Nuart Sculpture Park | Where art is for everyone

IF YOU LIVE in Jakarta, Bandung or Bali, most likey you would have come across an artwork created by Nyoman Nuarta. Among his pieces are the Garuda statue at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the Arjuna statue just outside Monas and the hand sculpture in Setraduta housing complex in Bandung, to name a few.

Born on Nov. 14, 1951, this Balinese artist does not look like he is slowing down, escpecially with his latest work, the Garud Wisnu Kencana, which will stand up to153 meters tall in Ungasan, Bali, and is due to be completed in August 2018 as a gift to the nation. It is so tall, especially compared to the surrounding resorts and residential area, you could see it from a landing plane.

Nyoman Nuarta’s Balines roots might explain his talent, with Bali culturally known to be home to stone and wood scultors, however Nuarta decided to choose a different media: copper, brass and steel. Being a big fan of his publicly displayed art, it was only a matter of time before I visited Nuart Sculpture Park located within the Setraduta complex in Bandung.

Living up to my expectation, the gallerycum-park was beautiful. Entering its gates, we were welcomed by a few works in his signature style. Nyoman Nuarta, in my opinion, has this gothic eerie feel to his work whether the piece is made of metal or other material. His art contains a lot of emotion and movement, not to mention detail that could lead one to marvel for hours. He alwasys has a concept behind his work, which in the art world, to my understanding, is not a necessity. There’s a story behind every piece of art.

Roaming around the gallery shows the wide skill range and creativity of Nyoman Nuarta. Many of the pieces are inspired by his family, especially the strong women around him, the environment and important events. The faces of his children and grandchildren are muses, which clearly pop up in his work. A mother orangutan holding her baby amongst tree stumps tells the story of the dying species along with its environment. One of the most prominent pieces is “Nightmare”, located in the middle of the plastered indoor gallery, which reminds us of the women mutilated not long after the 1998 incident in Jakarta.

“Moral of the story: We should cherish the women in our lives that have given us life,” says one the interns on duty that day.

Listening to the stories behind some of the pieces I realize that despite the work being made of strong elements, there is a deeply sensitive man caring and observing the world that we live in today. Well, there is also a cute seemingly-fluffy sheep made of metal, inspired during a trip to New Zealand, which doesn’t necessarily need any explation.

The gallery itself is a piece of art.

Covered top to bottom in plaster and wood, as is the current trend for houses, cafes and restaurants. It balances out the details of Nuarta’s work and creates the perfect canvas for its shadows. It is also a well-designed place as a the spaces are not just room after room, but more of an open space where you can see most of the artwork. The exterior façade is far from plain, decorated with blue glass combined with detailed walls. In addition, there is an amphitheater for art performances, surrounded by a lush green environment overlooking a gushing river. Amongst the greenery is some of Nuarta’s larger works, including my favorite, a blue whale with its disconnected tail not too far from its head. The sporadic artwork becomes a kind of hunt, as you don’t know where you’ll find the next piece. Not to forget the restaurant, where visitors can take a break, because surely the park will take a lot of time. Whether you enjoy art and Nuarta’s work, or not, the park has a way to entertain anyone who visits.

And of course, Nuart Sculpture Par has a souvenir shop, probably unlike any other. Aside from books and park memorabilia, the shop also offers various and interesting artworks and wearable items such as clothes, watches, notebooks and wallets from local artist. So there’s a little bit for everyone, leaving us to believe that art is for everyone. [Sources : by The Jakarta Post |Words: Murni A Ridha]

Haven of Exotic Beaches

Gunung Kidul, located in the southeastern part of Yogyakarta, has long been known as a haven for tourists in search of beaches, which span over 70 kms, from the west to the east, along its southern coastline.

Beaches in Gunung Kidul offer more than just breathtaking views. Visitors can also relax by snorkeling, checking out coral reef and decorative fish under clear waters or just playing on the white sand.

“It’s really fun, watching fish swimming here and there under the water. I couldn’t help but try to touch them,” visitor Dian Retnanindyah of Sleman regency said after enjoying snorkeling in Sadranan Beach waters, recently.

Sadranan is among beaches in Gunung Kidul that continue to lure travelers. Along with Ngandong and Slili beaches, Sadranan is suitable for snorkeling and rowing.

Other beaches in the area have their own charms and appeal, serving as a magnet for travelers from far and wide.

Baron is also popular among fishermen. As the “entrance gate” to other beaches in the area, visitors can see fishermen returning to shore with their catch, apart from the beautiful scenery of the hills that surround the area.

Visitors can also find and underground spring that directly goes into the sea. People are also welcome to buy fresh fish that can be cooked on site to enjoy right away or to takeaway.

Next to Baron is Kukup, which offers an overlay of white sands and scenery of colorful decorative fish and other sea biota. What makes this beach special is the coral hill with an observation post on top of it where visitors can observe the beauty of the surrounding panorama as well as of offshore activities in the distance.

Long coasaatline

Sepanjang is one of just a few beaches in Gunung Kidul that  has a long coastline. With an overlay of white sand, sports overs will see it as the perfect place to play beach volleyball. Facilities to play so are available on the site.

Drini, which is located next to Sepanjang, is named after the numerous drini trees that grow on the beach. The trees are believed to have to have the capability to get rid of snakes. Fish auctions are also held and an array of culinary treats are available from vendors. Krakal Beach, next to Drini

Also offers an overlay of white sands, where visitors can enjoy sunrise and the scenery of fish and other sea biota during high tide. Sunrise can also be enjoyed from Pok Tunggal Beach.

Other beaches offering beautiful white sands as well as calm and clear waters are connecting Ngrenehan. Nobaran and Nguyahan in Saptosari district. Although one is located next to the other, these three beaches offer different charms.

If in Ngobaran visitors can visit a Hindu temple built on the beach, in Ngrenehan and Nguyahan, visitors can enjoy beautiful panorama, buy fresh fish from vendors, or enjoy various seafood items on offer at food stalls.

Those with a desire to take part in outbound activities can pay a visit to Sundak, where local instructors are on standby. Visitors can also take a dip in the water and choose to just relax on the beach.

Gunung Kidul tourism Agency’s planning subdivision head, Supriyanta, said Gunung Kidul regency was home to beaches, but only 40 had been developed for tourism purposes.

“Of these 40 beaches, 28 have been fully developed, meaning that they already have the required facilities as tourist destinations,” said Supriyanta, adding have among the must-have facilities included parking areas, restrooms, food outlets and souvenir stalls.

Thanks to the development of access roads heading to these beaches, Gunung Kidul has for the last few years been enjoying a steady increase in tourist visits to the regency by up to 400,000 tourists a year.

If in2015 it saw only some 2.2 million tourists, in 2016 it saw 2.6 million of them. It saw a further increase to 3.2 million in 2017, of which some 21,600 were foreign tourists, thus exceeding the target of receiving 2.69 million of tourists the same year.

Supriyanta said the majority tourists visiting Gunung Kidul had chosen beaches as their main destinations, especially those on the central part of the regency’s coastline.

How to go there

To get the beaches, visitors can take different routes from Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta-Pathuk-Wonosari-Baron); from Bantul (Parangtritis-Trowono-Kemadang-Kukup); from Wonogiri (Pracimantoro-Baran Rongkop-Jerukwudel-Jepitu-Wediombo) or (Pracimantoro-Girisubo-Sadeng-Wediombo); and from Kalten (Ngawen-Semin-Karangmojo-Semanu-Panggul-Jepitu-Wediombo).

BULL RUN

Karapan Sapi is a traditional annual event that happens only in Madura

ON A RECENT visit to Bali, I was lucky to see a one-of-a kind event called Karapan Sapi, a bull race that happens in Madura, a small island located across the Madura Strait to the northeast of Java Island, know for this scenic beauty. This traditional sport has been around for several centuries and happens at the district level, regency level and finally to the residence level, with the finals, wehre the competitors vie for the President Cup in the city of Pamekasan. The race typically happens  during the months of July to October.

History calling

The origins of this race are traced to Sapudi Island in Madura, and there are two interesting stories behind its history. One school of thought believes that the race was used by ulema, while another says this race was created by an important man from Sapudi Island to make the soil fertile by plowing.

Prince Kantadur from the local kingdom of Sumenep in the 13^th century also helped popularize the race, and in the 1930s. Dutch rulers did their bit to organize and promote the sport across the East Java province. Interestingly, not all bulls make the cut to quality to be race ready.

It is said that the race bulls are the ones whose chest shape narrows from the upper area t othe lower area, have humped necks, short horns and a big strong body with long back, tight nails and along tail. Their daily diet includes, a mix of herbs, honey and eggs, which increases by several portions before a race. And yes, bulls ar also fiven a relaxing massage as well so that they can perform at top speed.

Sporty vibes

When I arrived at the venue, which happens to be a large open field fenced all around, there was a palpable undercurrent of exicitement. Row of chairs had been arranged at one end with a lot of local food – boiled peanuts, sweet potatoes and more. The racing event is evidently popular with locals and is quite a unique experience for tourists, making this a win-win for all sides.

For local especially, this event has prestige value because the winning bull owner stands to gain much socially and financially. Before the race begins, each team parades their bulls to the liting tunes of Madura’s traditional instrument, saronen, and local school children performing the traditional percot (whip) dance.

The participating bulls themselves are also given a makeover with rich clothing, flowery ribbons and other decorations as part of the parade. Just before the race begins, these are exchanged for more practical gear.

The race

Each team comprises a tukang ambeng (a person who releases the harness), a tukang gubra (a person to shout from the side of the race track), a tukang nyandak (a person to stop the ubll at the finish line) and a tukang tanja (a person to lead the bull after the race).

The race involves a pair of bulls attached to a standing wooden cart, on which a jockey stands to steer the bulls through the race. The jockeys are usually young boys who control the speed of the bull, locally called tukang tongko. The 100-meter-long race track usually takes 10 to 15 second to complete amidst the onlocker’s wild cheers.

One the flag drops, the jockey starts poking the bulls with a sharpened bamboo and tries to simultaneously keep his balance. The bull whose forelegs cross the finish line first wins the race, which has a series of elimination heats. So the next time you are in Madura, be sure to check out Karapan Sapi.