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Master sculptor's works on display in Ubud
Gianyar Regent Cokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati on Saturday opened an exhibition by traditional Balinese sculptor I Wayan Darlun
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Gianyar Regent Cokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati on Saturday opened an exhibition by traditional Balinese sculptor I Wayan Darlun.
Titled "Tan Matepi" (Without Borders), the exhibit, which runs until July 18, showcases 30 pieces by Darlun. It is jointly organized by the Sarasvati Art Management and Puri Lukisan, a museum owned by the Ubud royal family and one of a few museums that still displays traditional Balinese sculptures.
"It is an important event that highlights the continuation of this art as well as the high level of aesthetic achievement reached by the local sculptor," the regent said.
Born in Mas Village in 1947, Darlun learned sculpting from his father, a poor farmer and skilled carver.
At the age of 8, he created his first work, a 1.2-meter-tall statue of a bird that was sold for Rp 1.5, then the price of three liters of rice. Darlun dropped out of school in the fourth grade and began studying under master sculptors in his village. In the 1950s, Darlun had the privilege to study under two maestros, the late Ida Bagus Njana and Ida Bagus Tilem.
"It should be noted that a sculptor produced only two to three pieces in a single year, so creating a sufficient number of works for a solo exhibit is not an easy task. This exhibit underlines Darlun's tremendous effort and tenacity," Sarasvati founder Lin Che Wei said, adding that it took six years to organize the exhibit.
Unlike the island's traditional performing arts, which have succeeded in gaining international acknowledgement, and its traditional paintings, which find a huge market among foreign visitors, traditional Balinese sculpture receives less attention and commands less appreciation.
Art critic and collector Oe Hong Djien said the lack of a marketing strategy as well as the government's indifference toward traditional art were the reasons behind this.
"People are bored by various opposing theories in the fine arts realm. Nowadays, they give more attention to the quality of the works. Quality-wise, traditional Balinese sculpture is undoubtedly excellent art work," he said.
He praised Darlun's works as expressive and exceptionally beautiful.
"Darlun has an original sense of humor that is clearly manifested in some of his works. Several works also display Darlun's exploration into the surreal. But it is definitely not the western kind of surrealism but one originating in the ancient culture of Bali," he said.
Jusuf Wanandi, the chairman of Bali Bangkit, the organization focusing on the promotion and preservation of Balinese cultural heritage, expressed his pride at the exhibition.
"There were three master sculptors in post-independence Bali: Njana, Tilem and Ayun, and I believe that Darlun is the successor to those great artists," he said.
