Supena paints homage to Bali's glorious past

Supena paints homage to Bali's glorious past

By Putu Wirata

DENPASAR (JP): Young, talented Balinese painter Made Supena
takes inspiration from his native culture to create his abstract
works.

His solo exhibition at the Chedi Gallery, Ubud, featuring more
than 20 of Supena's abstracts opened on Aug. 23 and will last
until Oct. 23.

Born in 1970, Supena is a dropout of Udayana University's
School of Fine Arts and Design. His talent has put his name on
par with other young Balinese artists, such as Made Wianta,
Nyoman Erawan and Made Sumadiyasa.

"From his works I can tell he is talented and sensitive," says
Jean Couteau, an art observer in Bali. "Like any other young
artist, it's important that he gives meaning to his works."

"I see that they (young artists) focus too rigidly on the old
culture and do not relate their works to current realities."

With his sole exhibition, it is as though Supena wants to
compete with Made Samadiyasa who has exhibited more than 100 of
his works in three places simultaneously in Ubud: Neka Museum,
Komaneka Fine Art Gallery and Bamboo Gallery.

Supena rejects critics' claim that he is an imitator of
Jackson Pollock, the famous American "action painting" artist.

"My inspiration is the Balinese philosophy and culture," he
maintains.

Supena has been trying technical experimention. For example he
experiments with free brush strokes, splashes colors, lets paints
freely melt, makes cuts with threads or composes collages with a
mixture of sawdust, patches of cloth and so forth.

He says the technique allows him to express his imagination.

He imagines he is a Balinese dancer when he is swinging his
brush on the canvas, slinging paint, putting down patches of
cloth or letting paint to run down.

When possessed by taksu, or a divine spirit that gives
artistic inspiration, a Balinese dancer will perform well no
matter whether the venue is a packed stadium or a solemn
religious ritual. The dancer's movements originate from her or
his soul; there is no more conscious thought to how to move the
feet, hands, fingers, raise the eyebrows, smile or gyrate
eyeballs.

A similar cultural philosophy is also adopted by other
Balinese abstract artists like Nyoman Erawan, Made Sumadiyasa and
Nyoman Sukari.

Erawan bases his art philosophy on eternal processes -- birth,
life, death -- and therefore he does not contradict "modern" with
"traditional" concepts. Made Sumadiyasa, a young Balinese who is
enjoying a growing popularity, obtains inspiration from yoga
meditation.

The creative process involving the deep-rooted Balinese
culture has amazed anthropologist Couteau, a Balinese cultural
observer for the past 20 years.

"Bali has a lot of social problems that artists can use as
sources of inspirations and give their works meaning. But no
artist has done so," he says.

Cultural conflicts are evident from the "clashes" between
locals and capitalists from other provinces. The Balinese
people's wish to express their sociopolitical aspirations is
often met with state oppression, culminating in bitter protests
and social tension.

Supena's creative works do not reflect cultural friction
within the Balinese community. He is spellbound by the myth about
Balinese values as the titles of his paintings suggest: Tanah
Leluhur (Ancestral Land), Energi Merah (Red Energy), Yadnya
Pralina, Kesaksian Jagat (Universe Testimony) and Harmoni Alam
(Natural Harmony).

His latest work, Yadnya Pralina, is dominated by red,
scratches and splashes. He created it amid the atmosphere of his
fellow villagers busy preparing a religious ritual called Ngaben,
making a red lion-shaped sarcophagus. Supena helped his father,
Ketut Muja, design the sarcophagus.

"I have not arrived at the social dynamics in Bali, as Jean
Couteau expects. What inspires me is the past values that live up
to today -- ancestral land, colorful rites, mythological dreams
and the like," Supena says.