In Nyoman Nuarta's work, representations contain metaphors. Female figures in his work, for example, do not represent women. They stand for human sensitivity in both men and women. This sensitivity that closely related to femininity is a spirit intimately allied with religiosity. Such sensitivity is a contradiction of coarseness that closely related to maleness in both men and women. This coarseness in Nuarta's works exists as cocks - tradition of cockfight in Balinese tradition very often is a symbol of male domination. Representation in Nuarta's work is much influenced by perception of reality in Balinese thoughts. In the Balinese philosophy there are two dimensions of reality. The real world called sekala and the beyond-real world called niskala. The belief reflects an equilibrium of the material and the spiritual.

In Balinese tradition spirituality does not relate to religious aspect only. Nuarta once said, "Balinese do not go to temples to perform religious services or to pray to God since God in Balinese belief is situated in spaces and spaces can be found everywhere. The Balinese can thus pray in any place not only in temples." Temples are where Balinese honor their ancestors. Families in Bali take care fatally of their yards where they build temples. The yard in Bali signify dialectical relation between people and their ancestors who have moved to higher realm where they live among sacred spirits. This dialectical link is related to the process of understanding reality and morality.

Rules in Balinese traditions do not have absolute meaning. The rules are arbitrary and connected to a complex mode of negotiation. The tradition or the thinking of reality and morality is based on negotiations that proceed in three spaces: the individual space, the social space, and the sacred invisible space of the ancestors. Negotiations between individual and social spaces take place in the real world - the sekala. This negotiation simultaneously connected to the invisible world - the niskala - through interactions of individuals with the sacred spirits through his or her ancestors. This belief shows the real world and the beyond real world co-exist at the same space and time. Both are situated in actual space.

Artistic inspirations emerges during the interactions between individual and his or her ancestors. Artistic inspirations very often contended critical thoughts against tradition. It is these inspirations that govern changes and development in Balinese traditions.

Jim Supangkat

Born on November 14, 1951 in Tabanan.
Studied at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bandung (BFA; 1979).

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1999 "Reflection", Bali.
2000 "Sekala Niskala" Arts Singapore 2000, Singapore.
2002 "Reality & Beyond", Washington DC, USA.

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