Leading jewelry designer Runi Palar’s creations symbolize quality, skill and hard work. None of those attributes have suffered from her success locally and abroad. Having built a reputation in Japan, Runi applies herself even harder than before.

But last Nov. 5, she achieved another milestone as she exhibited her new works with her husband Adrian Palar in a show at the Ganesha gallery of the Four Seasons Resort in Bali, titled “Timeless Change”. A first in their 42-year marriage, the exhibition underlines their enduring bond of more than four decades.

“Timeless Change” was Adrian Palar’s first exhibition too, although he studied at the arts department of the Bandung Institute of Technology and practiced design.

The 27 square canvases with vertical and horizontal lines over green, orange, yellow and blue planes
are reminiscent not only of cubism, but also of the traditional Bugis sarong. According to Adri, these
reflect his meditations looking over the rice fields at different times of the day.

 The green may refer to the fresh paddy fields, while orange, red and yellow allude to the degree of heat in the day and his ensuing mood. Then when the day comes to an end, dust falls, and a cool breeze sweeps across the land, Adri retires to his studio to paint his canvas blue.

In contrast with Adri’s stiff lines, Runi Palar’s intricate and imaginative works evoke romantic moods and thoughts about world issues. While still using sterling silver, Runi is greatly inspired by nature and the lush vegetation around her home in Lodtunduh.

A dewdrop, which might have caught her attention on an early morning walk, would inspire her to create a pair of earrings, a brooch or a pendant. But her creations never replicate the object she was first inspired by.

The leaves in the Tropical Leaves series, for instance, take an otherworldly appearance as the veins appear like spikes in a capricious whim.

Adding an amethyst, which is believed to protect the bearer, or blue topaz credited with healing powers, it seems, Runi — consciously or not — is putting to practice the Javanese philosophy of equilibrium and harmony, while reinventing the traditional belief in amulets.

Inserting precious stones gives more color to the jewel. Amber, opal, topaz, pearls and peridot, are placed in the jewel to light up the bearer’s countenance in a harmonious manner.

It may seem that Runi, who was brought up in a culture rich in traditional ornaments and symbolism, is returning to her roots, though she manages to reinvent the traditional into the contemporary.

Nevertheless, Runi could not avoid the tenor of the time as seen in some of the works that represent a skirt, a shawl, an angel, and allowed herself to become bolder with shapes fitting tall women, like in Butterfly, which consists of five butterflies drawn together, or Tropical Leaves 1, where all the leaves are marked by soft flowing lines.

Environmental concerns have moved her too, as revealed by the lemon quartz and sterling silver combination in Folded Cosmos. While the exhibition includes new works, the limited space made it hard to give the 40 works their full due. Nevertheless, the exhibition does testify to Runi Palar’s fine craftsmanship and conceptual imaginations rarely found elsewhere.

Since her early beginnings in 1968, Runi has worked to make jewelry that fits the body, and she has reaped wide success. Even if RunA, the contraction of the names Runi and Adrian, emerged as a label of trust and confidence in the two artists’ credibility, it is Runi Palar’s name that has been patented
in Japan, where the demand is greatest.

Forever smiling and kind, Runi flies around the world as if she was just going on a shopping spree, but in fact it is hard work.

Shortly after the opening of the exhibition, Runi left for Japan, to concentrate on crafting jewelry that would be sold on a Japanese cruiser going from Singapore to Darwin in February 2010.

Runi and Adri work well together. While she travels and spends much of her time in Japan, her husband keeps an eye on their home, while producing art work inspired by the environment.

Timeless Change

until Dec. 7 2009
at Ganesha Gallery, Four Seasons Hotel
Jimbaran, Bali.

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