'Cak Seni Rupa' fuses painting and theater

By Putu Wirata

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): The arena was brightly lit. But the illumination enhancing the Latta Mahosadi Museum's front yard was not from mere lights. Gods, sounds, dance and shrieking color filled the evening with chutzpah -- the Nyoman Erawan trademark.

Nyoman Erawan's creative emanation began with a bang as countless color-filled earthenware had their ropes loosened and crashed from a 10-meter drop. One after another, they smashed against a 10-meter high plywood wall. As paint splattered in abstract expressionism, a dramatic scene of the Cak Seni Rupa Latta Mahosadi performance received it's due. The scene is derived from the Ramayana epic where Hanoman the Monkey-God lifts Mount Mahameru to present it to Rama, the epic's protagonist.

According to legend, this follows the Alengka-Ayodhya war. As Rama's brother Laksamana lies wounded from Rahwana's arrows, Hanoman is sent to find latta mahosadi the lifesaving herb. Not being able to do so, he decides to take the whole mountain to Rama.

If the Gods weren't applauding, the audience did more than their share. The show, which started June 29, will run until the end of July.

Born in Dlodtangluk, Gianyar, Nyoman Erawan, 39, is no stranger to Indonesian plastic arts. He was the 1994 Philip Morris award winner for his Kalpatura creation, and is a star amid the noted genre in Bali.

But he outshone and surprised several with his painting- theater fusion in the museum's front yard, which belongs to the Institute of Arts (STSI) in Denpasar.

The head of the institute, I Made Bandem, gave his approval. "In the history of Balinese cultural art performances, someone always makes the indelible breakthrough, before creative innovations crop up," he said. "Besides, he isn't doing this alone. He has worked in collaboration with several STSI artists."

Dr. Jean Couteu, an anthropologist from Sorbone University, Paris, who has lived in Bali for 20 years, said Nyoman Erawan had influenced the future of Balinese art.

"Artists like Nyoman are not restrictive about ideas and would hardly let tradition take a hold of them. They work solo. And bolder creations are more typical of them, than karawitan (gamelan music accompanied by singing) artists," he said.

"Karawitan is both tradition bound and rigid. Karawitan artists with progressive ideas will eventually bend."

After studying at the Institute of Arts (ISI) in Yogyakarta, Nyoman Erawan returned to his village. He passed his days by helping villagers with paintings needed at rituals, similar to other art veterans such as Nyoman Lempad and Cokol.

Being academically oriented, the artist's life became enmeshed with his artwork. He decided to channel new vision through "traditional symbols".

His Cak performance was largely influenced by Balinese rituals. There were poles interspersing colors of black and white, a white flag, an elevated stage, several hundred meters of cloth and a torch for props -- all augmenting an otherwise gripping ritual ambience.

The show began with an earsplitting blare of sirens. Before the audience had time to think, a car started heading toward the stage to lower a coffin. A body was hidden inside. The white sheets were slightly torn, and Cak dancers emerged slowly, waving their hands.

Before the audience could no longer stand the suspense, the sheets were ripped open, and Cak dancers filled the arena.

This scene was from Ramayana. The next scene depicted the war between Rahwana and Laksamana. Hanoman is sent off to the Himalayas in search of the leaf latta mohasadi. But he can't find it. An estranged Hanoman realizes the only way to save Laksamana's life in time is to take the entire mountain to her. Harmonizing the scene with music, Kadek Suartaya and Ida Bagus Nyoman Mas opt for a different sound and fill the void with celestial music.

The performance climaxes when Hanoman presents the mountain to Rama. Ropes are cut, and earthenware splashes color on the wall. The expressions are indubitably strong. Sectioned and colored branches stick to the wall, creating the desired illusion of fallen kites. The wall becomes the canvas -- an iridescent expression. Strong lights magnify every inch of the abstraction. While the audience cheered and gasped, the dancers moved away. The 20-meter wide, 10-meter tall "canvas" is moved off stage.

Nyoman's accomplishment is not just a mere extravaganza. He is able to take a frozen creation and make it move. He raises the issue of artistic traditionalists who are victims of the foreign tourist dollar. Nyoman and his troop ride in a truck, but are happy and high-spirited. "At home, while painting, I hear sounds of the gamelan being played at a shrine. Sometimes I envision the things you do for the rituals. To see it as a visual performance, makes me shiver," he said.

Nyoman Erawan considers himself the medium, the one creating a setting to fuel people's imaginations. Cak Seni Rupa Latta Mahosadi visualizes the art in him. Physically, he is the hand that creates, but the true creator lies within.