Artist A.P Gentile first visited Bali in the early 70’s, on a trip around the world, in between high school and university. After finishing his studies at the prestigious New York School of Visual Arts he went on to Japan to further his studies in Japanese brush drawing and martial arts.

It was during one of his vacations from Japan he decided to set up a studio on the beach and start painting in Bali. What ensued was a full time relationship with the island and a lifetime of creativity that spans many disciplines and media. Known internationally for his paintings and sculpture, designs in silver, fashion design, textile, and architectural design, he is also a regular contributor to this magazine as a photographer and travel writer. His paintings and sculptures have been exhibited internationally and appear in collections the world over.

Villa & Yacht caught up with the artist, in his domain, for a drink and a chat. The studio is a large sky lit space, work tables are covered with projects in progress; half built sculptures in steel, stone and wood are in the process of emerging, the walls are covered with paintings in various stages of completion. In the next room we find his office/ library and architecture studio, which is flanked by a room full of computers and technicians busily drafting up blueprints from the sketches he has given them.

Concepts arise from his drafting table for what appears to be a landscape design dotted with sculptures, fountains and dominated by a huge waterfall.

Villa & Yacht (V&Y): How did you come to have your studio here in Bali? Pablo Gentile (PG): I designed a line of products for a Japanese company in Osaka that brought in monthly residuals. I realized that if I was careful, the money could be enough to find a place on the beach and set up a studio in Bali and live out my Gauguin fantasies. This was the early 80’s and it was possible to live here very cheaply. Around that time a fashion designer friend in New York encouraged me to put my paintings onto shirts and fabrics for home furnishings. It seemed like blasphemy at first but I gave it a try. I organized a group of painters in Ubud to copy my paintings onto cotton which became the basis for shirts, and later a collection of women’s sportswear. In no time we were rolling out miles of hand painted fabrics. When I finally settled into Bali after 10 years of bouncing around the Orient I decided to build a place that would have all of the open work space of my old lofts and still reflect the order in the Zen like spaces I came to love from my time in Japan. In 1988 I took a piece of land in Seminyak and built a basic studio.

V&Y: Aside from your painting and sculpture what other projects you are currently involved in? PG: At the moment I am working on a hotel project in Cyprus, designing landscape features in stone, a few large relief carvings, fountains, and 15 sculptures in stone. Plus what I feel is the largest sculpture I have ever done, in the form of an eight metre by seventeen metre waterfall. It will incorporate some carving, and be a blend of architectural and sculptural elements. I am also designing a beach house for some land in Tabanan – West Bali, and finishing a series of paintings for a project in Cannes.

V&Y: What effect has living in Asia had on your work? PG: This latest series of paintings are based on a lot of imagery that is ‘oriental’ in spirit, colour and nature. Recent work draws from certain esoteric aspects of eastern religion and mythology. Lately I have been working closely with a Feng Shui specialist, and incorporating those principals into my architectural work has led me to use it in how I arrange my paintings.

For a deeper insight into Mr. Gentile’s creations visit the Franklin Lee Gallery, Jl. Laksmana, Seminyak, Bali, or see www.siliconjungle.net/gentile or www.art-instone.com e-mail:  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it