I Made Gunawan (Indonesia)

The Tree of Life / 2013 / acrylic on canvas / 150cm×130cm

Appreciation: The tree of life is a theme commonly seen in art creation. In Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome and Hebrew civilizations, the worship to the tree of life remains for centuries. The tree of Life is regarded as the incarnation of Mother Earth, and tree branches symbolize the reproduction of human descendants. Indonesian artist I Made Gunawan’s acrylic painting The Tree of Life combines the worship to tree of life from history with the awareness of environmental concerns, appealing to people to cherish forests and protect natural environment. On the green background of the painting, there is a tree with stout trunk and luxuriant foliage bound up with straw ropes, which is fully laden with countless tiny male and female figures dancing to music and clambering over the branches, making the leaves fallen.（Wang Yong）

I Made Gunawan was born in Tabanan in 1973. He graduated from the Art Institute of Indonesia. Now he is a freelance artist. He has participated in the 4th Beijing International Art Biennale, 2010 and held many solo exhibitions.