Bali sculptor finds expression with wood

Bali sculptor finds expression with wood

Wayan Sunarta, Contributor, Ubud, Bali

Misshapen wooden faces and strange creatures abound in Galeri
Sembilan in Ubud.

They are the works of aspiring artist I Ketut Muja.

Through his latest creations, it seems as though Muja is eager
to present "surrealist" works, combining real, and unreal,
subjects.

In one of his works, Guna-Gini, Muja is trying to display his
surrealistic style by presenting a human head supported by a
wooden hand which strongly grips the earth.

His surrealistic touch can also be found in Rasa Bisa Berbisa
(Taste Can Be Poisonous), in which he creates a pile of wood in
the form of human being with an extremely wide mouth filled with
a black stone.

Through this particular work, Muja portrays the present social
and political conditions of Indonesia which, he says, is filled
by people with "big mouths" who tell "big lies."

In Harapan (Expectation), Muja explores the environmental
damage that results from the deforestation. Here, he delivers his
message through the skeleton of a deer depicted as emerging from
barren soil.

The deer is symbolic of nature being destroyed. This statue is
meant to protest man's irresponsible and greedy behavior, which
is rapidly skewing the natural balance.

Most of Muja's creations reflect his wild imagination.

Dewa Putu Mokoh, a senior artist from Pengosekan, Ubud,
praised Muja as a creative artist who can explore fresh and new
ideas in his works.

Christopher Stern, the owner of Galeri Sembilan, spoke of his
strong admiration for Muja's works. "I really like his wooden
statues. His artistic style is fantastic -- both in terms of
themes, and uniqueness."

In his opinions, Muja is an artist who can eloquently "speak"
through his chosen medium.

Muja began his career as a realist sculptor. He honed his
skills by creating wooden sculptures, talents he acquired by
working with I Ketut Rondin from Denpasar and I Wayan Tangguh, a
respected artist from Singapadu.

In the process, he learned about distinguished styles from
each area.

In l979, Muja created Hanoman statue, a central figure in the
Ramayana epic story, with elaborate detail.

His statue was superb and rich in ornaments while adopting no
conventional forms. Soon, his realist works inspired other
artists in Singapadu. In no time, Muja's works became collectors'
items and he was considered a pioneer of Singapadu style.

But times have changed. "Creating uniform works was a form of
self-torture for me," the Muja said.

Thus, he has stopped creating, remaining silent within the
glamorous world of Bali's fine arts.

He returned to the art world, however, when his son asked him
to make a carving out of fossilized wood.

For him, working on unshaped woods was exciting.

"It aroused my creativity and my imagination," recalled the
artist. Muja could sit for hours before he working on fossilized
woods. "I need some time to imagine and to create the most
appropriate forms," he added.

To find materials in Bali, he has traveled to remote villages
in Buleleng, Karangasem, and Jembrana. In addition, he has
journeyed to Banyuwangi in East Java in search of materials.

In Bali, it is quite difficult to find a real sculptor.

Wayan Sika, the former head of Sanggar Dewata Indonesia, said
that sculptures seldom find their proper place in Bali arts map.
Every gallery, he said, is only willing to display paintings.

"Muja's exhibition could be a breakthrough in the local art
world," he said.

The exhibition runs until Feb. 27 at Galeri Sembilan, Jl. Raya
Ubud, Bali.