Bali auction very popular in Ubud

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Ubud, Bali

Bangkit (arise) has become a catch word in post-disaster recovery programs and it became the key word in the Bali Bangkit project which covered various art activities to revive the spirit of the Balinese people and to bring back the buoyant atmosphere on the island once dubbed the last paradise on earth.

The Bali Bangkit project, chaired by Jusuf Wanandi in cooperation with numerous volunteers from Jakarta and Bali, did just that.

The mask exhibition and dance by top dancer and mask maker Ida Bagus Anom, the fantastic Ketchak dance by renowned I Ketut Rina and company in the open field at Hadi Sunyoto’s private premises in Kampung Seni Kubu Bingin, the exhibition of traditional Balinese paintings, the art awards presented to three Balinese painters, the launch of the Bravo Bali lexicon written by Agus Dermawan on 200 years of 300 traditional Balinese painters on the festive night at ARMA, the golden morning tours through ancient villages and paddy fields, led by ARMA boss Agung Rai, the Jatiluwih adventure with Subandi Salim through the scenic rice terraces, were all beyond any expectations.

But no one was prepared for the overwhelming enthusiasm at the Larasati auction, least of all Larasati President Director Daniel Komala. Although traditional Balinese paintings had not been in great favor at auctions so far, Larasati, whose auctions usually take place in Jakarta and Singapore, had made it a point to make that the main part of their first venture in Bali, as part of their support for Bali’s revival. Against all expectations, more than 150 people turned up, causing an overflow from the auction space at Maya Ubud hotel that was meant for no more than 100 people, into its corridors.

Standing in the cramped room and at its exits did not prevent bidders from pursuing their targets; it may even have spurred the heat that incited active, fierce and emotional bidding, with Indonesian collectors going all out to prevent Balinese works from going into foreign hands.

I Nyoman Lesug’s Bali Life (1979) 140 x 247 cm which was estimated at between Rp 40 and Rp 50 million fetched triple the amount, I Wayan Djudjul’s Preparing for a Show (1990), 70 x 100 cm, went for double its estimate, Ida Bagus Made Pugug’s Kehidupan sehari-hari di Bali (1979), 88 x 128 cm, and I Nyoman Daging’s’s Bali Life (2001), 129 x 219cm, also fetched double their estimates. But of the traditional Balinese paintings, it was I Made Sukada’s Pemain Kendang (1977), 90 x 70 cm that took the cake. Bidding started at below Rp 30 million, but within just a few minutes, the price went up over five times the amount, to ultimately fetch Rp 152.1 million.

According to the newly launched Lexicon on Traditional Balinese Painters, Sukada (1962-2004) had come under the influence of the modernist painter Rudolf Bonnet. Blending modernism with the traditional had led to the typical Sukada style, and while he exhibited in Rotterdam, The Hague and many exhibitions in Bali, his works are also in many museums.

Of the non-Balinese painters focusing on Balinese life, the painting Pemandangan Pura di Bali (1988), 80 x 70 cm by the legendary Arie Smit caused fierce bidding between an Indonesian collector and a Singaporean gallery owner. Estimated at between Rp 130 and Rp 170 million rupiah, it ultimately went for Rp 561.6 million to the Singapore gallery. Arie Smit, who was born in 1916 in Zaandam, Holland, became “the father of the Young Artists”, whose style earned a place in the development of Balinese painting.

With total sales amounting to Rp 4.7 billion, or US$520,000, well above the estimated Rp 3 billion, Larasati may blissfully sit back, having elevated the worth of Balinese painting. After all, of over 83 percent of the lots sold, 99 percent were Balinese traditional paintings.

As the Bali auction may well go in history as one of the most exciting and memorable auctions ever held in Indonesia, it may also pride itself at having included in the Balinese paintings women artists, both traditional and modern.