Sanur exhibits art installations

Sanur was once a pristine resort with clean and beautiful beaches. That time has passed. Today, piles of organic and inorganic trash scattered all over the beaches kill thousands of fish and disturb the marine ecosystem.

Artist I.B. Putu Gde Sutama poignantly portrayed the dismal situation through his installation work entitled Trapped displayed at Mertasari beach in Sanur as part of the Sanur Village Festival and the Asian-African Festival which will end this weekend.

To depict the environmental catastrophe of Sanur's beaches, Sutama placed hundreds of dead fish on black bamboo poles, symbolizing the dirty and polluted beaches. "There are many fishermen who exploit our underwater life by using potassium bombs to net fish and other sea products," Sutama said.

Six artists of the Linkar Bali group expressed their disappointment at the rapid growth of the Sanur area as a tourist site, expressed in their works called The Untitled. Through their creations, the artists portrayed the transformation of the once-quiet fishing village and cultural center into a commercial tourist resort.

"Sanur has been contaminated by the hustle and bustle of the tourism euphoria. The pulse of the village had disappeared," the artists said.

Other installation works called Dag Dig Dug explored Sanur's potential, while Wayan Redika exhibited his work Perahu Harapan (Boat of Hope), which featured marine life.

The Boat of Hope was a symbol of past glory, when fishermen sailed the archipelago using traditional boats. "Traditional fishing boats are being replaced by modern trawlers which overexploit our marine assets," Redika said.