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.