I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih (IGAK Murni)

Indonesia

I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih (Murni) (1966-2006) painted her pains and fantasies with humour and honesty: sharp objects piercing through erotic body parts, or animals and vegetation morphing into alien-like creatures.

In her world, female subjects unabashedly embrace pleasure; amorphous, grotesque bodies transform from passive to active; and exaggerated erotic body parts appear alive and, at times, sacred.

Together, her works paint a striking picture of an artist breaking free — from social convention, from the demands of the art world, from the pain of a difficult past and from the stereotypes of what a woman, a Balinese, and an artist could create.