed and the international airport. Before it was not so easy to get here and mass tourism was far away. There were many interesting people who live here in the 70s and early 80s; adventurers, travelers, celebrities, writers, artists, designers, desperados, vagabonds, and surfers. For tourists, it was really on cultural tourism, which is still main attraction of the island and what sets the place apart countless tropical islands in Indonesia has to offer.
It was impossible to isolate here, you had to eat local food, and in most cases with your fingers. There were very few places with electricity, no TV, phones or air conditioning. hot water and mosquito nets were considered a luxury, and it was a long way to go for a decent margarita. To set up a studio in Bali, you had to be willing to sacrifice a lot of basic comforts and be cut off from the "real world." Night work was difficult as the lights dimmed, the sporadic and low power, if any, and mosquitoes buzz.
Getting books was difficult and they were transported, carefully read and passed around. Those of us who have lived here all created we needed; our own entertainment; theatrical events were organized, everyone does his part, we had jam music and concerts, we made our own clothes, houses, and all that went into them. We are interested in Balinese culture and part of our daily lives. Parties were free and open; not a business. The type of traveler has changed. In fact, we came here to live in the culture. For us, the greatest luxury was the simplicity of our lives here in the complexity of an ancient culture.
How is your relationship with the island affects the commissions and the work that you are able to reach the international level?
Basically my paintings are the same methods and the subjects I would everywhere. In my heart, I'm still an American artist, and I guess that's my point. Some main committees, such as working with Universal Studios, I could turn my large-scale drawings in monumental works of carved stone reliefs. This could never have been possible without the amazing skills of Balinese craftsmen were carving stone across generations. The relationship between artist and artisan in this work involves the following sculptors my hand exactly, by carving through the exact contour of scale drawings that I do. So creative things never leaves my hands.
Tell me about your current job. What would you say is the feeling and the inspiration behind the songs?
I guess its back to my old roots graffiti and comics, not really much to do with Bali specifically. I exhibiting and spend more time in the States lately, and I'm always interested in the idea of mobility across different cultures and philosophies and see my work as a way to understand how these conditions are interrelated. It is important to recognize our shared past and our relationship with our ancestors. There are different tribal elements that keep somehow jump, but there is no such tribes.
In addition to being a visual artist you are a musician and a writer. There is an elemental force, which permeates all your work, a synchronicity of wire, an urban element.
I like to keep things out of balance and nervous and find the most bland symmetry and size. My roots are in urban areas.
Being based in Bali, do you find it easier to concentrate in this environment?
ME was raised one of four children in an apartment in New York City. To do my homework there were just a lot of air to concentrate. Even now, I want to work with the TV and the sound turned down, playing music, my stray animals in the studio, and many others, what some may call distractions actually provide me with a developing means . Chaos has many dimensions, which reflect in my work. I worked in warehouses in New York, so I built a loft here using the same proportions, but using traditional materials.
sketchbooks and journals, I always kept. I used to write lyrics for music or throw them into the mixture while scrambling. A friend encouraged me to enter a poem at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival Poetry Slam last year and to my surprise, I won first prize. This year, there were some good participants in the Slam poetry. The right arm has won, it was great! This prompted me to start taking a little more seriously, so I'm still working on my second book, currently titled, "Revenge of the Buddha Chainsaw". It is a collection of short stories and poetry, and drawings made during my 30 years of travel around the world.
Which artists do you admire most?
I admire someone who has the balls to do this for a living.