Bali sculptor finds expression with wood<\/p>\n
Wayan Sunarta, Contributor, Ubud, Bali<\/p>\n
Misshapen wooden faces and strange creatures abound in Galeri
\nSembilan in Ubud.<\/p>\n
They are the works of aspiring artist I Ketut Muja.<\/p>\n
Through his latest creations, it seems as though Muja is eager
\nto present \"surrealist\" works, combining real, and unreal,
\nsubjects.<\/p>\n
In one of his works, Guna-Gini, Muja is trying to display his
\nsurrealistic style by presenting a human head supported by a
\nwooden hand which strongly grips the earth.<\/p>\n
His surrealistic touch can also be found in Rasa Bisa Berbisa
\n(Taste Can Be Poisonous), in which he creates a pile of wood in
\nthe form of human being with an extremely wide mouth filled with
\na black stone.<\/p>\n
Through this particular work, Muja portrays the present social
\nand political conditions of Indonesia which, he says, is filled
\nby people with \"big mouths\" who tell \"big lies.\"<\/p>\n
In Harapan (Expectation), Muja explores the environmental
\ndamage that results from the deforestation. Here, he delivers his
\nmessage through the skeleton of a deer depicted as emerging from
\nbarren soil.<\/p>\n
The deer is symbolic of nature being destroyed. This statue is
\nmeant to protest man's irresponsible and greedy behavior, which
\nis rapidly skewing the natural balance.<\/p>\n
Most of Muja's creations reflect his wild imagination.<\/p>\n
Dewa Putu Mokoh, a senior artist from Pengosekan, Ubud,
\npraised Muja as a creative artist who can explore fresh and new
\nideas in his works.<\/p>\n
Christopher Stern, the owner of Galeri Sembilan, spoke of his
\nstrong admiration for Muja's works. \"I really like his wooden
\nstatues. His artistic style is fantastic -- both in terms of
\nthemes, and uniqueness.\"<\/p>\n
In his opinions, Muja is an artist who can eloquently \"speak\"
\nthrough his chosen medium.<\/p>\n
Muja began his career as a realist sculptor. He honed his
\nskills by creating wooden sculptures, talents he acquired by
\nworking with I Ketut Rondin from Denpasar and I Wayan Tangguh, a
\nrespected artist from Singapadu.<\/p>\n
In the process, he learned about distinguished styles from
\neach area.<\/p>\n
In l979, Muja created Hanoman statue, a central figure in the
\nRamayana epic story, with elaborate detail.<\/p>\n
His statue was superb and rich in ornaments while adopting no
\nconventional forms. Soon, his realist works inspired other
\nartists in Singapadu. In no time, Muja's works became collectors'
\nitems and he was considered a pioneer of Singapadu style.<\/p>\n
But times have changed. \"Creating uniform works was a form of
\nself-torture for me,\" the Muja said.<\/p>\n
Thus, he has stopped creating, remaining silent within the
\nglamorous world of Bali's fine arts.<\/p>\n
He returned to the art world, however, when his son asked him
\nto make a carving out of fossilized wood.<\/p>\n
For him, working on unshaped woods was exciting.<\/p>\n
\"It aroused my creativity and my imagination,\" recalled the
\nartist. Muja could sit for hours before he working on fossilized
\nwoods. \"I need some time to imagine and to create the most
\nappropriate forms,\" he added.<\/p>\n
To find materials in Bali, he has traveled to remote villages
\nin Buleleng, Karangasem, and Jembrana. In addition, he has
\njourneyed to Banyuwangi in East Java in search of materials.<\/p>\n
In Bali, it is quite difficult to find a real sculptor.<\/p>\n
Wayan Sika, the former head of Sanggar Dewata Indonesia, said
\nthat sculptures seldom find their proper place in Bali arts map.
\nEvery gallery, he said, is only willing to display paintings.<\/p>\n
\"Muja's exhibition could be a breakthrough in the local art
\nworld,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The exhibition runs until Feb. 27 at Galeri Sembilan, Jl. Raya
\nUbud, Bali.<\/p>",
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