Balinese women venture into new area:; The fine arts

Balinese women venture into new area:; The fine arts

By Carla Bianpoen

JAKARTA (JP): The exhibition of 34 Balinese women painters
currently running at the Bentara Budaya, Jakarta, may well be a
sign of changing trends in the role of women in Bali.

Until fairly recently, the fine arts on Indonesia's most
famous island used to be the privilege of men only. Although
artists like Ni Made Suciarni (born 1932)) and Dewa Biang Raka
(1937) have been working in the arts for about forty years at a
stretch, their names have not appeared in the usual records of
Balinese artists. In fact, this is not surprising. It runs
parallel with the story of Emiria Sunassa (born 1894) the
Menadonese-born wife of the Sultan of Tidore, who can be
considered Indonesia's first female painter. She merited several
awards, and was among the first members of the national painters
group Persagi, but until recently her name was rarely mentioned
in histories of Indonesian art.

Some observers wonder whether the visibility of Balinese women
artists comes from increased self-confidence, or have been
triggered by the women's economic needs and interventions by a
person like Mary Northmore, the driving force behind the Seniwati
Gallery.

Displays like the one organized by the Bentara Budaya in
cooperation with the Seniwati Gallery provide new and interesting
dimensions in the Indonesian art scene. The exhibition ends
Oct.21.

While most of the works exhibited in Jakarta two years ago
depicted images of the exotic in a conventional style, the
current show provides an amazing diversion. In general the
artists draw on old subject matters such as the landscape, daily
life in the market, the cultural and the mythical. Additions,
however, abound. Flowers and gender issues have started to
feature. There is a fascinating liberation of possibilities.

Suciarmi and Dewa Biang, the most senior of the artists, have
continued in the conventional style, as have some others as well.
Somehow, however, they have been touched by change. This is
evident in Dewa Biang's Burung Garuda diatas Gunung yang Bersalju
(Garuda above snowy mountains) which shows an "untraditional"
element of energy.

Most of the younger artists in this exhibition reveal the
distinct influence of painters like Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet
or Arie Smit who all contributed to the general development of
Balinese art. Interestingly, some of these women have had no
previous schooling but appear to have developed a style of their
own. Gusti Agung Galuh (born 1960), who comes from a family of
painters, has a style reminiscent of Walter Spies. Membelah
Kelapa Muda (Cropping Young Coconuts) draws attention by its
translucent depth and the highlighting of certain areas within a
dark scene of protruding palm trees. Ni Made Sudarmi (born 1974)
is represented by several paintings in several styles, with Ke
Pura (Going to the Temple) drawing immediate attention. Depicting
women going to the temple at dusk, the atmosphere is one of
spiritual melancholy.

Ni Made Ida Utari (born 1970) who started painting when she
was seven, prefers flowers. They are realistic, but the colors
are sometimes quite eerie. Her Bunga Mawar Ungu (Purple roses),
for instance, evokes a sense of death, something she faces often,
being a nurse at a community health center.

Ni Made Sri Astuti (born 1973) developed a style which makes a
connection to the thrill of color and the novelty of women's
public visibility at the same time. In Ibu dan Anak (Mother and
Child) she covers the mother's face with both hands as if being
to shy to be exposed.

Amalia Amini (born 1950) comes from Kalimantan and her
paintings bear the origins of her childhood. There is a striking
similarity with the paintings of Emiria Sunassa, reflecting the
latter's experiences in Kalimantan.

Kadek Murniasih (born 1966) deserves special mention. Without
formal education in the arts, Murniasih has managed to achieve an
intriguing level of artistry. According to Mary Northmore, almost
all of Murniasih's paintings are tinted with feminist elements.
Obsessed by women's reproductive system, Murniasih's Akuarium
(Aquarium) is said to reflect life in the womb. It is not quite
clear what the artist meant when she put butterflies (or dragon
flies?) in the aquarium, nor are there any details about her
personal life which might have triggered her particular interest
in gender issues. Murniasih started exploring art at the age of
22 years. Although she has no formal art schooling, she seems to
be a fast learner with great potential.

Gallery

The Seniwati Gallery in Ubud is very much the brainchild of
Mary Northmore, who has been its director from the very
beginning. The Gallery's objective is to promote, support and
encourage female artists who live and work in Bali.

As the founder, director and organizer of the Gallery, Mary
can boast significant successes. The founding members were
foreign, Balinese and other Indonesian women. Now the group has
34 artists of whom 20 are Balinese and 14 from other parts of
Indonesia. They comprise both traditional and academically
trained artists who benefit from Mary's active promotion outside
of Bali. This includes the arrangements of exhibitions, sales,
and exchange.

The exchange of artists with foreign colleagues coming to the
Gallery to work and the Gallery's members traveling abroad has,
according to Mary, had an empowering effect on the artists which
is evident in the diversion from the usual styles.

Pursuing the empowering factor of the gallery's objectives, a
sanggar was set up for girls aged 5-17 years. This will need some
time to bear significant fruit, judging by the children's
paintings in the current exhibit. Although they may be talented,
most of the paintings are no more than drawings of elementary
level.

Meanwhile, a number of women artists have found their own
identity and are going their separate ways in the Ikatan Seniwati
Bali, the Association of Balinese Women Artists. They endeavor to
hold their own exhibitions. Some have won national and
international acclaim.