06 Januari 2013
keliki village
I just realized that we don’t have a Balinese Culture segment on this
forum, so I’m parking this post here, and maybe Bert will consider a new
section for future posts?
Not too far north and east of where we live in Bunutan is a beautiful little village called Keliki Kawan It’s not to be found in any tourist guides, nor does it even appear in most tourist maps. As such, they rarely see western tourists. Keliki Kawan remains one of those classic Balinese villages with virtually no western influence. It is beautiful and with meticulously maintained compounds and gardens.
Keliki Kawan is home to a small group of exceptional artists who for many years specialized in painting incredible miniature paintings in the classic traditional Ubud style. These magnificent little gems, often no larger than 16 X 12 cm, (about 6 by 5 inches), present details and fine coloring that defy understanding how they are possible.
Most of the artists who paint these miniatures only do so for a few years and while they are young. The demand on their eyesight coupled with the tremendous amount of time needed to paint on such a small scale results in their abandoning this technique and moving on to larger wall hanging size paintings. Worse yet, is that during the last five years, fewer and fewer of the Keliki Kawan artists even bother to learn the specialized miniature techniques. This tradition is dying, having fallen prey to the desires of a younger generation of Balinese who prefer things to be easier and less time demanding to earn a living. Understandable as that is, who cannot be saddened by what we call progress?
As with any school of Balinese painting that is highly prized and sought after, copyists attempt to emulate the Keliki Kawan miniatures, and they can often be found in art markets. They are easy to spot once one has been exposed to the real masterpieces as painted by the Keliki Kawan masters.
I started seriously collecting these miniatures on my first visit to Bali some ten years ago. Having amassed a collection of over 50 pieces, I recently agreed to sell all but ten of these to a collector in Philadelphia who has already bequeathed them to a major museum in Pennsylvania. Last Saturday, Eri and I met with many of the artists whose works are in this collection to inform them of the details of this event and to inform them that their work will forever be housed in this museum as a testament of Balinese culture, and in particular, the fine miniature tradition of Keliki Kawan. We wanted them to know that unlike the vast majority of Balinese art which ends up being sold as souvenirs and scattered across the globe in private houses, that a significant collection of their unique art will remain accessible and seen by museum visitors for generations to come and that future scholars will always have a body of this work to study and write about.
Neither Eri or I were prepared for the emotional response from these artists. For them, their work had finally acquired a validation and an appreciation that while never being sought, none the less, has happened. While I was expecting a more stoic “that’s nice” response, what we got was genuine and sincerely heart felt appreciation.
Not too far north and east of where we live in Bunutan is a beautiful little village called Keliki Kawan It’s not to be found in any tourist guides, nor does it even appear in most tourist maps. As such, they rarely see western tourists. Keliki Kawan remains one of those classic Balinese villages with virtually no western influence. It is beautiful and with meticulously maintained compounds and gardens.
Keliki Kawan is home to a small group of exceptional artists who for many years specialized in painting incredible miniature paintings in the classic traditional Ubud style. These magnificent little gems, often no larger than 16 X 12 cm, (about 6 by 5 inches), present details and fine coloring that defy understanding how they are possible.
Most of the artists who paint these miniatures only do so for a few years and while they are young. The demand on their eyesight coupled with the tremendous amount of time needed to paint on such a small scale results in their abandoning this technique and moving on to larger wall hanging size paintings. Worse yet, is that during the last five years, fewer and fewer of the Keliki Kawan artists even bother to learn the specialized miniature techniques. This tradition is dying, having fallen prey to the desires of a younger generation of Balinese who prefer things to be easier and less time demanding to earn a living. Understandable as that is, who cannot be saddened by what we call progress?
As with any school of Balinese painting that is highly prized and sought after, copyists attempt to emulate the Keliki Kawan miniatures, and they can often be found in art markets. They are easy to spot once one has been exposed to the real masterpieces as painted by the Keliki Kawan masters.
I started seriously collecting these miniatures on my first visit to Bali some ten years ago. Having amassed a collection of over 50 pieces, I recently agreed to sell all but ten of these to a collector in Philadelphia who has already bequeathed them to a major museum in Pennsylvania. Last Saturday, Eri and I met with many of the artists whose works are in this collection to inform them of the details of this event and to inform them that their work will forever be housed in this museum as a testament of Balinese culture, and in particular, the fine miniature tradition of Keliki Kawan. We wanted them to know that unlike the vast majority of Balinese art which ends up being sold as souvenirs and scattered across the globe in private houses, that a significant collection of their unique art will remain accessible and seen by museum visitors for generations to come and that future scholars will always have a body of this work to study and write about.
Neither Eri or I were prepared for the emotional response from these artists. For them, their work had finally acquired a validation and an appreciation that while never being sought, none the less, has happened. While I was expecting a more stoic “that’s nice” response, what we got was genuine and sincerely heart felt appreciation.
Keliki Style Painting
Keliki Style Painting |
Keliki Style Painting is one of the most popular bali paintings.
The concept of taksu is important to the Balinese, in fact to any
artist. I do not think one can simply plan to paint a beautiful
painting, a perfect painting. The issue of taksu is also one of
honesty, for the artist and the viewer. An artist will follow his heart
or instinct, and will not care what other people think. A painting
that has a magic does not need to be elaborated upon, the painting
alone speaks.A work of art that is difficult to describe in words has to be seen with the eyes and a heart that is open and not influenced by the name of the painter. In this honesty, there is a purity in the connection between the viewer and the viewed. |
keliki painting
Bali art – Keliki style paintings
When you arrive in Bali
from the airport around Kuta, especially at night, you will be greeted
by a sudden rise in temperature, the smell of burned wood and incense,
mystical statues of demons dooming up from smoky corners, curly
ornamental decorations everywhere you look. Your first motorbike trip
will lead you through rise fields as far as the eye can reach, until
they rush up like a tidal wave against Bali’s giant volcano’s. You will
feel alive more than ever, not only because of the near-death
experiences you’ll experience while making sense of the seemingly
anarchist Balinese traffic, or the near misses of anything that has
tales or feathers along the bumpy Balinese roads. Life here is breathing
from every aspect of Balinese culture. You will find yourself stuck in
traffic behind yet another ceremonial procession or dreaming away on the
rhythmic sounds of a gamalang being played while you imagine the
mythical Balinese gods performing their magical dances while
contemplating the fate of its god-fearing people.
A fate that is not only controlled
by the smoky and colorful offerings that fill the streets. Tourism
strikes Bali hard. While it is for many a primary form of income, Bali
holds the worlds worst examples of when tourism goes horribly wrong. The
party-filled streets of Kuta or the prostitute filled bars of Sanur
hold a gloomy prospect for Bali’s future.
Fortunately Bali’s culture is impressively strong
and it is still passed on from generation upon generation. With so many
cultural expressions, it is harder to choose talent than find it.
However, the following talented artist really stood out. Granted, the
style is definitely not unique, but Iwayan’s (1982) Keliki-paintings
hold a promise of eternal Balinese culture. He welcomed me in his
typical Balinese home in Keliki, the hart of one of Bali’s most
traditional and most precise hand-paintings. His painting-group not only
makes beautiful and very detailed paintings of Balinese culture, they
also teach their skills to next generations to come.
05 Januari 2013
Keliki — An Artists’ Village in Bali
Keliki — An Artists’ Village in Bali
I’ll admit it — the phrase “artists’ village in Bali” does not conjure up the best image.
Overweight women in flowing caftans, crystals, chanting, a dog-eared copy of Eat, Pray, Love on the bedside table, Peruvian flute music in the air. Not my personal cup of tea
about keliki village
We did this tour with Wayan Murjana,a French-English speaking driver-guide(phone 0361 7884336 and 081338272777,email lelemasadv@hotmail.com) who led us to the painter's house where we had a nice veggie lunch and met his young students.
This generous man welcomes these children,sometimes 8 years old and gives us an artistic education to get them out of poverty!
If u visit him,don't forget to bring to him some drawing paper because it is expensive(for him) there.
if u like this kind of paintings,don't hesitate to buy some and so,do a good deed:the price is here a great bargain:we had 3 paintings for 80 bucks!
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