This article is for non-Slovaks. We would like to know more about it on the. I try and write in English for better understanding. This is the first for me to write such a blog. I hope that you will be no difficulty in understanding. Enjoy your reading of.:-)
Calendar and the exhibition “Gunungan, Tree of life” is mingling of eastern and western
cultures, searching for common elements, traditions, customs and conventions. The author
builds bridge of understanding between two distant, yet very close worlds. Using motifs
of wayang - one of the oldest puppet theaters in the world - in combination with her own
expressive tools, she creates art whose symbolism is comprehensible to people in both
cultures.
Curator Milan Regec of the show prepared a nice surprise. Intercession. As if he could read from my head , why do I create when I struggling to make words. It is emphatically apposite:
If we don’t consider two art presentations within two festive receptions at the occasion of celebrating the Independence day of the Republic of Indonesia, today’s exhibition is already the fourth in one year, when Barbora Paulovičová presents her art work. She was inspired by her study stay within the Darmasiswa program. This scholarship of the Indonesian government could slightly comically be defined by motto: “Come to us and make yourself at home.” Rather a unique phenomenon in today’s world, which, however brings also unique fruits.
Two years ago Barbora Paulovičová immersed into completely new and unknown world for her. World full of fascinating colors, ornaments, new motion dynamics in colorful range of dances, and especially the new spirituality, which is, on island of Bali, present in everything and everywhere. First, you admire it. You admire it for how unexpectedly it appears all around you, you eagerly discover it on always new places… until you find out that it actually has no beginning and no end. And then, you start to realize its physical presence all around and you let it spread all over you. After all the new sounds, tastes and fragrances blunt your senses, you will feel that there is much more to this Island of Gods, as Bali is often referred to, than just the fragrance of jasmine mixed with the sea tide. Only then you realize that you are starting all over again. Everything you sensed so far was just a gilded shell, glitters on colorful dresses. It is time to let the deep view of puppet-actor master dalang come all over you and accept dignity and nobility of highly-respected priest, return a smile to simple women at the market who let you taste their sweet mango. Take from master’s hands his carefully carved mask or dancer’s crown and you will feel why, even nearly the same-looking one, will never appear on the market with others and why it is so sacred to him. So sacred that no white tourist, endlessly admiring the art work, could ever touch it.
Barbora has not only walked this path but she also managed to share her pilgrimage with us through her paintings. Those of you who come to her exhibitions regularly will surely recall the pictures of sparkling dancers, breathtaking colors of the undersea world, rich ornamental batik as well as the precise drawings of dances. Unforgettable was also the picture Sitajana in traditional style wayang kamasan, of which the local people first doubted that a white man could be capable of drawing. Nowadays Barbora returns to what she is best at – graphic arts. Not only she develops her master drawing and sense for color but for the first time she lets us fully taste the forbidden fruits, the treasures hidden to a regular visitor of Indonesia. Technically are the pictures defined quite simply – they are gravure-made graphics with figural motifs picturing personas that are reproductions of originals coming from traditional puppet theatre wayang golek, shadow theatre wayang kulit and last but not least it is possible to identify the fine arts style wayang kamasan, precisely following its original elements and rules.
Trichotomy of this combination is transferred also into spiritual form. Just like on the island of Bali, where three various religions – Hinduism, Islam and Christianity live together in harmony, also in the motifs of twelve months are combined pictures from three sacred books – Ramayana, Koran and Bible. Even today we sense and remember the coming of good Rama on a white horse, and just recently we celebrated Annunciation when angel-while monkey Hanuman flew in mile-jumps into the middle of the ocean to annunciate to Sita that soon there will be a release for her sin when she was lured by the beauty of a golden deer.
In Denpasar cathedral of the Holy Spirit is the main decoration a giant altar representing the tree of life – Gunungan. Gunungan is deeply rooted in local traditions and its image belongs among the most sacred. It separates the beginning and the end, it contains the whole universe and all elements – fig tree, symbol of fire and a lotus flower, symbol of water. It is a tree full of spiritual power, as we can see it in a modern representation on a faraway planet Pandora. It is also a tree which ended our past life in Eden but for Christians on the island of Bali is Gunungan also a symbol of Christ, a new beginning and a new life.
Calendar Gunungan is leading us through three worlds and it is showing us that under various clothes and under various ceremonies and traditions is in minds of people with good hearts a spiritual unity and indivisible brotherhood. We all share not only our sins but also our hopes for forgiveness and salvation. We all are a part of one big tree of life which roots are strongly grown into our hearts. I wish you that its life-giving sap of love flows through your hearts throughout the whole next year.
Expression translated Dana Mudráková (www.damu.sk)
Beautiful conclusion. Also, I wish you, before the wishes of thanks:
This project was kindly supported by: Embassy of the Indonesian Republic of Slovakia, Konto
Orange Foundation, Vľúdnosť-Venia, Donors club of the Community Foundation Bratislava,
Spinner - reprographics studio, Visual arts fund, Slovak -indonesian business chamber,
Cosmotron, ldt., Cardio plus, ldt.
I would like to thank my mentors during my internship in Indonesia, prof. Yasana Made and
Made Bendi Yudha, for their help and opportunity to explore in depth the vivid living traditions of
Bali.
I would like to thank my family and friends for their cooperation and support. Without these
people the calendar and the exhibition would never be possible: Wanton Saragih Sidauruk,
Kristína Nevrlová, Matej Kováč, Daniela Danihelová, Donny Harimurti, Ernest Huska, Mária
Jánošíková, Cindy Carroll a Milan Regec.
Graphic design: Martin Česanek, Spinner.
Print K-print KO&KA s. r. o.
Thank you!
