Hotel introduces sculptors to wider audience

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post/Denpasar

Bali's fine arts scene is a place where painting, modern works particularly, rule and sculpture takes a back seat.

To a large extent, the failure of sculpture to gain the recognition and support enjoyed by painting is caused by its unfortunate inability to shed the image, unfounded or otherwise, of being a handicraft product instead of the end result of an exhausting, creative process.

This has forced many art galleries in Bali to think twice before organizing a sculpture exhibition. This reluctance has further driven the island's sculpture into near obscurity.

From this perspective, a joint effort of the five-star Melia Bali Villas & Resort, Bali Indonesia Sculptors Association (BIASA) and Bali Artist Painters Association (BAPA) to hold a huge sculpture and painting exhibition will certainly play a major role in addressing the situation.

The exhibition will run until Aug. 17 on the spacious ground floor of the 495-room Melia Bali Villas and Resort, which lies at the island's tourism enclave of Nusa Dua, some 30 kilometers south of Denpasar.

Melia public relations officer Evy Suryaningsih stated that the event was part of the hotel's continuing effort to supporting the art form by providing the space and time through which aspiring local artists could gain wider audience and recognition.

The timing of the event, Evy said, had been carefully chosen to achieve precisely that objective.

"August is one of our busiest months. This August, we are not only fully booked, but, for several days, overbooked. It means wthat the exhibition stands a good chance of attracting a large number of visitors," she said.

"It doesn't matter whether the visitors buy the artwork or not. Giving them a chance to sample the dynamic and esthetic world of Balinese sculpture and widening the artists' audience are our primary objectives," she said.

Largest exhibition

The exhibition involves 38 sculptors and 32 painters, the members of BIASA and BAPA, respectively.

"This is the biggest exhibition we have organized so far -- probably the largest sculpture exhibition on the island, " BIASA chairman IB Alit stated.

It features a total 350 artworks -- 200 sculptures and 150 paintings -- which, said Alit, was also the exact number of hotels operated by the Sol Melia chain in 30 countries worldwide.

"It is our way of showing our appreciation to the management of this hotel, which has committed its time and energy to make this exhibition a reality," he said.

Ever since its establishment on January, 2004, BIASA has organized or participated in five major exhibitions. The first was at Pendet Museum of Sculpture, Nyuh Kuning, Ubud, and the last at Singapore's high-tech center, Suntec city.

Contemporary themes

The exhibition clearly shows that a large majority of Balinese sculptors have departed from the conventional themes based on Balinese Hindu epics, iconography and traditional everyday life.

In their places are now modern themes of personal anxiety, private longings and modern torment, expressed through a contemporary set of symbols and metaphors.

Symmetrical harmony of structure and individual expression replace the free-flow carving and communal symbolism of traditional Balinese sculpture.

The results are distinctively different sculptures characterized by their bold, unadorned simplicity of forms and mathematical precision.

"Many of the participating sculptors have a solid academic background, which explains their ability to use modern techniques and to draw inspiration from contemporary phenomena of the global world," Alit said.

Several displayed works also reflect the artists' experimentation with new materials, from ceramics to recycled paper, and new spatial and structural arrangement.

The exhibited works carry price tags ranging from US$90 to $4,500.

in box:

Sculpture and painting exhibition at Melia Bali Villas and Resort Nusa Dua, Bali tel. (0361) 771510

exhibition runs through Aug. 17