Published 2019 jan-june

Published June, 2019

Bali-Bhutan Art Exchange Project

Wealth of tradition for a global world

While Bali and Bhutan have very different histories, both places have managed to maintain core elements of their traditional culture despite the onslaught of external influences. Bhutan is of course far more insulated than Bali so the challenges of maintaining socio-cultural standards have been different, but the extent to which the traditions of these two places continue to be practiced is remarkable in both cases.

One of the things Bhutan and Bali share in common is the relationship between art and spirituality or religion. Like Bali, art in Bhutan was -until relatively recently, always intimately tied to religious practices, with Buddhist monasteries also serving as art schools. In Bali, not monasteries but religious needs were the focus of art production.

Also, like Bali, traditional painting in Bhutan is extremely detailed, with a distinct visual lexicon of motifs, figures, and compositional dictates which all relate to the particular philosophies of these two places, and were taught through a long process of imitating masters. In fact, owing to their shared background of Buddhist influence, some Balinese and Bhutanese traditional patterns also resemble one another.

Apart from the visual similarities, and perhaps more importantly, it is in the general approach to art-making that we can see how the fertile ground of tradition nourishes contemporary works. Today, art in both these places is created outside of the strict dictates of tradition with young artists, of course, free to explore and express a much wider range of themes, subjects, and styles. However, both the visual and thematic influence of tradition very often inform the works of artists from both these places.

The impact of traditional culture on contemporary artworks and the creative freedom afforded to artists today is apparent in the exhibition that recently took place at Arma Museum (July 2-7, 2019). Bali-Bhutan Art Exchange Project is the latest in a series of art exchange projects organized by Bali-based Javanese artist Antonius Kho, bringing together artists from Indonesia and other nations of the world to share their vision and practices in each other countries. These exchanges have taken place in over 15 countries, including Malaysia, Korea, the Philippines, China, and Laos.

Like the other exchange projects, Bali-Bhutan Art Exchange Project involved visiting artists from Bhutan spending a week in Bali, taking part in an exhibition, and discovering this island and its culture (and the reverse will take place next month).

Indonesian artists Antonius Kho, I Made Somadita, I Ketut Jaya (Kaprus), and Holly Noor Lia hosted Bhutanese artists Gyempo Wangchuck, Pasang Dema Karma Doma Teshering, Kama Wangdi in Bali, visiting traditional Balinese painters in Kamasan, the ancient village of Tenganan and other cultural strongholds of the island together.

“It was really inspiring to see the wealth of different arts that are so much part of the landscape here. It reminded me a bit of Bhutan and made me realize how much potential there is back home to draw on our art traditions to create contemporary works. I feel a renewed vitality about standing strong in my traditional culture and building on this heritage of creative expression”, explained Karma Doma Tshering.

The group exhibition at Arma featured works by all 8 Art Exchange participants including the stunning contemporary interpretations of classic Bhutanese style paintings by Gyempo Wangchuck. This young artist who trained for 6 years in this style of painting, has been expanding the visual lexicon, and global reach of this foundation to create powerful artworks. He combines the refined detail, symmetrical composition, and philosophical themes of traditional Bhutanese painting using the same techniques and even the natural pigments of old, with a more contemporary graphic style, breaking up the visual space, and addressing universal human experiences in a language that reaches beyond the confines of his own culture.

Pasang Dema’s works appear far more modernist with large color swatches and more widely understood symbolism like the boldly rendered red silhouette of a woman and blue of a man in a gentle embrace on a background of DNA strands. Drawing on Bhutanese cultural references like the stenciled image of a famous photograph of the King and Queen of Bhutan’s lips meeting (representing a new openness in the culture), or the strong lines and bold colors of a sacred mountain decorated with a traditional pattern or Buddhist prayers flags blowing in the wind over a stark gold background, Pasang Dema renders these with simplicity and boldness that speaks to and about current times. Using international brail relief on her paintings allows blind people to experience the message behind her works, but also shows her desire to transmit meaning that is not bounded by any particular time or place in a language that more humans can understand.

Balinese artist Ketut Jaya’s work functions in a similar manner, using symbols from his traditional culture rendered in disruptively expressive lines and color to express something essential that lies at the root of his particular cultural references. While many Balinese artists depict the figure of the Barong in new settings or to speak to more contemporary issues, few have the audacity to break free of the visual dictates of tradition. Jaya has no such apprehension presenting us with a visual language that appears at first glance as if it could have emerged from New York City, yet which retains the distinct vibration of Bali.

Bhutanese artist Kama Wangdi is also one of the founders of VAST (Voluntary Artist Studio, Thimphu), named for the mission and location of this important art and culture center. VAST was founded 20 years ago with the aim of providing a physical and psychological space for young Bhutanese artists to explore and express their own personal visions and participate in a global art dialogue. While their focus is on artistic freedom, they also promote distinctly Bhutanese values like public service, respect for all life, and the importance of joy as the basis of one’s life. Seeking to allow the visual and philosophical roots of Bhutanese traditional arts to grow and continue to bear new fruit, VAST has proven to be a hothouse for young talent and actively participates in bettering the lives of all kinds of people through all kinds of different educational, promotional and community outreach programs.

It was therefore highly fitting that Bhutan-Bali Art Exchange Program held their group exhibition at Arma Museum which not only shares a similar vision and practices but is also located in a land that maintains its rich traditional heritage while allowing influences from different times and places to enrich, enhance and expand on what is known as tradition.

Painting by visiting Bhutanese artist Gyempo Wangchuk

I Gede Sukarya

Young artist draws on ancients

Bali has an extremely rich artistic heritage that clearly inspires countless artists. It is rare, however, to find artists who can draw on this tradition in a truly creative manner. In his remote and ancient village in Buleleng, Sukarya learned to love shadow-puppet theater for its aesthetic appeal and amorphous teachings about how to live a good and happy life. Despite not being fluent in the ancient Balinese language used by puppet masters, he understands enough to grasp the great depth of wisdom and insight conveyed through this powerful medium that uses symbolic, metaphoric, and narrative means.

Inspired by this ancient art form, Sukarya applies the same techniques of puncturing leather that is used to decorate shadow puppets, but instead of the punctures decorating the figures, they delineate them. The colors that are used on shadow-puppets to denote their particular characteristic, he uses to represent the concept of diversity more broadly. His characters –or more accurately figures, do not carry distinct symbolic meanings but instead a generalized meaning.

In fact, he does not even use the same kind of leather. Instead, he upcycles remnants of the dried leather used for making the elaborate ornaments of the famous Balinese Barong. Again, instead of using the same technique used in Barong ornamentation, he takes an entirely new approach to the material, having it serve as the background or canvas rather than shaping it into anything. So while he uses some of the techniques and materials of these traditional art forms, he does so in distinctly innovative ways.

During his formal art studies at ISI Denpasar, Sukarya discovered the visual strength of line, particularly in the works of Balinese master, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, whose many accomplishments include the extremely graceful line-work of his drawings based on Balinese mythology and folklore. Although inspired by the simplicity of line found in Lempad’s drawings, Sukarya’s even simpler lines are not used to depict images from folklore, though his drawings do serve a similar function.

Combining stark line work, puppet-making techniques for puncturing cowhide, and the bold colors found in Barong ornaments, Sukarya depicts a simple market scene as found both in Traditional Style Ubud paintings of the early 20th century and indeed in the real world of his own village.

This market scene is not meant as a literal depiction of daily life rendered in media that somehow suggests tradition, nor as a scene from a particular story that carries symbolic meaning. Instead, like shadow puppet theater and the mythological or folktales of Lempad’s works do in their own ways, the scene is presented as an invitation for the viewer to contemplate general social conditions, with the market as both a place of both transactional and emotional social relations.

Sukarya was inspired to depict the market scene in reaction to his alarm about the growing tendency of people to shop (and consume information) online, and the decreasing amount of live social interactions, which result from this. While markets are indeed places of transactions, they also allow for broader forms of relations thus referring to and contrasting with, the purely transactional nature of online relations.

Similarly, by following the conceptual tradition of using symbolic language to convey moral principles free of dogma, again he is both applying aspects of these traditions and also referring to them. There is also a subtle -perhaps unintended, reference to the commodification of art.

Using formal elements of tradition in his work to create a distinctly new form, the traditions from which he draws these elements also reflect the particular message he seeks to express. The symbolic language used to convey moral teachings in an interactive, fluid, and open-ended manner that are part of shadow puppet theater, barong dance, and Lempad’s drawing, also stand in stark contrast to online shopping in many ways, not the least of which is the way they rely on and foster close-knit social ties.

While many young Balinese artists draw on tradition in different ways, Sukarya’s latest work entitled “Market”, distinctly breaks new ground in this regard. Without abandoning the tradition of using symbolic images to speak to philosophical issues, he manages to create new symbols beyond the constraints of tradition to speak of distinctly contemporary issues.

While his choice of materials and forms references various aspects of his traditional culture and adds another layer of meaning to his work, he does not rely on them to convey meaning, nor however, does he empty them of their original meaning. Instead, we find the rare case of a young artist who uses traditional materials, techniques, and concepts in tangibly new ways that speak both to the local and the global while maintaining something of their original power. This young artist, who is barely in to his twenties shows a promising future.

I Gede Sukarya’s mixed media artwork is part of the exhibition entitled “Drawing on Tradition”, which will be opening on June 25th, 2019 at Arma Museum and Resort’s Rumah Gambar.

The exhibition brings together 7 Balinese artists whom each bring to their work a distinctly personal approach to some aspect of Balinese tradition. Whether it be aesthetic, conceptual, formal, or spiritual, each of these artists is drawing on tradition in a way that demonstrates a unique creative capacity rooted in the vast and rich artistic heritage of Bali.

Detail of I Gede Sukarya's artwork entitled "Market"

Future of Batuan Style looking bright

Children’s drawing exhibiting at Gallery Oka Kartini

The village of Batuan has been a center of art in Bali for at least 1000 years and continues to be home to a remarkable number of talented artists practicing unique art practices including dance, sculpture, and painting. The painting style for which Batuan has gained world renown has undergone slight changes over time in astoundingly creative ways yet also maintains certain distinct characteristics including the technical method with which they are created.

While this style requires great skill, patience, and feeling the people of Batuan have continued to practice this distinctive style over countless generations. In the early part of the 20th century, this style underwent a kind of renaissance with brighter colors and a wider range of subjects being depicted in these paintings. The popularity of this style thrived for many decades, providing artists with a means of earning a living, thanks to the growing tourism industry. Over time, however, as the market demand diminished, one by one these painters turned to other means of earning a living, leaving painting behind. By 2012, out of the 70 or so painters who had been diligently working in the traditional Batuan style, only about two dozen were still active.

In an effort to ensure that this precious art form would continue into the future, an exhibition was held at Museum Batuan, followed by several more in other important art venues including Arma Museum, the Denpasar Art Center, and others. While these exhibitions were highly successful in reinvigorating both the market

for such paintings and perhaps more importantly the inspiration needed for Batuan artists to create their unique style of paintings, a generation gap had

already opened, exposing the possibility that in a few decades there were no longer be anyone who could create this very specific style of painting.

So, a few of the remaining Batuan painters including Pak Sadia, Pak Murtika, Pak Diana, Made Suarta and Wayan Sujendra, created Baturulangun with the specific

goal of making sure that this art form that had been passed down to them from countless generations before them would indeed be passed down to the children

of the digital age.

The name Baturulangun was taken from an ancient document, which recounts the story of the people of Batuan beseeching their king for respite from the rice-tax and is the earliest known reference to an artist guild in Bali. The word “Baturulangan” itself can be translated as “offering art” or “art offering“ and indicates the spirit in which artwork was being created up until the very recent past and in many cases continues to be today. Baturulangan was created (or recreated) in 2015, to serve the purpose of

ensuring that the techniques and spirit of Batuan painting would continue to thrive in the hands of the younger generation, by teaching them not only the techniques but also inspiring them to love this art form.

The head of Batuan village provided the space and the older painters provided the skills, time, and attention needed to transmit the methods and nurture a love for this way of painting. In the first year of operation, they invited elementary-aged school kids to come and learn to learn them every Sunday. However, with each passing week, there were fewer and fewer kids finding the patience to remain focused on the elaborate process. So, the next year, they teamed up with local schools to provide classes that would be graded, along with the extra Sunday classes. This proved to be a winning combination and over the last three years, the number and enthusiasm of the children has increased dramatically with children from other parts of Bali also taking part in the Sunday classes.

Along with the technical guidance and moral support, the children are also brought on field trips to the local temple where they learn about both the aesthetics and history of the techniques they are learning, to local museums where Batuan master painters have works on display and are further

encouraged by participating in their own exhibitions that showcase their nascent talent.

In October 2018, the Indonesian government officially recognized the art of Batuan as a National Intangible Heritage, and although young children may not understand the implications of this, it certainly indicates to them that it is not just their teachers who have some strange obsession with Batuan-style painting, but that the painstaking process of learning to paint in this style has a wider reaching value.

The truly astounding talent that emerges from these young children in a very short time is a testament to the diligence of their teachers but also to something about the people of Batuan that seems to bring forth artworks of exceptional power, beauty, and meaning. These youngsters are trained in making the basic shapes used in traditional Batuan ornamentation as well as the line, shading, and coloring technics specific to this style, and although the kids are indeed exposed to the extremely masterful artworks by their elders, they are entirely free to come up with their own compositions, subjects, and narratives in their works.

It seems unlikely that these works could have come from such young children and yet their works bear witness to this unlikely reality. Even a casual glance at

these artworks reveals their startling mastery, depth of feeling, intuitive understanding of compositions, remarkably complex conceptual visions and

sincere appreciation for the craft itself. While all children have an innate sense of creativity, and many show dexterity as well, there seems to be little doubt that the children of Batuan carry within them something of their ancestral heritage that expresses itself in these sometimes

mysterious, often humorous, and always refined and powerful works.

Small artworks by the children who study drawing with Baturulangung are currently on display at Oka Kartini Gallery on Jalan Raya Ubud. And will remain

on display until July 20th, 2019.

Children practicing Batuan-style painting at Baturulangung studio in Batuan Village.

Masters of Bali: Aesthetic DNA trajectories of Balinese Visual Arts

Titillating title eclipses content

‘Masters of Bali’, the title of an exhibition that opened in Nusa Dua on May 25th, 2019, is indeed a bold and clever way of attracting attention to the plethora of masterful Balinese artists -past and present. On the surface, the title appears to be presenting the greatest of Balinese artists and gives hope that some kind of timeline or framework for appreciating Bali’s greatest and most influential artists might be offered. While the relatively large exhibition does in many ways bear witness to the abundance, diversity, and high quality of art being produced by Balinese artists, its promise of presenting the extent or means of understanding this diverse and high-quality lineage falls short of being fulfilled.

While the title appears to pay homage to the tremendous creativity of Balinese artists and the ancestral lineage of art production on the island, it also runs the risk of eclipsing the truly astounding amount and quality of art created by Balinese artists, the roots of their inspiration and the directions or trajectories taken by them, by implying that the exhibition represents some kind of distinct albeit widely encompassing narrative of Balinese art.

The word ‘master’ is indeed an ambiguous term, however, it generally implies talent and influence and often some kind of important innovation or contributions to a particular aesthetic or conceptual narrative. Although most of the artists presented in the show certainly qualify as masters of one kind or another, wherein their mastery lies is certainly not clear given that the aesthetic narrative of which they might represent a kind of peek was absent from the exhibition as a whole. Without such a framing it is hard to ascribe mastery to the works presented and many distinctly masterful artists were conspicuously missing too.

Of course, it is impossible to trace all the lines of the diverse lineages that inform art on the island, and perhaps this fact was part of the perhaps intended ambiguity of the exhibition. However, it is hard to deny that certain clear lines are easily demonstrable and those who show mastery precisely for their creative divergence or commentary on these lines are also clear. So, an exhibition that pretends to present the masters of Bali, but which does not present the context or lineage of the particular divergence from, expansion of, or creative innovation of the artistic being presented, is poised for criticism and perhaps intentionally so.

What constitutes a masterful artist, to what extent the mastery of Balinese artists can be represented in a single show, and who determines such criteria, and for what purpose may be questions of little importance to the ultimate purpose of showcasing Balinese talent in general – especially in this particular context.

Perhaps the title was deliberately chosen to trigger dialogue or what might more aptly be called free advertising, as most of the major influences, roots, and departures from established artistic norms are well documented and could have been brought to light in a relatively clear or even controversial manner. Instead of presenting either an established narrative or a distinctly alternative one, Masters of Bali: Aesthetic DNA Trajectories of Balinese Visual Art presents a more fluid or one might say ambiguous framing of the show.

This is not to say that the works presented in the exhibition or even that the loose narrative is without value. Many of the artworks in the exhibition are indeed worthy of note for a variety of reasons, including for their diverse examples of technical mastery, creativity, unique beauty, and influence as well as for clearly referencing cultural, social, and economic contexts. Also –despite the rather unclear manner in which the narrative of the show as a whole is presented, this ambiguity -it could be argued, in fact, speaks to the difficulty of placing a square peg in a round hole, a way of showing that the DNA of Balinese aesthetics yields creativity in a general way that is beyond strict categorization.

Given the fact that Bali’s socio-religious context plays such a massive role in the lived aesthetic experience of Balinese people, unlike most of the world, here art plays a very strong non-economically driven yet nonetheless utilitarian role, and the depth of the associated aesthetic lexicon is widely understood by the general public, art in Bali can clearly not be evaluated in the same way as art from elsewhere can be.

Despite the introductory description of the exhibition stating that the purpose of the show was indeed to present works within the particular context of Bali described as “art is…. integral part of society for rituals or customs”, as opposed to how Balinese art fits into narratives from abroad, and more particularly to show works that draw on the lexicon of traditional Balinese aesthetics in innovative ways, described as: ”attempts to examine the aesthetic achievements of art in Bali and reconsider artistic practice as a search of form or visual within the context of religious, ritual, culture or social and economic activity in Bali by escaping from the canonical point of view which dichotomizes, breaching other paradigm boundaries”. Not all of the works on display, however, were speaking of or to Balinese canonical points of view, and if it is other paradigm boundaries that are being breached then what is it that holds the show together? Is not all art either speaking to, from, or about one paradigm or another? Is the implication that this exhibition is paying homage to masters who breach different paradigms that are related to Balinese aesthetics in one way or another? The description seems strange at best and at worst suspicious.

Most people would agree that it is highly unlikely that any Balinese artist could be entirely free of the cultural or aesthetic influences of traditional Balinese religious-cultural practices. This is not to say that all Balinese artists are directly responding to or speaking about it, only that the lineage of art practices on the island is rooted in these traditions and when speaking of masters, there is an implied reference to lineage, a kind of peek in a given narrative, so that even artists who are not speaking to or about tradition, are also part of a lineage with peeks in achievements by distinct masters.

So, the question that the title Masters of Bali: Aesthetic DNA trajectories of Balinese visual Arts poses is: what narrative is guiding the selection process and presentation? While the verbal description says it is the development of visual arts rooted in the aesthetic traditions of Bali but which seek to question the ideas behind it, the works do not bear this out. Showing that Balinese artists have a particularly rich set of visual aesthetic references to draw on and that their manipulation of them can be used either to support their underlying meanings, question, or even subvert would perhaps have been more accurate in describing the exhibition as a whole, as the works on display indeed fall into all three categories and then some.

Instead, the exhibition allowed itself carte blanche to show what appears to be kind of a random bunch of artworks by Balinese artists of note with a few references to established branches of “classic Balinese art” and an oddly out-of-place reference to a student art movement revolting against the art market establishment of the turn of this millennia with no indication of how this movement referenced Balinese aesthetics at all.

In terms of a general display of Balinese artistic talent, this question may not be important, particularly given that art is after all meant to be appreciated as a non-verbal means of communication and always open to personal interpretation of color, line, and composition and to a certain extent context (though again here some framing of context would have been appreciated for this show). Regardless there is clearly a long history of remarkable art production in Bali, which has clearly been passed down through the generations in one form or another, and maybe that is all we need to know.

In this respect, ‘Master of Bali’ does indeed offer the viewer many interesting, beautiful and noteworthy works of interest including: the detailed, humorous and beautiful 6-meter long work based on the traditional Batuan style of painting, the impressive power of pure line and color demonstrated with great expression in exaggerated abstract style, fragments of Balinese decorative elements reconstructed into stark new visually disruptive yet somehow harmonious compositions, spontaneous pointillism rendered in color-rich swatches of cosmic proportions, deep psychological quandaries presented with deceptively refined characters, the unending unfolding of creation presented through the honest placement of line and color unhindered by personal calculations, the intricate and subtle construction of spatial dimensions that seem impossibly complex yet distinctly simple, and other works that have indeed influenced many artists, that have merit by any standards and others that have questionable aesthetic merit though perhaps have hidden value elsewhere.

The clever title of the exhibition leaves a fair amount of leeway for both its presentation and interpretations of the works and, whether this ambiguity was intended or not, it does carve out a space for the audience to consider that the wealth of art that has been and continues to be produced in Bali is so wide in breadth, deep in meanings, expansive in all directions, incredibly focused in particular minutia, distinctly rooted in tradition and entirely beyond such notions, that attempting to measure its value by any previously established norms for evaluating art are simply ill-suited. A kind of invitation to put aside all such measures for evaluation and to simply enjoy the power and beauty of art -as all art is essentially intended to be, felt, and appreciated as an example of the endless expressions of the human soul. For this, Masters of Bali: Aesthetic DNA Trajectories of Balinese Visual Aesthetics is certainly worth viewing, though a few days spent visiting the many art galleries, artists' studios, and museums of Ubud, Denpasar, Sanur and a trip to Kamasan and Batuan would perhaps yield a greater appreciation for the general context out of which such artworks emerge and to which they speak.

Performance for the opening of 'Masters of Bali' at AB-BC Nusa Dua, Bali

Noor Ibrahim’s Sutasoma Masks

Contemporary contemplations on timeless truth deeply soaked in the traditions, practices, and history of old Javanese culture, and having spent the better part of half a decade traveling the world Noor Ibrahim has become a sculptor of international acclaim, managing to bridge the particular the ancient wisdom of his own background and the most contemporary, innovative

forms of expression to deliver the truly timeless and universal., both in his works

and his life.

From his seafaring days as a youth, traveling extensively throughout the archipelago of Indonesia, to his travels to countless countries to take part in prestigious art shows, residencies, auctions, and the like, to his own diligence in remaining connected to the microcosm within himself, Ibrahim has found endless sources of inspiration that are powerfully transmitted into his artworks. It is no wonder that such a rare combination of skill, perseverance, curiosity, and humility has yielded works that have made their way into museums, gardens, institutions, and various other landscapes throughout the world, bringing with them the vibration of loving kindness that this artist so diligently develops

within himself.

His latest exhibition consists of 24 aluminum masks that were tapped into shape to become expressions of a variety of human emotions and characteristics that range from the deeply peaceful to the troubled. The faces of these masks he explains came to him over the course of nine years during which he would periodically see a face emerge within himself. “The images would come to me in the silence of my being, it was as if I could see all the influences that had come to shape each of these individuals, and over time I understood that in all their variety, they essential came from the same source, only then did I start to carve the masks one by one”. Noor Ibrahim explains that although his artistic process was deeply personal and revealing of many truths about his own being, it also revealed something that is universally shared by all beings.

He came to a deeper understanding of the fact that he himself was only one form of the same divine source that informs all life and that it was this variety that made life beautiful. So while the beauty he finds in himself is composed of a variety of aspects and characteristics, so too is the beauty of all humanity in all its diversity. He came to understand that harmony in the world comes from our shared awareness of that which unites us all, and that our own inner harmony comes from our awareness of the unity of all the different impulses within ourselves, that finally, ultimate harmony comes when we can see, feel and experience the unity between the outer world and the inner world. “As I worked on these masks, I contemplated the idea of uniting natural phenomena with the world within, so I would quiet myself and meditate in that space between heartbeats where all things are one and slowly allowed these faces to emerge, faces that are both human and animal”, explains Ibrahim.

It seemed a timely message to share with the world today, in a time when so many small differences have become a source of conflict rather than a source of inspiration and appreciation for the wonder of life itself. Noor Ibrahim then remembered a story from his own cultural tradition, the story of Sutosoma a book written in 12 h century Java by Mpu Tantular that describes

the unity that underlies diversity and from which Indonesia’s national motto “Bhinneka tunggal ika” (unity in diversity) was derived and with this remembering came to an even deeper appreciation for the wisdom passed down to him from his ancestors and an even stronger desire to share the beauty of this wisdom with the world.

Thus was born the exhibition entitled Sutosoma’s Masks currently on display at Bali Bohemia, in Nyuh Kuning. On April 30th when world-renowned Bali artist Nyoman Erawan officially opened the exhibition and created a painting on the spot, Noor Ibrahim was asked why he had chosen to exhibit these powerful works that were created over such a long period in an open restaurant. Noor Ibrahim replied simply, with his distinct playful and easygoing yet deeply grounded manner: “because there is a good vibration so close to all the monkeys”.

Sutosoma’s masks will be on display at Bali Bohemia until July 30th , 2019.

Artist Noor Ibrahim and some of his Sutosoma Masks

Published May 2019

Myth and Women

Exhibition at Monkey Forest Gallery

There is clearly no shortage of women in art – or in paintings anyway. Yet women are clearly underrepresented in the art world. It is clearly not for lack of creativity that women artists seem to be so few and far between. As half of humanity who gives birth, women are of course natural creators and it also tends to be women who have to balance raising, children, housekeeping, and earning a living for lesser wages than men, which, of course also requires tremendous creativity. And it may very well be that there are indeed far more female artists out there than we see represented in galleries and museums.

The exhibition currently on display at Monkey Forest Gallery entitle “Woman & Myth – woman artist painting exhibition”, features works by 6 female artists who perhaps represent the tip of the iceberg. The works of Satya Cipta, Suryani, Vony Dewi, Mona Palma, Jero KK, Ratih Aptiwidyari, run the range from poetic to literal, from deeply inquisitive to fanciful, and from soothing to disturbing bearing witness to a wellspring of talent in each of the painters.

And, while as women, these painters may or may not share certain common experiences, they certainly bring their own unique perspective, approach, and raison d’etre to their works. So, the very fact that there is such a variety of styles, techniques, and meanings in the works of this exhibition points to something strange about being grouped together. We begin to understand why this is not strange at all when we consider the title of the exhibition.

Myths are commonly shared stories about the underlying reasons for how and why things are. And yet, they are not stories that we tell openly, rather they are stories that are referred to in all different kinds of social interactions serving as a kind of unconscious structure for how we evaluate things. Myths operate or influence through the very fact that their narratives go largely unnoticed. The word myth implies that something is not true and yet widely believed to be true.

Myths can also be understood to represent some kind of deeper truth than what they overtly speak of.

The title of the exhibition, therefore asks us to look at what myths might be operating and points to the prevalent and often unconscious myth that, the reason we do not see as many women as men in the art world, is simply because women are not creative -at least not in the sense that we usually attribute to artists.

However, the ambiguity of the title also points to how the figure of women is presented in our commonly shared mythologies and thus invites us to question how much of this is true for individual women, how far we should take these generalized traits to be true of all women and indeed whether these traits are true in any absolute way.

Naturally, both men and women are subject to the influence of the same myths. The difference is that the experience of actually being a woman allows for cracks in the monolith of assumed truths to present themselves to women. The way that myths are experienced by any individual is of course, as varied as people themselves are and so too are the ways that we express and understand the expressions of these myths in others.

So while Myth and Women is an ambiguous title, offering no real insight in and of itself, the very fact of putting these two words together in the title of an exhibition with all female painters, invites us to question what we might expect from such an exhibition, why we do not hear of “all-male exhibitions”, why it is still so rare to find women artists represented in the art world and further still, what myths about women are we all being influenced by and do we as the viewer have enough creativity to imagine different myths or ways of interpreting current myths that would correspond better to reality?

Painting by A.A Istri Ratih Aptiwidyari

Kori Ubud Art Space gateway into the spirit of Bali

Kori is the Balinese word for the split gates found outside many of this beautiful island’s temples. Passing through these split gates we enter into a world where harmony reigns. Kori Ubud Resort was named for this concept, serving as a gateway into the harmonious world of Ubud where nature, art, and culture support each other so graceful. The idea is to set the tone and provide visitors with a first-hand experience of harmony in Bali.

Kori Ubud was originally designed some 20 years ago with the idea of providing a maximum of greenspace to gently nestle the low-key modern Balinese style architecture so that guests could experience the essence of Ubud’s lush greenery in comfort. Kori Ubud first became known for fine dining served in their open-air restaurant and for the distinctly Balinese atmosphere of their grounds and are now ready to provide their guests with a first-hand experience of some of the staggering amount of artistic talent available on the island.

Art plays a central role in the religious customs of Balinese people all over the island, but it is the village of Ubud that transformed this traditional practice into the expansive artistic output that is now recognized around the world. It is in Ubud that the royal family, foreign and local artists, and the tourism industry came together in a harmonious dance that was deeply transformative and tremendously beneficial to many people all over the island and indeed continues to bring peace to countless people every year.

The bewildering amount of art that is created in Ubud today – both in the context of religious practices and beyond continues to be inspired by the beauty of the natural landscape, deeply symbolic traditional spiritual practices, and the rich social interactions that take place in this hub of joy.

Kori Ubud manager Ide Bagus Wiradnyana (or Nyana as he is known), is sincerely dedicated to learning about history, philosophy, and the current social changes taking place in Bali and is acutely aware of the important role that art plays in all these spheres. He clearly enjoys providing Kori Ubud guests with an experience of the distinct nature, culture, style, and comfort of Ubud. Nyana IB understands that tourism is not simply a leisure activity, but rather a journey that people take to enhance their inner peace and well-being.

His understanding of the hugely impactful role that art has had and continues to have in shaping the visual, cultural, and conceptual landscapes of Ubud, Bali, and indeed Indonesia, inspired Nyana to open Kori Ubud Art Space. “Given the huge role that art plays in creating the soothing atmosphere that Ubud has become known for, I felt it was time for Kori Ubud to provide a space to showcase some of the amazingly talented artists we have here”, said Nyana recently.

“Kori Art Space is a place where the magical power of art to transcend boundaries, touch our hearts and enhance harmony can flourish with the same vibrancy as the surrounding jungle, a place where the spirit of Bali can find expression and be shared through beauty, harmony and togetherness in celebration of the nature-inspired art of this enchanted island”, he replied when asked what his vision for the new gallery space was.

On February 8th, 209 at 7pm Ubud Kori Art Space will officially open with an exhibition entitled ‘Highlights’ featuring paintings and sculptures by seven highly talented artists who each express something of the spirit of Bali in their works.

Kori Ubud

Published February 2019

Diorama at Cilantro

Ancestral traditions of Batuan, Tex-Mex, and contemporary art

Having been born and raised in the village of Batuan where fine arts and performing arts have been continuously honed over centuries, Wayan Gustyva was steeped in the fine craftsmanship, creativity, and attention to detail for which this village is known.

Wayan however, found his own artistic expression in the culinary arts and followed his dream to Denpasar where he studied to become a chef, and then to Austin, Texas where he did an internship. There he was inadvertently introduced to a style of cuisine known as Tex-Mex which -much in the same way that different influences have affected the arts in Bali, is basically Mexican food but adjusted to the palette of people north of the border.

Wayan came to love Tex-Mex food and wanted to bring this style of cooking back to Bali for his friends and neighbors to enjoy. Driven by his passion for food, he opened a cute little restaurant by the side of the road in Nyuh Kuning that is decorated in a kind of minimalist Mexican style, complete with hammocks where customers can relax as they gaze out onto the rice fields and mountain in the distance. Cilantro -named for the herb that spices nearly all of their dishes, serves a complete Tex-Mex array of dishes, nearly all prepared with local ingredients.

Wayan Gustyva gives the same attention to the preparation of food at Cilantro that the artists of Batuan give to their artworks. Not only does he prepare all of their sauces from scratch himself using (whenever possible), organic produce that he hand selects from Baturiti, but he even makes his own masa (corn flour paste) for all their tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. Sometimes he will even make tamales using banana leaves instead of the traditional corn husk for a distinctive Balinese tamale flavor.

Now that Cilantro has been successfully running for just over a year, Wayan has turned his attention to the other part of his dream: opening a gallery space to showcase the vast number of talented artists in and around Ubud.

On February 5th, 2019 at 7 PM, Cilantro Art Space will officially open with an exhibition entitled Diorama featuring works by 6 different artists who have been inspired by the culture of Bali in one way or another whether it be in style, technique, approach, or concept. Like the Tex-Mex food that is quickly making Cilantro a favorite amongst foodies, this exhibition combines the best of different sources to create something delicious. Diorama will be on display at Cilantro until March 5th, 2019.

Pengosekan artist Ngurah Eko and his painting for an upcoming exhibition.

Pengosekan artist Ngurah Eko and his painting

Published January 2019

Walter Spies Changes the Face of Bali

January 19, 2019 marks 100 years since the death of Walter Spies who perished aboard a Dutch ship in the Indian Ocean as a German prisoner of war. Regardless of what might be said of the legal ambiguity of this wartime incident or even of the ambiguities of this man’s personal life, or even what he has come to represent over the years, Walter Spies was unarguably a creative, diligent, and cleaver artist who had a tremendous impact not only on art production in Bali but also on tourism on this enchanted island – most notably in the branding of Ubud as a center of art and culture to foreigners throughout the world.

The impact that Spies has had as an artist, cultural liaison, and symbolic figure on the art, life, and economy of Bali continues to be felt to this day and is certainly worthy of being remembered and honored for the countless benefits that his man wittingly or unwittingly, single-handedly or collaboratively brought to the island.

Although it is likely owing in large part to the privilege afforded to Europeans under colonial rule that he was able to gain access to people of local influence and be accorded a certain degree of power himself, Walter Spies was certainly a friendly, flexible, and talented man in his own right. No amount of privilege could account for the influence he had and the symbolic place he has in the writing of art and tourism history.

Arriving in was is now Indonesia, by circumstances that are not entirely clear, he found himself in the role of conductor for the Sultan of Yogyakarta palace’s western orchestra. During his two years serving in this capacity, he came in contact with a visiting royal dignitary from Bali who was serving as a Dutch civil servant and who suggested that Spies visit the Royal Palace of Ubud and gave him a letter of introduction to the king.

To make a long story short, in a few short years of living in Bali under the wing of the Ubud Royal Palace, Walter Spies had learned to play gamelan tunes on the piano, worked with a local choreographer to create a new style of dance, had shifted his style of painting to better reflect the landscape and culture he was now living in and had learned enough about the culture and customs of Bali that he was organizing cultural shows which drew hundreds of foreigners to Ubud at a time when there were seldom any foreigners visitors at all.

He soon became an important cultural liaison for wealthy foreign visitors to the island. These visitors also represented a new market for Bali as a tourism destination but also for painting as a commodity. Balinese artists who had previously only produced works in the context of their religious-cultural customs were now starting to produce works specifically to be sold.

The style of art being produced was also undergoing distinct and lasting shits due to the new socio-economic context and also due to the approach to art that Spies demonstrated in his open-air studio which is credited as having a massive impact on the creative license that Balinese artists felt, opening Balinese painting to previously unexplored territory.

While increasingly easy access to cheaper art materials, books, and foreign culture more generally most certainly contributed to the massive shift in art making that started at this time and while the Ubud Royal Palace was also actively serving as a doorway through which foreign visitors could come to know Bali, it is clear that the presence of Walter Spies both as an artist and as a symbolic point of reference, his visual descriptions of Bali that he actively shared with Europeans, his active participation with both local and foreign artists, his involvement in the establishment of the Pita Maha artists Guild, forever changed the face of art and tourism in Bali.

On January 19th, 2019 a bust of this important figure was officially inaugurated on the grounds of Arma Museum and Resort in recognition of the tremendous contribution that Walter Spies made to Bali throughout his time on this island.

As the founder of Arma Museum stated during the inauguration: “it is no exaggeration to say that Bali would not be what it is today without the contributions of Walter Spies. While Bali has certainly been exposed to other cultures for centuries and has become enriched by these exchanges, the contribution that Walter Spies made to Bali has brought a distinctly large, positive, and lasting impact that we are honoring today with the inauguration of this statue”.

Bearing witness to the veritably impactful influence that Walter Spies has had on present-day Bali, amongst those who came to witness the inauguration of his bust were: German philanthropist and culture writer Pak Henri who arranged for the bust of Walter Spies to be created and inaugurated at Arma, the aged Mater painter of what is now known as Modern Traditional Balinese painting Pak Wayan Pendet, innovative master painter Pak I Ketut Budiana, founder of the formidable Neka Museum and Komaneka gallery Pak Neka, renown Mater dancer and representative of Peliatan’s royal house resident French writer and cultural researcher Jean Couteau, Indonesian academic sociologist Bu Inez, Balinese gallery owners, tourists and artists from China, Japan, Germany, Canada and elsewhere and many others whose current livelihood depends on the vibrant tourism industry in Bali that Walter Spies was instrumental in developing.

Walter Spies bust and offerings at inauguration ceremony