The Language of Wonder

THE LANGUAGE OF WONDER

Botanical Art Exhibition by:

Amalia Firman and Tatiana Efimova

17 December 2022 – 15 January 2023

Opening on 17 December 2022 at 5 pm

A collaborative exhibition of two botanical artists from Indonesia and Belarus who express their art with different mediums yet shared similar love and appreciation for plants and flowers.

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The conception of a piece of art does not begin merely at the moment when the pencil or the brush hits the paper. Instead, the awe that is inspired as an artist observes and contemplates an object is what drives them to carry out their creative effort. It is as if the subject of the painting sends a message to the artist, leading them to try and decipher the wonder that they felt and push them to create. Recent years have forced us to turn inwards to ourselves and our proximities, noticing the poetry contained in the seemingly banal proceedings of the day. Flowers in our neighbourhoods started to shimmer with the light of the sunrise which we had not noticed to be so intense and important. We began to think of the warm memories shared with loved ones and it fuelled our day. I am convinced that the beauty in life appears only when we pay attention and are ready to try and understand the language of wonder.

This spirit is contained in this exhibition that celebrates the existence of the plants around us which have offered their consolations through the sheer beauty of their existence. The exhibition is conceived through a collaboration between two artists, Amalia Firman and Tatiana Efimova, who have worked in different fields and painted different subjects but felt called to depict the beauty of plants. The artists were compelled by their shared love of plants and their instant friendship to stage this exhibition. Through Tania’s and Amalia’s eyes and hands, we are invited to peek into the glory contained within the floral kingdom.

The differences in the medium used by the artists exemplify the various opportunities to channel the astonishment felt as they translate their plant subjects into artwork. Whether it is through Amalia’s meticulous and precise layers of coloured pencils or Tania’s masterful control of watercolour, we are directed to exercise our attention to the plants’ forms and colours. My hope is that the visitors will realise that the artworks exhibited are mere renditions of the plant found around us. Perhaps we can pause the next time we pass a flower and give it the attention it deserves in a way that is meaningful to us personally. And may we use our different languages to tell about it.

Let us celebrate the dazzling world of plants.

Let us celebrate the consoling gift of friendship.

Let us celebrate the broadening of our language through art.

Written by Farid Hamka

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ARTIST PROFILES

Amalia Firman a Balinese-based artist who appreciates culture, people, and everyday mundane life.  Botanical art is one of her ways to express art within her as she is also passionate about photography.   She published a photography book and has written children’s books, illustrating the breadth of her talent.  She is a co-founder of CEVA Bali, an organization that among other things works with local artists to bring high-quality artisanal items into the market.

Her appreciation of plants came early as she helped to sketch for her mother’s fancy embroideries. Mesmerized not only by the colours and shapes of plants but also by a plant’s biological strategy to survive and flourish.

Tatiana Efimova was born in Minsk, where she graduated from the Academy of Arts. Since 2015 Tatiana has been living in Bali. A graphic and web designer by vocation, she is gradually shifting her focus to be a full-time painter. She is fascinated by the lush tropical nature and the rich culture and traditions of Bali, thus making these the theme of the majority of her body of work.

She is especially attracted to flowers, which she sees as having their own unique soul. The use of flowers in Balinese rituals has also made them a window for her to better understand the abstract spirituality of the culture. Her solo exhibition, The Secret Life of Plants and Paradise Found, which took place in Ubud this year, celebrates the visible and invisible beauty of flowers that have been an object of her life.