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Ubud Hotels Association
| “Wandering Ripples” A solo exhibition by Rie Mandala Alila Living Gallery, Alila Ubud, 28 August to 27 September 2009 Rie Mandala was born in Fukuoka, Japan in 1978. She entered the “Okinawa University of Fine Art” in 1998 to study design. It was during her studies that she first visited Bali in 1999, instantly falling in love with the island. She eventually lived in Indonesia for a few years, first moving to Ubud in 2001, then Yogyakarta, Java where she entered the national art school Institut Seni Indonesia. In between her stays in Indonesia, she spent one year in Taiwan. Her deep attachment and ongoing relationship with Indonesia has proven to be a valuable stimulus to her creativity. Living among the artistic community in Indonesia, in particular, inspired her to re-explore a variety of mediums such as woodblock printing and Japanese calligraphy as a rediscovery of her own culture. Since 2000, Rie has held many solo and collaborative exhibitions in Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Canada and the US. She lived in Kyoto, Japan until 2008 and has now moved back to Bali, following some travelling inspiration in between to discover new ripples. Life is a collage for artist Rie Mandala. From her native country of Japan, across Asia, to Canada and the US, Rie has lived, travelled and exhibited in many lands, encountering a mix of different cultures along the way. “Wandering Ripples”, a collection of around 20 works of art, offers a glimpse into her journeys through the world, which have taken her on a search for herself. It was while studying design at Okinawa University, Japan that Rie came to the conclusion that, in order to go beyond design and follow through the whole creative process, she needed to go on a journey. She left the country she grew up in, hopping nomadically from water to water, wherever she feels compelled to go. Her first stop was Ubud in Bali, which sparked an enduring love for Indonesia. In ‘Wandering Ripples’, she explores the many doors she finds herself walking through that seem to appear without notice, mixing new cultures with her own and concentrating the elements with pure water. “How I open these doors and appreciate the worlds within is stamped directly on the art pieces which are created with found materials from each ripple.” Rie’s main medium is collage, using paper and materials she collects on her travels, particularly printed matter. This is a conscious effort on her part to recycle discarded items, creating something new from old. While Rie adopts a methodical and logical approach to the choice, positioning and consideration of the expressive quality of objects, her collaborations with foreign artists have given her a deeper understanding of foreign cultures, which is also assimilated into and uniquely expressed in her artistic process. Working with her hands and experiencing first hand daily life in foreign countries translates into Rie’s original fusion pieces – colourful, richly textured and infused with the innate spirit of her homeland. For further information, please contact: Linda Wiryani
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