The late Balinese artist I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih, known as Murni, is the subject of a new exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary. Her work, characterised by ultra-simple, mega-bold, and hyper-colourful paintings, serves as a testament to a life lived honestly, independently, and with unapologetic desire.
Murni, who died of ovarian cancer at age 39 in 2006, created a body of work that shrugs off societal norms. Her earlier pieces feature hybrid figures—half-plant, half-human, part-animal, part-woman—with branches growing from bare bums and heads poking out of fish bodies. The symbolism includes high heels, mermaids, fish, mirrors, eyes, and clocks, creating a surreal, ultra-feminine comic book aesthetic.
Murni was part of a small circle of artists including Mondo, Mokoh, and Totol, who shared a simple, bold approach to surreal mythical painting. However, her later work stands apart for its brazen embrace of desire and sexuality. Paintings depict pigs in bras, vaginas worshipped by kneeling figures, and couples in various sexual acts, all underscored by wristwatches and clock faces that hint at mortality.
The exhibition does not fully contextualise Murni within Indonesian art history, but this may be intentional. Murni explicitly rejected Balinese societal norms, choosing instead to live on her terms. The presentation focuses on her as a singular, independent, defiant woman, with themes of sex, dreams, and desire taking centre stage.
