Budiana lives in a typical Balinese family compound in the old royal village of Ubud – pavilions in a garden full of intricate handmade art, including a family temple.
In 1969, at the age of 19, Budiana began studying art in Denpasar. At that time life was still very traditional, there was no electricity on the island until the mid-seventies, and the first telephone was installed in 1985. Not far from his home lived the legendary artist I Gusti Lempad, born in 1862, who was 116 years old when he died in 1978. Budiana also learned briefly from Rudolf Bonnet (1895-1978) in his later years, from 1975-77. Along with Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet was one of the most influential artists in Bali in the early 20th century.
Sekala and Niskala, the visible and the invisible world – Budiana’s art is a journey into the Balinese cosmos of belief, mythology and spirituality with interwoven cultural roots. Creative dualism: light and darkness are always part of our lives, the dynamic movement of our karma, as Budiana explains in “Whirling”, the title of a recently published catalogue of some of his major works.
“Heading towards release” is the title of the painting above in the Arma Museum. Based on the Mahabharata epic, it depicts the final moment when, after all his struggles and challenges, the hero Pandava is marching towards heaven – with one last obstacle to overcome. The guardians of heaven welcome him, but not his dog. “I will not enter without my dog,” the hero replies – proving his pure heart by being willing to go to hell for his dog.
Below is an excerpt from a larger painting he has just completed in his studio, celebrating the meeting of Balinese and Chinese cultures in a dynamic relationship. The good spirit Barong (partly of Chinese dragon origin) and the witch Rangda meet in different manifestations.
Budiana has also been a mask maker (topeng), a sculptor of sarcophagi for cremation ceremonies (bull, lion, etc.), architecture and artwork for temples – involved in a lot of community work. He also has a passion for teaching.
Since his childhood he has loved the Moneky Forest deeply, he told me. Many of the sculptures in the Monkey Forest were made by him. He always enjoyed visiting the Monkey Forest, connecting with the nature there and creating sculptures inspired by the spirits of the place.
I have been visiting Bali for many years and have always been touched by the sculptures in the Monkey Forest, long before I knew who made them. The sculptures are perfectly in tune with the place where sacred temple and wild animal meet, very specific, also full of humour and joie de vivre.
Budiana masters and brilliantly combines a wide range of techniques and traditions, such as the sensitive, clear-lined black and white drawing style below…
….narrative opulence in expressive black and white …
…ranging to abstract techniques…
….combining it all….
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He likes to paint at night, he told me. Outside life calms down, a meditative atmosphere. Closer to a dream world, it seems.
His grey-walled studio keeps out the harsh sunlight. It’s quiet and peaceful, like a retreat, modest, no bigger than necessary. You can sense the atmosphere of very focused and disciplined work, but also the deep connection to family life in the compound outside – traditional Balinese architecture at its best, garden-like and rich in art, full of life with his children and grandchildren.
Budiana told me about his four children and twelve grandchildren, even some great-grandchildren. Now 69, he still looks as young as he did in his early fifties. He practices yoga to keep fit – and enjoys life.
Thanks for the inspiration, Budiana!
Text and photos by Joo Peter, June 2019