Gunarsa's museum safeguards Bali's heritage

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Semarapura, Bali

Nyoman Gunarsa carefully opened the rolled white cloth to reveal his museum's newest acquisition; an ancient Kamasan-style painting believed to be the collective creation of 15th century Balinese artists.

"The original fabric was so delicate that I had it sewn onto this new white cloth. Hopefully, this method will sustain the painting for many years to come," he said while gazing admiringly at the faded painting.

Nature and age has certainly taken their toll on the painting. Its colors have lost much of their freshness, the lines are hazy and the edges are shredded at several points, but the painting is still a masterpiece.

"Every time I fix my eyes on it I feel a sense of tranquility embraces me," he said.

It probably is the highest praise to ever come from Gunarsa, an internationally-recognized painter himself.

The painting, which depicts a classical Hindu story of Tantri -- a virgin girl who tricks a lustful king -- used to be the property of the Bale Batur temple in nearby Kamasan village.

When the villagers were short of cash while renovating the temple they took down the painting and paid Gunarsa a visit. After a brief discussion the villagers went home with Rp 300 million (US$35,294) and Gunarsa's Balinese Classical Arts Museum got the newest addition to its collection.

Gunarsa confessed that he always felt reluctant to buy historic paintings and artifacts from individuals and communities that for centuries had taken care of those cultural heritages.

However, he also firmly believes that it would do the Balinese greater good in the future if these works of art are kept in Bali instead of being flown overseas by foreign collectors.

Some people have accused him of being greedy in this matter. One of his close friends, a prince of the House of Karangasem, even scolded Gunarsa after learning that the Museum had just acquiring a beautiful set of gamelan instruments that once belonged to the Karangasem Palace.

"Honestly, greed wasn't the motivation. I simply fall in love with these beautiful things. Moreover, the Balinese believe in the importance of safeguarding tetamian anak lingsir (the forefathers' inheritance). That's why I built this museum, to safeguard our legacy," he said.

"We don't want our children to learn about their own culture in some far away museums in foreign countries, do we?," he added.

Set on a one-hectare plot of land in Gunarsa's home village of Banda in Klungkung regency, the Museum is just a few kilometers from Gelgel, the seat of the kingdom of Dalem Waturenggong, the 15th century ruler of Bali.

"His rule was the golden age, a classical age of Balinese arts, culture and religion. Banda's proximity to Gelgel was one of the main reasons I built the museum here instead of in the island's capital of Denpasar or Ubud," he disclosed.

Gunarsa spent some Rp 3 billion to build the three-story museum, and an undisclosed sum of money to build up the museum's collection.

Currently, the collection comprises some 300 paintings, 50 daggers, dozens of stone and wooden statues, hundreds of shadow puppets, several complete sets of traditional gamelan instruments, beautifully carved palace gates and wooden pavilions.

Most of the works in the collection come from the 18th, 19th and early 20th century and were created by anonymous artists with three exceptions, a painting created by I Matjong in 1905 and several paintings made by I Nyoman Mandra and Mangku Mura, the contemporary masters of Kamasan style.

"Mandra and Mura have provided a significant contribution to ensure the continued existence of the ancient Kamasan style of painting," Gunarsa noted.

The museum also boasts the largest collection in Bali of 50 rare Ulantaga paintings. Reportedly made of rice pulp, Ulantaga paper was imported by ancient Balinese nobles to be used mainly as a media for sacred rerajahan (magical letters, symbols and drawings) required in the cremation ceremony.

The majority of the pieces were acquired from individuals and traditional communities in Bali. The rest was the fruit of Gunarsa's relentless search abroad.

In 1986, he visited Florence, Italy, knowing that the Dutch painter, WOJ Nieuwenkamp, who had traveled extensively in Bali in the early 20th century and witnessed the fall of Klungkung kingdom into the hands of the Dutch colonial forces, married a native of the city.

He left the city with a big grin and 10 newly-acquired Ulantaga paintings, the most expensive one worth $8,000, in his baggage.

"It was an exhilarating experience, knowing that you had succeeded in bringing the cultural treasure of your people back home," he proudly stated.

In spite of its magnificent collection the museum obviously suffers from two major problems; poor presentation and lack of adequate restoration and conservation technology.

It also does not have an artificial temperature and humidity control system, thus, leaving the collection to the mercy of the elements.

"I admit that we have a big problem with these things, particularly restoration and conservation," Gunarsa told.

He noted that Balinese traditional paintings, which are made using water-soluble color pigments, would be completely damaged by conservation technologies generally applied to western paintings, which are made of oil-soluble color pigments.

"I desperately need an expert who knows how to tackle this issue, otherwise this cultural treasure of ours will likely vanish forever, " he said.