Tanah Lot Tourist Attraction has now a new tourist attraction in the form of I Gusti Gede Aryadi Artspace. The location is at the Dewi Sinta Hotel & Restaurant, to be precise, next to the front office, the first hotel in the tourist attraction to rely on nature and culture. The venue for displaying the works of art was inaugurated by politician and artist Boping Suryadi on Wednesday (Jan 11). Before that, it was filled with cone cutting by the Managing Director of Dewi Sinta Hotel & Resto, I Gusti Bagus Made Damara, which was attended by extended family of the late I Gusti Gede Aryadi, the owner of the Dewi Sinta Hotel & Restaurant, who was also the pioneer of the Tanah Lot area.

After the soft opening, it was resumed with the opening of a solo exhibition entitled “Swi Krethi” Glorifying the Rice Fields. The 35 works on display were created by artist Komang Bayu AM, an artist from Tabanan. More works on display raised the theme of agriculture in accordance with the theme of the exhibition. However, the exhibition also presented the works with the theme of barong, temple festival and others. “Through this exhibition, I would like to convey that Tabanan as an agricultural region so that farming can continuously survive because the mainstay of our region is indeed agriculture,” said Komang Bayu.

The works presented are indeed different from the other works of art. This happens because the painting works of Komang Bayu were made by using a ‘whip stick’ technique, a painting technique he discovered himself. “I paint them by using the whip stick technique as a result of my own creativity. Previously, I had been learning at the residence of Made Tedol Subrata, who painted using kojong or conical tool. Well, to make it different, I tried using a whip stick. It looks quite good, so I keep using this technique,” he said.

According to Komang Bayu, a painter must be able to create his own technique in producing works, not just imitating another painter’s technique. All of the paintings are his first works by using the whip stick technique. A painting can be completed within two days. It also depends on the material used, whether it is watercolor or oil. “So far, there have been no problems with the whip stick technique. However, when painting the object, the hands sometimes shake because they have not been trained properly. To be honest, I am satisfied with the results of using this whip stick technique,” he said proudly.

Meanwhile, Damara added the Artspace had been initiated and designed by the owner, the late I Gusti Gede Aryadi, but could not be inaugurated because he had passed away before. The existence of the artspace is an effort to provide space for artists to display their works. “Ajik Aryadi really loves art including being close to artists, so he prepared artspace to provide space for the artists. He wanted to open the artspace before the G20, so he could display the works of artists,” he concluded. (BTN/015)