Supena paints homage to Bali's glorious past<\/p>\n
By Putu Wirata<\/p>\n
DENPASAR (JP): Young, talented Balinese painter Made Supena
\ntakes inspiration from his native culture to create his abstract
\nworks.<\/p>\n
His solo exhibition at the Chedi Gallery, Ubud, featuring more
\nthan 20 of Supena's abstracts opened on Aug. 23 and will last
\nuntil Oct. 23.<\/p>\n
Born in 1970, Supena is a dropout of Udayana University's
\nSchool of Fine Arts and Design. His talent has put his name on
\npar with other young Balinese artists, such as Made Wianta,
\nNyoman Erawan and Made Sumadiyasa.<\/p>\n
\"From his works I can tell he is talented and sensitive,\" says
\nJean Couteau, an art observer in Bali. \"Like any other young
\nartist, it's important that he gives meaning to his works.\"<\/p>\n
\"I see that they (young artists) focus too rigidly on the old
\nculture and do not relate their works to current realities.\"<\/p>\n
With his sole exhibition, it is as though Supena wants to
\ncompete with Made Samadiyasa who has exhibited more than 100 of
\nhis works in three places simultaneously in Ubud: Neka Museum,
\nKomaneka Fine Art Gallery and Bamboo Gallery.<\/p>\n
Supena rejects critics' claim that he is an imitator of
\nJackson Pollock, the famous American \"action painting\" artist.<\/p>\n
\"My inspiration is the Balinese philosophy and culture,\" he
\nmaintains.<\/p>\n
Supena has been trying technical experimention. For example he
\nexperiments with free brush strokes, splashes colors, lets paints
\nfreely melt, makes cuts with threads or composes collages with a
\nmixture of sawdust, patches of cloth and so forth.<\/p>\n
He says the technique allows him to express his imagination.<\/p>\n
He imagines he is a Balinese dancer when he is swinging his
\nbrush on the canvas, slinging paint, putting down patches of
\ncloth or letting paint to run down.<\/p>\n
When possessed by taksu, or a divine spirit that gives
\nartistic inspiration, a Balinese dancer will perform well no
\nmatter whether the venue is a packed stadium or a solemn
\nreligious ritual. The dancer's movements originate from her or
\nhis soul; there is no more conscious thought to how to move the
\nfeet, hands, fingers, raise the eyebrows, smile or gyrate
\neyeballs.<\/p>\n
A similar cultural philosophy is also adopted by other
\nBalinese abstract artists like Nyoman Erawan, Made Sumadiyasa and
\nNyoman Sukari.<\/p>\n
Erawan bases his art philosophy on eternal processes -- birth,
\nlife, death -- and therefore he does not contradict \"modern\" with
\n\"traditional\" concepts. Made Sumadiyasa, a young Balinese who is
\nenjoying a growing popularity, obtains inspiration from yoga
\nmeditation.<\/p>\n
The creative process involving the deep-rooted Balinese
\nculture has amazed anthropologist Couteau, a Balinese cultural
\nobserver for the past 20 years.<\/p>\n
\"Bali has a lot of social problems that artists can use as
\nsources of inspirations and give their works meaning. But no
\nartist has done so,\" he says.<\/p>\n
Cultural conflicts are evident from the \"clashes\" between
\nlocals and capitalists from other provinces. The Balinese
\npeople's wish to express their sociopolitical aspirations is
\noften met with state oppression, culminating in bitter protests
\nand social tension.<\/p>\n
Supena's creative works do not reflect cultural friction
\nwithin the Balinese community. He is spellbound by the myth about
\nBalinese values as the titles of his paintings suggest: Tanah
\nLeluhur (Ancestral Land), Energi Merah (Red Energy), Yadnya
\nPralina, Kesaksian Jagat (Universe Testimony) and Harmoni Alam
\n(Natural Harmony).<\/p>\n
His latest work, Yadnya Pralina, is dominated by red,
\nscratches and splashes. He created it amid the atmosphere of his
\nfellow villagers busy preparing a religious ritual called Ngaben,
\nmaking a red lion-shaped sarcophagus. Supena helped his father,
\nKetut Muja, design the sarcophagus.<\/p>\n
\"I have not arrived at the social dynamics in Bali, as Jean
\nCouteau expects. What inspires me is the past values that live up
\nto today -- ancestral land, colorful rites, mythological dreams
\nand the like,\" Supena says.<\/p>",
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