Arie Smit is Still Going Strong

Dutch-born artist Arie Smit ranks today among Indonesia’s most senior artists, and his works are also highly sought after by art collectors in the region. His paintings have been characterized as "Poems of color". Many of his paintings of Bali are indeed celebrations, in color, of the artist’s joy of life. Several books have been published on the artist, including Garrett Kam’s Poetic Realism: The Art of Arie Smit (Neka Museum and centre for strategic and International studies, 1990), Agus Dermawan T.’s Puisi Warna Arie Smit (Yayasan Seni Rupa AIA, 1993), Suteja Neka dan Sudarmadji’s Arie Smit (Koes Artbooks, 1995), and Putu Wirata’s Arie Smit Memburu Cahaya Bali (Museum Neka, 1996). Ironically, the renowned artist arrived in Indonesia in 1938 on military service assigned to the Topographical Service. Following the Japanese occupation in 1942, as a prisoner of war, he was taken into forced labor camps in Singapore, Thailand, and Burma. After the Dutch finally acknowledged Indonesia’s sovereignty in 1949, Arie Smit chose to remain in the country and became an Indonesian citizen as early as 1951. He taught graphics at the Institute Teknologi Bandung before finally moving to Bali in 1956. In the 1960s, he was influential in developing the art of the Young Artists of Penetesan. Today, his name is closely associated with the island, especially in the circles of art in Indonesia. Born in1916, Arie Smit in the year (2006), 90th year old. Although his age has undeniably affected his health, the painter still stands tall with a sharp mind and an amazing strong memory. He maintains a powerful hand with which he can still produce strong brushstrokes. Even now, he continues to print passionately. BTN/Suteja Neka)

Attracting Customers a la The Wheel Gallery

The current condition of the tourism industry in Bali is somewhat sluggish. The number of visitors is tending to drastically drop lately. Beyond question, this condition strongly affects many sectors in the tourism industry like hotels, restaurants, travel agents or handicraft manufacturers. Even, some of them are approaching a critical situation (collapsed).

Nevertheless, there are some businesses that gain profits within this sluggish condition. For them, the decrease of tourist visits to Bali does not necessarily mean the decline of domestic and foreign businessman visits to do transactions in Bali. "Just like a wheel that keeps on turning passes through the time, so does the business. It remains to work with new strategy and innovation until being capable of surviving though facing difficult situation," remarks Mr. Roy Immanuel, Manager and Owner of The Wheel Gallery on being visited by Bali Travel News not long ago. His optimism is adequately reasonable because the uncertain condition of tourism. He says to have some foreign potential buyers like from Spain, Australia, USA, Japan and so forth. As newcomer in the furniture business, he definitely offers a new innovative concept, namely recycling the used teakwood as the materials to make unique and attractive new products.  These teak-woods are obtained from used buildings such as houses, bridges, railway tracks, buffalo stables, chariot wheels (caravan) and so on. Afterwards, these teak-woods are creatively designed and assembled into several kinds of fascinating furniture. For instance, the wheels of an used chariot is changed into nice frame of mirror or the house ruins conjured up and made into alluring classical chair and table. Most products of The Wheel Gallery is directly designed by Roy Immanuel. He adopts the combination of minimalist primitive and modern style highlighting the texture and fibre of the natural teakwood. Even, it includes relief formed naturally and intentionally brushed aside to add its artistic impression. So, products on offer are not only handmade ones, but also nature-made furniture as the materials utilized, has closely interacted for so long with human, animal and surrounding environment. It’s indeed different from other furniture products made of newly teakwood. Averagely, the teakwood used here are of old age and high quality, as well as having durable endurance. In other parts lie wood fossils in various shapes and sizes or other antiques as jineng (rice granary), lesung (kettle drum) and sculpture. The Wheel Gallery offers reasonable prices in compliance with their prime quality. For instance, decoration of teak root furniture is sold at IDR 350,000 to IDR 2.5 million, consul table at IDR 1.5 million, solid minimalist table and chairs at IDR 3.5 to 6 million, wheel mirror at IDR 3.5 million or dining table at IDR 4.5 to 6 million. At these prices, it will enable the customer to re-sale the products at their home country or gallery. One important thing that’s worth knowing is that all products on sale here are designed exclusively, depending on the availability of its materials. "Those who purchase my products are equally the same as making great investment as these products will have high value in the future," Immanuel adds. Interested? Simplymake a contact to The Wheel Gallery, Bypass Ketewel, Jalan Prof. Dr. Ida Bagus Mantra, Tel: 0361-7877932, e-mail: royimmanuel@yahoo.com.au.

Paintings Exhibition

DENPASAR – A painter group ‘12 Pas’ at Galeri Danes Art Veranda, Denpasar, exhibited about 37 art works and a video. Balinese artist, Jro Mangku Ketut Mastrum and I Kadek Sumantra Yasa, attended the exhibitions that were held for four times. Masrum exhibited painting with barong icon, and Sumantra exhibited horse sculpt and decorated with hairs that belong to Sumantra. The exhibition was opened on Saturday (18/3) by artist Made Wianta and will countinue until 18 April 2006. (BTN/015)