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Balinese artists showcase collective spirit
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Taking a look: Exhibition visitors talk in front of a painting. (JP/Wayan Juniartha)
A collective of Bali-based artists, both old and new, has initiated an exhibition that bridges traditional and contemporary styles.
The paintings are both hilarious and unsettling at the same time.
One portrays a dark-skinned angel having a bubbly bath. Her wings are pressed against the head of a huge green bathtub that stands next to a calm swimming pool. Rows of palm trees and a range of mountain are seen in the distance.
It would be a perfect image of a tropical paradise if not for a strange looking figure at the bottom left of the painting. Hidden from the sight of the angel, the character — dressed in the red and blue superhero suit of Superman — is trying to snatch the angel’s undergarment away.
The scene was clearly inspired by a famous local folklore story about Rajapala, a young man who stole the garment of an angel when the latter was bathing in a secluded pond as a way to win her hand in marriage.
It was a tragic love story as the beautiful angel eventually found her garment and flew back to heaven, leaving Rajapala and their young daughter behind.
