Sinta Tantra’s (b. 1979, United States) is highly regarded for her murals and installations, characterised by bold, tropical colours and Calder-like minimalism inspired by her Balinese childhood and interest in Bauhaus. She says: “I like to think of my work as occupying a space between painting and architecture, striking a balance between the two and three dimensions.”
While the bird of paradise in this painting may not be indigenous to Bali, Sintra explains that she sees “this beautiful creature as a metaphor for my own identity. I have recently been drawn to moments or signifiers between the East and West and the bird of paradise came to represent all this cultural history and these contemporary issues around colonisation since it was sold and traded from the 16th century.”
A British artist of Balinese descent, Tantra graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art, London in 2003 and the Royal Academy of Arts in 2006. She began her career by producing pieces composed of intricately cut vinyl and painted designs. Reflection, symmetry and exotic motifs are common in her works.