Wayan Pendet, a senior Balinese artist, has gone. He leaves a museum for his descendants, a museum that reflects the relationship between birth and death and narrates an unending flow of creativity. Achmad Yani Bulle shares the story behind the museum...

In 1952 a young Balinese artist began the process of diligently collecting together his works - some paintings, but mostly statues.

Over the years Wayan Pendet became a much-revered senior Balinese artist. His work has now contributed significantly to the world of Balinese art, and a number of his works have been exhibited internationally. In his later years he kept his favourite works, which were so precious to him that he never valued them in terms of money. He kept these pieces in a museum named after him, Museum Pendet. (At his request, the Museum was officially opened posthumously.)

Wayan Pendet passed away at the end of 1998. He left behind him, however, a memorial building of great value to his eight children and thirteen grandchildren, a simple construction surrounded by trees. This museum, which is situated in the Bale Bali village of Ubud, has been established as a monument for the artist’s family.

A living memory
Museum Pendet consists of two rooms. The first room houses the works created by Pendet’s descendants, the majority of which are in the forms of paintings and sketches by his eldest son, Wayan Gunasta. The works in this room tend to exert a firm impression through strong colours and lines, easily inviting questions on the part of the observer.

Ascending several steps from this room to a higher-level room, visitors can find Wayan Pendet’s favourite works, mostly in the form of statues specifically in Pendet’s unique style, and the rest paintings, all dominated by a sense of humour and strong satire. In this room are also found some books written by various artists and critics on Pendet. The books are each placed on tombstone sized slabs of stone. This second room tends to create a deeply moving impression of the life led by Wayan Pendet, as well as a sense of respect for his creative talent.

A FANTASY WORLD
Wayan Pendet learnt the art of sculpture from his uncles, the late Nyoman Tinggal and Wayan Landung, and had been working with plastic arts from a young age. According to Pendet’s own story, a friend, a German anthropologist, encouraged him to intensify his artistic activities, saying that if his work were really to be of memorial value to people, he should give specific character to each artistic piece.

The advice from his friend remained with him until his death. The funny curvy cuts on his statues reflect a human character that constantly regards life with both cheerfulness and caprice.

Seeing Pendet’s works, both his statues and his paintings, we tend to be incited by Pendet’s mischief. It is often expressed in the various curves, which demonstrate his attempt to create a contrast or an antithesis to the conventional concept of plastic arts. There is a humorous nuance in each of his works, and like hearing the description of a game, on entering the work such expression seems to breathe in a spirit that speaks to the eyes of the spectators.

It is not surprising that many critics comment on Pendet’s work, noting the mischievous cheerfulness and caprice, remarking on the dominant green colour that has a cool effect on the viewer. A Dutch critic, Arend de Roever, has made the comment that, "The artist’s primary subjects are fairytale motifs in a fantasy world, which are accessible primarily to the artist himself. But traditional Balinese folktales also recur, as well as the gamelan orchestra, which represents the recurring state of things in daily life."

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above :
1. Wayan Pendet, Rudolf Bonnet, Wayan Turun 1972
2. Museum Pendet

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