Time is flying for Garuda mega project

Time is flying for Garuda mega project

By Putu Wirata

DENPASAR, Bali (JP ): Noted sculptor Nyoman Nuarta is
confident he can finish his Garuda Wisnu Kencana, a 45-meter
grand statue, on the eve of the new millennium.

Intended as a cultural landmark on the island paradise of
Bali, the statue's construction, started in l993, has aroused
strong criticism from Balinese scholars, environmentalists and
the community, as well.

According to the Balinese people, the mythic bird Garuda is
considered sacred because it is a vehicle of the god Vishnu.

The controversial Garuda Wisnu Kencana's project was initially
planned to be completed for the 50th anniversary of Indonesia on
Aug. 17, l995. Due to financial and technical problems, the
project was halted for a certain period.

Yet, Nuarta meets the right momentum. He is now racing against
time to complete his dream project by the end of December l999 in
order to greet the third millennium.

Born in Penatahan, a small village in Tabanan, Nuarta expected
his masterpiece could become a benchmark in the history of arts
in Indonesia, particularly in Bali.

The grand statue is now under construction again and is
expected to be placed on Bukit Ungasan, 15 kilometers south of
Denpasar. The location is part of a planned 170-hectare cultural
complex comprising art buildings and facilities, amphitheaters
and forested areas.

In l993, the construction of the statue was estimated to cost
about Rp 60 billion. The cost now, of course, has skyrocketed in
response to the devaluation of rupiah against the U.S. dollar.

It is interesting to note that millennial fever has hit many
Balinese artists.

There is a tendency among local artists to produce colossal
works in facing the new millennium. Many cultural events and even
traditional and family rituals are organized at such a huge scale
to attract massive attention from the public.

Nyoman Nuarta with his Garuda project is one of the biggest
and fantastic millennial artworks.

Another example was the magnificent cremation of the late king
of the Gianyar aristocrat family, Ida Anak Agung Gde Agung, last
month, attracted ample attention from statesmen, diplomatic
circles, scholars, nobility and foreigners.

Painter Made Wianta is planning a performing arts festival
called Art and Peace, which will take place on Dec. 10, l999.

The festival, which will cost about Rp 1.4 billion, will
present a number of prominent figures, such as former South
African president Nelson Mandela, spiritual leader Ibu Gedong
Bagoes Oka and other distinguished artists and scholars from
Indonesia and overseas.

During the festival, 2,000 female dancers will present various
dances and other forms of performing arts. The festival will be
highlighted by the flying of huge and colorful banners carrying
peaceful messages.

The banners will be carried by a helicopter flying from the
Kelanting coast in Tabanan through Sanur beach in Denpasar.

On Dec. 20, Sanggar Dewata Indonesia, a group of Balinese
artists who graduated from art school in Yogyakarta, will hold a
joint painting exhibitions in five museums in Bali: Museum Neka,
Museum Agung Rai, Museum Rudana, Museum Gunarsa and Museum Bali.

No less important are the planned activities by students of
the Denpasar Arts Institute. By the end of December l999, they
will jointly paint on a 2,000-meter-long piece of fabric.

Made Adnyana, one of the organizer, said, "For us, painting is
a spiritual process."

Art activities will take place all night long to welcome in
the year 2000.

These spectacular cultural activities planned for the new
millennium reveal a new phenomenon in the Balinese art world.

Nuarta with his controversial artwork Garuda Wisnu Kencana has
encouraged other Balinese artists to create sensational and
bombastic artworks.

This phenomenon reflects social and psychological change
within the Balinese society. They have started to be critical of
their social cohesion, which unites them in a collective bond.

Prior to the l950s, the Balinese people held enormous
religious and traditional celebrations as part of their Yadnya,
offerings and self-dedication to gods and the Divine.

The artists worked anonymously; they created an anonymous
society.

One clear example was the establishment of Museum Puri Lukisan
by Cokorda Gde Agung Soekawati from Ubud. He refused to use his
name but focused more on his efforts to set up a museum to record
Balinese fine arts pieces.

Times have changed. Now, many artists prefer to create works
individually. Their artistic creations reflect their personal
talents and ego. New art galleries and museums mostly bear the
names of the founders, such as Museum Neka, Museum Agung Rai,
Museum Rudana and Museum Pendet.

The works of Nyoman Nuarta, Made Wianta and many other artists
are the symbols of their own ego but stand on the Balinese
collective culture.

In rural Bali, thousands of sekeha art groups and artists
still strongly hold to a communal culture.

One interesting example is the artistic works of Nyoman Erawan
from Banjar Dlodtangkluk-Sukawati. In his creative process,
Erawan tries to place himself in the middle of the collective and
individualistic cultures.

Since l996, Erawan's performing arts blend collective cultures
with modern ones. He grew up amid traditional circles but his
artistic creativity goes beyond traditions.

Erawan involved local artists and the community to jointly
create pieces using a religious and ritualistic approach.

"We should appreciate their artistic capability because there
is no clear definition or limitation on one's artistic talents,"
Erawan explained.

In his performing arts, Erawan has always asked and included
all components in his neighborhood and even Hindu priests to
participate.

He uses sacred hymns, gamelan music and ceremonial offerings
as important parts of his works.

Erawan seems to tell his audience that he creates profane art
to achieve spiritual goals.

His most recent creation entitled Ritus Seni Erawan: Ruwatan
(The Ritual of Erawan's Arts: Purification Ceremony), performed
first in Denpasar in l998 and in Tirtagangga, Karangasem, late
last month, startled most of the spectators.

The audience felt this artistic creation was a real ritual
ceremony. Erawan successfully evoked the emotions of the audience
with all supporting elements, such as the use of ritual offerings
and the presence of religious leaders.

Approaching the next millennium, the Balinese art and cultural
world will witness transformations but it will certainly record a
number of significant artistic works by famous artists, such as
Nyoman Nuarta with his Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue and Made
Wianta with his Art and Peace project.