The Darga Gallery in Sanur opened last September with a dazzling exhibition of paintings by many of the renowned artists of this century. Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Leger were the European masters to grace Darga's cream-coloured walls. Representing Indonesia were Affandi, Ida Bagus Made, Widjaja, Sudjono and Smit, Blanco and Snel, the European artists who settled in Ubud in the early century and profoundly influenced Balinese and Indonesian modern art. The catalogue from this exhibition is an intriguing study in modern art and five months later, the gallery still maintains this refreshing blend of Asian and European  works. To see Affandi and Ida Bagus Made displayed on par with the likes of Picasso and Matisse lends a sense of validation to the Indonesian masters whose works are gaining a gradual recognition on the international arts scene. 

For Jais Hadaiana Darga Widjaja, owner of the Darga Gallery, this unique presentation of the east and west does not hold any inconsistencies. "Art does not have a nationality," she proclaims passionately. "Art is universal." The opening exhibition held a two-fold motivation for the owner. First, to bring a collection of the European master to Bali because they are simply not seen here. "there are many paintings to Indonesia." The second, to raise the stature and promote the works of Indonesia's master artists. A casual stroll through the gallery's three floors reveal that this philosophy is fervently upheld. Ida Bagus Made's traditional 'Fisherman in Bali' hangs near Ferdinand Leger's subsist/surreal 'Still Life' which is near Affandi's Van Gogh influenced 'Yogya Horse Carts.' The display is a subtle erasing of the fine lines that distinguish East and West and offers, simply, the universality of fine painting. The result is a stunning lesson in modern art the world over.

In her continued effort to raise international awareness of Indonesian art, Jais will later this year, be opening another gallery dedicated to the modern works of Indonesian artists, She will be taking the works of Indonesia's contemporary masters - Erawan, Budiana, Affandi, Ida Bagus Made, Sudjono - and giving them a permanent home in a gallery in the heart of the international arts centre, Paris. "Many Indonesian artists participate in the international scene through temporary exhibits," she says. "But after the exhibit they must pack up their works and return." With the gallery in Paris she hopes to establish a permanent presence of Indonesian art in the highly competitive international art world. 

On February 28th, Darga Gallery will launch the first major solo exhibition of works by Ida Bagus Made, renowned and respected in Bali as being fiercely non-commercial and of pursuing a simple existence in Ubud, Ida Bagus Made is the last surviving member in Bali of the Pita Maha years, a period in Balinese art marked by the influence of European artists Bonnet, Spies and Smit.

Jaye Wood

Above:
Jais Hadaiana Darga Widjaja with her Chagall