Page 29 - Inner Gazing

I WAYAN SUJA These plastered faces sometimes appear to whirl. A visual text
Looks at Bali Now that can be interpreted as a context where unstoppable cross-
cultural interactions take place is hybridity. And identity begins to be
questioned, no longer as something steady and established but as a
The dynamics of social issues and the problems of ecology faced possibility that moves in the process of being.
by Bali are the subject matter revealed in the works of I Wayan
Suja now. This is a continuation of previous concerns. Formerly Suja’s works then continue with the exploration of various
Suja was interested in exploring ideas on the issue of identity with possibilities in both subject matter and visual exploration. In the
portraits of Balinese people now in their interactions with various following period, Suja presents works that show Balinese women’s
influences from outside Bali. In his works in the early 2000s, we see portraits photographed by people who came to Bali in the colonial
Suja often presenting portraits of children or adults whose identity is era. One of the things that caught Suja’s attention was the figure
intentionally obscured by taking the perspective of objects that are of Ni Polok, a Balinese woman married to the Belgian painter Le
sometimes cut off, who are facing or even holding various foreign Mayeur (1880–1958) who was not only his wife but also a model
products. This is Suja’s way of representing the idea of Balinese in his painting. Suja copied photographs of Ni Polok or the figure of
cultural identity in the midst of the inevitable reality of cultural Ni Polok in Le Mayeur’s painting and added a layer of plastic over
influences from beyond Bali. See for example one of his works that the photo. Reading Suja’s work in this period, we see various layers
shows a child stretching cans of certain brands of soft drinks. In the of issues that Suja wants to convey. There is a historical question
works in this period, we also see Suja presenting texts that seem to of how the image of Bali as a paradise island was constructed in
reinforce the narrative he wants to convey. the colonial era. Or how entities outside Bali, especially Western
(colonial) foreigners perpetuated views of Bali. Or from the
In the next period, Suja’s works show a change with the presence of perspective of intertextuality, it can be seen that the image or figure
plastic packaging of various brands covering Balinese faces. During of Ni Polok, both in photographs and Le Mayeur’s paintings, is a text
this period, Suja still remained intensely concerned with issues of which then collides with the image of plastic packaging, which is
identity, the interaction between Balinese traditional culture and also a text. This intertextuality is of course a way for Suja to create
“modern” culture. In short, Suja seems to be interested in creating layers of messages or narratives that will be built into his work.
clashes between two different things. The Balinese face is a marker In his latest work, on display in this exhibition, Suja presents work
of Balinese identity itself, while the plastic packaging with various that shows the development of ideas from previous work. Here Suja’s
imported brands is a marker of the influence of other cultures that subject matter is the environmental issues facing Bali, especially
come from outside Bali, all of which is inevitable for Bali now. The the issue of plastic waste. According to Suja, he felt anxiety as an
effect of plastic objects painted on Balinese faces in Suja’s works artist about the problem of plastic waste, enough to disturb him to
shows that besides the visual technicality of the art, it takes into speak out in response to it. Suja, who believes that a work of art
account the need to present certain messages or statements. has not only artistic values but a message, finally develops or shifts

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