published 2018 August-Jan

New space for art to flourish in Ubud

Oka Kartini Art Association and Culture Center

Ubud has become a world-famous tourist destination, known for art and culture and more recently yoga, gourmet food, and shopping. In the 1950/s Ubud was still a dirt road village, with farmlands and gardens lining what is now downtown. Anak Agung Oka Kartini was raised on one of these dirt roads -known today as Jalan Raya Ubud, where she opened a small stall in the 1960s when, as she said: “the hippies started coming here”. Tourists were few and far between at that time though,

When AA Oka Kartini was just 17 years old she worked as a tour guide at Museum Puri Lukisan where she would explain to tour groups about art in Bali in the little English she spoke. There she learned to talk to foreigners and how interesting her ordinary life seemed to these visitors and perhaps most importantly about Bali’s art scene. She soon expanded her small stall into a slightly larger art shop with paintings from many of Ubud’s most illustrious painters. She later opened her family's home to visitors needing a place to stay. The homestay, like her small shop, attracted many visitors and within a few years, she was able to build a bungalow out back for visitors to be more comfortable.

Kartini enjoyed chatting with the foreigners who visited but she soon became busy raising her own family. When a Dutch tourist approached her one day about starting a business together, Kartini tried to decline the offer saying she had enough on her hands already. The Dutch tourist was however persistent and eventually, Kartini took up the foreign woman’s offer to go to Holland to learn how to make wigs. After a few months of training in this craft, Kartini returned and taught a couple of neighbors how to weave these blond wigs. The orders kept coming and before long, Kartini had to find another space to make the wigs, eventually employing some 350 people from her village of Ubud. Most of her employees were housewives, whom Kartini supported in becoming financially independent.

Much to her surprise, one day Kartini -who had married a military man, was asked to represent the Association of Military Wives in Gianyar's parliament. Although she was deeply honored by the offer that was the envy of many, she finally declined the offer on the grounds that if she had to go to work in Gianyar every day, she would not be able to care for her family and her now booming businesses. Many other offers came to her to work with foreigners in other businesses which she also declined on the same grounds. When asked why it was that so many people wanted to work with her Kartini explained “I feel very lucky indeed, I have never done anything special that would warrant so many people offering me opportunities. But you know, I was raised by my aunty in her Brahmin family’s simple home and didn’t know that I was part of the Royal family of Peliatan until I was much older. I feel like my aunty has always watched over me”.

For more than thirty years, AA Oka Kartini ran her wig business with great success and her gallery and homestay also expanded. Once her children were grown up and had children of their own, Kartini thought it was time to take it easy, so she sold the wig business and focused on taking care of her home businesses. Sitting pretty in her old age, however, was not in the cards for this dynamic jovial woman. A few months ago a young painter from Ubud approached Anak Agung Oka Kartini with an offer. This time it was not an offer to run a business but something that is much dearer to her heart.

Having witnessed the many changes that have shaped Ubud over the years, art and culture remain a strong force in this international village and AA Oka Kartini feels called to support this ancestral wealth. “Many people come to Ubud because they have heard about the art here. We have a very long history of creating great works of art here and in my own lifetime, interactions with foreign artists have enhanced this artistic wealth, but today it is not always easy for people to find this art nor the artists who create it. I want to make this accessible to people firsthand -not just the art but the process. I also think it is important for artists in Ubud to have a space where they can gather and exchange ideas, to create something together”, explained Kartini.

Oka Kartini has therefore teamed up with a small group of artists and opened the Oka Kartini Art Association and Culture Center. The official opening took place on Friday, April 8th, with the opening of an exhibition featuring the works of the artists who make up the Oka Kartini Art Association: I Wayan Pendet, I Made Kartika, I Wayan Januariawan, Kamon Komatsu, I Kadel Suartika, Tatiana Efimova, I Made Suaka and Yori Amarah. Each of these artists has their own unique style but all find their inspiration from the art, culture, and nature of Bali.

Opening words were presented by artists and art lecturer I Wayan Karja who emphasized the importance of having a space for artists from Bali and from overseas to exchange ideas. Honored guests included the founder of Arma Museum and Resort Agung Rai, Founder of Neka Museum and Komaneka Gallery, Pak Neka, art researcher and Prof. Bandem, Peliatan Royal family dancer, musician, and poet AA Gede Bagus Mandera Erawan. Many other art lovers and culture along with many other art lovers including Art Exchange Project founder and coordinator Antonius Kho and art philosopher Sri Rahayu.

Along with routine exhibitions, weekly film screenings, thrice weekly shadow puppet shows, and providing an open space for artists to gather and exchange ideas, Oka Kartini Art Association and Culture Center also offers classes in painting, sculpting, batiking, silver-making, woodcut printing, water-color painting, traditional dancing and more.

The current exhibition will remain on display until May 18th, 2018. Oka Kartini Art Association and Culture Center will then be presenting Ida Bagus Indra’s solo exhibition which will open on May 20th, 2018.

Anak Agung Oka Kartini and artists at the official opening of Oka Kartini Art Association and Culture Center on April 8th, 2018

Published April 2018

Living legend Bu Arini dances Candra Metu

Followed by public discussion with photographers

Candra Metu (moon rise) is the name of a dance created by Master Balinese dancer I Nyoman Kaler in the 1920s. The late Kaler was an extremely gifted and enthusiastic dancer who created a number of unique and beautiful dances based on the poetic gestural language of classical Balinese dance. One of his creations is the Candra Metu dance that he taught to his dedicated and talented student Ibu Arini, who continues to dance this delightful piece to this day.

If fact she performed part of this enchanting dance on Friday (Apr,13) for a group of young photographers, before the floor was opened to a public discussion about the past and future of Balinese dance.

Dance plays a very important role in Balinese cultural traditions as well as the broader social landscape. Both sacred dances reserved for religious ceremonies as well as non-sacred dances have been passed down through the generations from master to student in an –often, unbroken lineage.

But as Bu Arini explained, this is not to say that these dances remain unchanged over time, but rather that the particular style of a given lineage remains discernable. Over the last century, a number of factors have brought changes not only to Balinese dances but to the manner in which their taught, as well as the customs that dictate by whom, when, and where they are danced.

Bu Arini who still practices and teaches dance every day from her sangar (small traditional dance school) has witnessed these changes firsthand and is a living encyclopedia of experience about many dances and dance-related knowledge.

Renowned for her dance skills and ability to choreograph, she has also been known to play the gamelan like nobody’s business and is passionate about transmitting her extraordinary wealth of experience, knowledge, and skills to the next generation.

The Candra Metu dance is especially dear to her as it was created at a very special time in Balinese dance history when her own passionate and very skilled teacher I Nyoman Kaler and others were actively engaged in creating new dances based on classical themes. It was a time of tremendous creativity amongst dancers from different lineages and though much of this creativity lives on, much has also been lost to changing times.

Bu Arini is the only person alive today who still knows how to dance the Candra Metu (though she has recently started to teach it to a willing student). As this dance requires two female dancers, it is on the endangered list.

Lingakra Photography Community has taken interest in documenting Bu Arini dancing the Candra Metu –both for documentary purposes and also to shed light on the fact that changes in the way that dances are transmitted and shared are leaving a wealth of cultural knowledge to disappear to time.

On Friday, Bu Arini danced the part of the Candra Metu, accompanied by a live gamelan troupe in the gallery space of Lingkara Photography Community as part of their ongoing collaboration to create a book about the Candra Metu dance.

The photoshoot was open to the public and was followed by a discussion with Bu Arini led by researcher, writer, performer, and director Cok Sawitri who explained in great detail many of the changes that have affected Balinese dance over the decades, elaborating on Bu Arini’s descriptions of her fascinating and historic life experience, with data from her research on this subject.

The discussion expanded beyond the confines of the Candra Metu dance proper into the broader landscape of the rich and varied dance heritage that has been handed down to Bu Arini and preserved by her in her practice for more than half a century.

When asked if any of these older dances had been documented before, bu Arini answered: “yes, I remembered once a camera crew came to record one performance of a special dance – but they only focused on the young pretty dancers”, she said chuckling.

She added more soberly however that it really is a shame that the subtleties expressed by older master dancers are not being recorded, as they hold within them a wealth of value that cannot be taught in a short time nor transmitted in words yet convey something essential about the depth, beauty, and uniqueness of Balinese culture.

“I feel very sad sometimes when I think of how many great dancers have passed away from age in the last decade without their talent having been at least captured on film for the next generation to learn from. I feel deeply touched that these young photographers are taking interest in creating a book so that some of this beauty can live on”, she said after giving a brief yet strikingly graceful demonstration of one of the dance techniques taught to her by one of Bali’s greatest dancers, the late I Nyoman Kaler.

Bu Arini dancing Candra Metu for Lingkara Photography Community (photo credit: Rudi Lingkara)

Published March 2018

Maintaining the light of life in the digital age

Book launch for Jean Couteau’s Myth, Magic and Mystery in Bali

This year, Bali was once again rated among the very best tourist destinations in the world and even the top destination by one large online site. To anyone who has visited the Island of the Gods, this comes as no surprise as there seems to be no end of things to refresh the spirit, mind, and body on this island of a thousand temples. Although there is all manner of tourist facilities from the most luxurious to the most simple and ample beautiful places to visit and interesting things to do, it is not easy to explain just what it is that makes Bali so enjoyable.

When asked what he thinks makes Bali so appealing to so many people, tourist transport service provider and painter Pak RInula responded by saying: “Here we call it tasku (divine vibration) I think it is because so many Balinese people are focused on maintaining the light of life that people just feel good here”. Although many visitors may choose to visit Bali simply for the ease of general enjoyment offered by the tourism sector here, the unparalleled popularity of this island as a tourist destination is more likely thanks to what locals refer to as “tasku” - this vibration that touches the heart but which cannot itself be seen.

Within the present context of massive commercial development taking place in Bali in a bid to draw even more visitors to this enchanted island, it is perhaps worth exploring what “maintaining the light of life” looks like in practice, because apart from the intrinsic value of taksu itself -without this light, it is unlikely that fancy hotels and high tech amusement alone will be able to compete for the interest of tourists.

Exploring this unique aspect of Bali is exactly what French writer, art critic, and cultural investigator Jean Couteau has been doing for over 30 years. Art is clearly an important aspect of life in Bali as it relates to religious customs and the general worldview, however, it is perhaps less the end product that attracts tourists and more the reason that so much art is produced here that in fact attracts visitors. It is these unseen aspects of art in Bali that Jean Couteau has been exploring and putting into beautifully strung together words for the last 3 decades.

Amongst many other written works, Couteau has been writing a monthly column for Bali Now magazine for the last ten years. PT. Phoenix Communications Publisher Alistari Spiers approached him with the idea of putting together a book of these writings as a way to share some of this valuable insight with a broader readership. Myth Magic and Mystery In Bali is the title of the book that brings together 25 of these articles along with photographs by Ida Bagus Putra Adnyana and paintings by I Ketut Budiana that together provide an invaluable glimpse into “how the light of life” is maintained in Bali and also how it is challenged.

During the official book launch of Myth Magic and Mystery in Bali that took place on March 27th at Sudakara Art Space in Sanur, accompanied by an exhibition of photographs and paintings, Alistair Spiers explained that: "Bali Now chose to put together a relatively small book so that many people could have access to insight into fundamental aspects of Bali that may not be accessible to the casual visitor”. Bali Now, he said generally seeks to portray the distinct culture of Bali in a way that promotes the unique values of the people of this island as this is what makes Bali such a popular tourist attraction.

After a beautiful Balinese welcome dance performed by some of Sudamala Villa & Suite’s staff and a short compelling film of a brief reading for Jean Couteau’s new book, the author was invited to the stage to share a few words. With his characteristic passion, charm, wit, insight, and clever turns of phrase, Couteau explained that his love and appreciation for this island and its people is tainted by a growing fear that something essential could be lost to the digital age. “While communications technology has a lot to offer, by its very nature it relies on iconic representation to convey an unfathomable depth wealth of knowledge and wisdom that can only really be conveyed through direct contact. Although these icons may serve their own purpose, there is the danger of in fact being empty of meaning. I fear that in the next 50 years, much of the knowledge, wisdom, depth, and beauty of Balinese culture could be lost. Over the years I have enjoyed countless interactions with all kinds of people from all over the island - from Javanese street vendors to Brahmin families, from educated intellectuals to toiling farmers, from great artists to humble artisans, and many others besides. It is through these interactions, which often took place in casual settings like small village cafes or streetside benches, that I have come to know some of the myths, magic, and mystery that make this island so enchanting. This is my very small way of ensuring that some of this wealth that I have been blessed to encounter is transmitted to others and hopefully serves to inspire further exploration of and appreciation for this fascinating world we know as Bali”.

Jean Couteau’s Myth, Magic and Mystery in Bali is available online and the accompanying exhibition of Paintings by legendary Balinese painter and sculptor I Ketut Budiana and photographs by renowned Balinese photographer Ida Bagus Putra Adnyana will be on display at Sudakara Art Space, Jl. Sudamala no 20, Sanur until April 28th.

Detail of Myth Magic and Mysetery in Bali book cover

Published January 2018

The spiritual in Art

B to B exhibition at Komaneka Gallery

Bali is well known for its wealth of arts that, until about a hundred years ago were only ever produced in the context of the spiritual practices of Balinese Hindus. Today there is a flourishing art scene outside of this context that tends however to be overlooked, with attention more often going to “traditional style paintings” or the semi-mass produced art created for the tourist market.

Contemporary Balinese art is sometimes dismissed as lacking conceptual depth as critical theory is seldom used as a direct reference and with aesthetics playing such a dominant role. Upon closer investigation however one may find immeasurable depth to these paintings and an implicit understanding of contemporary issues – both political and aesthetic that are perhaps hard to read by those accustomed to the visual lexicon of western art that has increasingly moved away from the spiritual in art.

Spiritual can be defined as viewing things from the perspective of the awareness of extremely long cycles of time, the inclusive nature of the universe, and the interconnection of all things. So art that is created with a spiritual basis may still address contemporary issues, however, it will do so from a broader perspective.

The B to B exhibition currently on at Komaneka Gallery in Ubud, brings to light some of the differences as well as similarities in artworks produced based on mental constructs versus artworks produced from a more intuitive approach. This exhibition is the second time that these 5 artists from Bali ( Nyoman Diwarupa, Ketut Suasana “Kabul”, Nyoman Sujana “Kenyem”, Putu Bonuz Sudiana, Wayan Suastama) and 5 artists from Batu, East Java( Rifai’i, Bambang BP, Isa Ansory, Heri Catur Prasetya, Suwandi Waeng) hold a group exhibition together.

As writer S. Susanto says of the exhibition “Bali and Java have a long history of cultural exchange and this exhibition bears witness to the ongoing exchange of ideas and aesthetics between the people of these two places. There is an ongoing dialogue between the artists of these two places, sharing ideas, and forms while maintaining distinct characteristics".

One of the reasons that Balinese culture remains so distinctive is that the basic values that inform its visual manifestations are firmly maintained. These values are intimately tied to the spiritual practices of the Balinese and the arts that play such an important role in these practices. With so many people sharing an agreed meaning to even the smallest of gestures, shapes, and colors, a visual lexicon is available to artists here in a way that is seldom found elsewhere.

So while to the outside observer this visual lexicon may appear to be simply ornamental with repetitive iterations of the same content without any reference to current issues, a closer investigation may reveal a much deeper understanding. Art in Java shares many of these qualities; however, there tends to be increasing attention given to more globally understood means of communication.

Art is essentially a feeling-based medium -regardless of the form or message being conveyed. By using a different lexicon - one that leans heavily on intricacy, does not mean that concept has been neglected in favor of craftsmanship. It simply means that craftsmanship is being used not just as ornament, but also as a sophisticated language in itself.

If i use my logical analytical mind to read the painting by Javanese artist Suwandi Waeng entitled The First Leaf which depicts plastic waste rendered in a hyper-realist style but utilized to depict an abstract composition, from the perspective of a more globally understood visual-conceptual language, I am moved by the beauty of the concept as well as the aesthetic beauty of the painting. Aesthetically the painting is pleasing with a balanced composition and rich colors composed in such a way that evokes natural forms, like a bird or crashing waves.

The mental dissonance created by beauty being contrasted with what I know to be plastic garbage invites me to ponder the issue of plastic waste. The tension between hyper-realism and abstraction also opens a space for further questions about the role of art itself. I would thus call this a very good painting.

If however, I read this same painting from a perspective that prioritizes aesthetic beauty as a manifestation of the creative force of life and tries to read into the spiritual meaning of the gestures shapes, and colors, from the culturally agreed-upon meaning that these hold in Bali, I may find myself slightly disappointed or at a loss of connection with deeper feelings or spiritual context.

Without placing such a high value on logical concepts, an artwork that leans more heavily on concept than on feelings could be called good but not great, because its aesthetic power falls slightly short without the support of the analytic, logical implications.

Similarly, if I look at the painting entitled Agung Mountain by Balinese artist Ketut Suasana “Kabul", which depicts smoke coming out of the active Mount Agung volcano rendered in an impressionist style with striking red lines running across the canvas quite literally as a seismograph would across the telling sheet of paper used to measured seismic activity, I may find that the painting lacks power.

If the message of the painting is read as being a sense of urgency about the current eruption of this great mountain without reading any further then this painting could be called good but not great.

Whereas if I read the painting through a lens that prioritizes beauty as a representation of spiritual harmony and the visual lexicon of gestures shapes and colors used by the Balinese, another message is made known to me through the artwork.

In Balances cosmology, the three colors back white and red represent the fundamental building blocks of all creation -the binary forces of black and white as the matrix upon which the red of life may emerge. It is only because this background matrix (in this case represented by the form of mountain and sea as symbols of the cycle of water) remains stable despite their fluctuations, that the red of life which we may perceive as dangerous can become manifest.

This message speaks more to the fundamental elements that make up the intricate balance of the natural world, and perhaps something about how the seismographic lines representing human understanding may seem striking but are in fact momentary and in stark contrast to the overall harmony of nature.

A lot of contemporary art the world over is primarily focused on addressing current issues such as environmental destruction, social injustice, consumerism, identity politics, and the like, however, a broader or spiritual vision is often neglected. Creating art from a spiritual basis does not mean ignoring what currently is but rather considering what currently is in light of what always is.

The B to B exhibition is of particular interest because all the artworks on display express something about contemporary issues without neglecting aesthetics, relevance, and spirituality. Apart from the differences in approach that each individual artist uses it is also interesting to see the overall similarities as well as the particular differences of these artists in their approach to moth method and content.

B to B will be showing at Komaneka Gallery on Jalan Monkey Forest, Ubud until January 23.

Painting by Balinese artist I Ketut "Kabul" Suasana in B to B exhibition at Komaneka Gallery, Ubud

Remote Village Fashionista

Balinese Barbie Bridging Barriers

Like many tourists in Bali, Barbie is a world traveler. She has visited countries the world over, but what many people may not know is that she loves to shop for clothes in Bali. However because of her particular measurements, there is only one store where she can buy clothes here and it is located in the small village of Songan on Lake Batur Kintamani, not too far from Hulun Danau Batur Temple.

Talented designer and seamstress Putu Restiti has been making clothes for Barbie for almost ten years now. She first started making these miniature fashion pieces after a local non-profit organization came to see how she was living and gave her and her sister (who has since passed away) a couple of barbies to play with.

While girls the world over have the unrealistic dream of growing up to be like Barbie, these two young sparks instead felt inspired to make this strange doll look more like them and the women around them. What started out as a fun game between sisters soon developed into a full-time job for Putu with orders and attention flooding in from far beyond her remote village.

Putu’s mother is a kebaya (traditional Balinese woman’s blouse) seamstress so Putu uses the leftover material from these blouses to create fancy dresses for Barbie. She explained that she is inspired by this beautiful fabric but also by images that she finds online. She creates her own unique designs and sometimes special orders for particular garments, but always with a Balinese flair.

Putu was born with deformities which meant that her legs never developed making it hard for her to get around and even harder to make friends as a child. However, as she explained: “I was not about to let that stop me from using my hands. I love coming up with design ideas and challenging myself to make these tiny garments. I mostly sell to foreigners who love Barbie, but also to some locals who often have 'knock-off' Barbies that are slightly different”.

Sometimes people from Denpasar will come to her with real Barbies and either has a dress made or buys one of the many designs she has on hand. She even makes clothes for Ken dolls and the matching outfits she makes are enough to make any couple want to start wearing matching outfits.

When asked whether she has thought of selling these clothes directly to Matel Inc. the company that makes Barbie, Putu said that she has discussed the idea with them but they decided that it wasn’t a good match because her clothes are too fancy for the Matel brand who tend to make much less intricate clothes for Barbie. Matel however was so impressed with her workmanship and creativity that they sometimes send her accessories like sequins to use in her creations.

Putu does not have any staff helping her make these pint-sized high fashion items so she cannot produce them in large volumes yet. She explained that she just really likes making these clothes and sometimes makes simpler versions that she sells to kids in her neighborhood for a reduced price.

This passion of hers not only provides Putu with a fun activity and a little extra income, but it has also served as a bridge for her to develop relationships with the people in her community who might not have even met her otherwise. Fashion has a special way of bringing people together and these unique Balinese styles Barbie clothes have shown that the craftsmanship and beauty for which Bali is known for the world over can take myriad forms, and can even be adapted to something as distinctly foreign as Barbie.

Barbie fashion designer Putu Restiti in her studio in Songan Village, Kintamani