http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/michaelasanda-1555194-bali27-neka-art-museum1/

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The Neka Art Museum was opened in 1982 and is named after a Balinese

teacher Suteja Neka who collected paintings as a means of artistic

documentation. Nowadays the museum has a great selection of works from

many famous Balinese artists and expats who have lived here and influenced

local artists.

The Neka Art Museum

collection is displayed in

several buildings

patterned after Balinese

architecture. The main

structures are for the

permanent display of the

government registered

collection.

Another building is used

for temporary exhibitions.

Suteja Neka

Founder and Director Neka Art

Museum Ubud - Bali

Balinese Traditional Doorway

The Neka Art Museum has

achieved high standards as a

museum of international

standing. By July of 1997 it

covered an area of 9150

square meters, with 2580

square meters of floor space.

The buildings are well

maintained and the artworks

are displayed and organized

historically. The collection

continues to grow over the

years with over three -

hundred pieces.

I Pande Ketut Taman Diri Dalam Jari

(The Self in each Finger)

Tree Trunk Nymph

Keris, the traditional

Indonesian dagger. Whether

created by human hands or of

supernatural origin, keris are

believed to be physical

manifestations of invisible

forces. Forged in fire but

symbolic of water, a keris

represents a powerful union of

cosmic complementary forces.

The Keris hall exhibite

features dozen of antique and

new keris collection

for celebrating the UNESCO

recognition of the Indonesian

keris (traditional dagger) as a

great achievement of cultural

heritage for world humanity in

November 2005.

The keris is an

important family

possession and

considered to be an

ancestral deity, as

weapons often play

critical roles in the rise

and fall of families and

fortunes in history.

Heirloom keris have proper names

which describe their power: Ki

Sudamala is Venerable Exorcist and

repels negative forces, Ki Baju Rante is

Venerable Coat of Armor and spiritually

protects one wearing it.

In Bali, an heirloom keris and other such metal

objects are presented offerings every 210 days on

the day called Tumpek Landep, which means

‘sharp’. They are cleaned, displayed in temple

shrines, and presented with incense, holy water, and

red-colored food and flowers to honor Hindu god of

fire Brahma. This is followed by prayers for a sharp

mind to Sanghyang Pasupati, the deity who

empowers sacred objects and defeats ignorance.

Motorbikes and cars, modern metallic symbols of

power and status, are also presented with offerings

because they can bring fortune or mishap. Some

Balinese jokingly call this day Tumpek Honda or

Tumpek BMW, depending on what they can afford to

own. With palm leaf ornaments flying up against

windshields and rear-view mirrors, however, one

wonders about the safety of this practice.

A distinctive feature of many keris is

their odd-numbers of curves, but

they also have straight blades. Keris

are like naga, which are associated

with irrigation

canals, rivers, springs, wells, spouts,

waterfalls and rainbows. Some keris

have a naga or serpent head carved

near its base with the body and tail

following the curves of the blade to

the tip. A wavy keris is a naga in

motion, aggressive and alive; a

straight blade is one at rest, its

power dormant but ready to come

into action.

The shadow puppet plays, known

as wayang kulit are popular not

only in Bali but throughout

Indonesia. Far more than mere

entertainment, the wayang kulit is

an extremely important vehicle of

culture, serving as carrier of myth,

morality play, and form of

religious experience rolled into

one.

The puppets are believed to have

great spiritual power, and are

"brought to life" by special

ceremonies performed by the

dalang, the puppet master and

story teller. The dalang is a man

of many talents: he must have a

repertoire of hundreds of stories,

play the music, have a flair for

showmanship, perform the

necessary sacred rituals, and also

know how to make the intricate,

flat, leather puppets.

I Made Sumadiyasa

Air Kehidupan (Water of Life)

Horoscope Bali

Gusti Nyoman Lempad

Sita Membuktikan Sucinya

(Sita proves her Purity)

Bird of Paradise Flower

Branches & Leaves

Jeihan

Dewa Nyoman Batuan

Lingga Dan Yoni (Creation: Lingga & Yoni)

Wood carving Bali

Text & pictures: Internet

Copyright: All the images belong to their authors

Arangement: Sanda Foişoreanu

www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Gus Teja - Bali Jalan - Jalan