feat.
PUTU PW WINATA
PUTU WINATA’S SUBAK PAINTING SERIES
Arif Bagus Prasetyo
Nature serves as an endless wellspring of creative inspiration for Putu Winata. Throughout his artistic career, it has remained his primary muse. His paintings consistently explore nature’s multifaceted essence, delving into both its physical beauty and its deeper spiritual significance. Winata’s works embody the aesthetic, intellectual, and moral vision of a Balinese artist with a profound love for nature. This love shines through in an era dominated by anthropocentrism and a world increasingly at odds with the natural environment.
Throughout 2024, Winata showcases a selection from his latest series inspired by subak. Subak is a farmer-managed irrigation system that has sustained Bali’s rice fields for nearly a millennium. The subak ecosystem encompasses rice fields and water channels, villages, temples, and forests that safeguard the water supply. This harmonious integration of agriculture, religion, and nature re flects traditional Balinese wisdom, promoting a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of life.
Subak embodies the Hindu-Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, meaning “three paths to happiness in life,” which emphasizes harmony between God, nature, and humans. This philosophy is reflected in subak’s practices: ceremonies in rice fields and water temples promote harmony with God, regulations among farmers foster harmony between people, and crafting rice fields to fit the land exemplifies harmony with nature.
Subak was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. This recognition highlights subak as a cultural landscape of Bali that manifests the Tri Hita Karana philosophy. UNESCO recognizes the subak system as a democratic and egalitarian system focused on water temples and the control of irrigation that has shaped the landscape of Bali over the past thousand years. Since the 11th century, the water temple networks have managed the ecology of rice terraces across entire watersheds. This unique system provides a sustainable solution for supporting a dense population on a rugged volcanic island, and is only found in Bali.
Subak transcends a mere water management system; it is a cultural tradition rich with rituals. Unlike typical irrigation systems, subak incorporates rituals held in rice fields and temples. These rituals, promoting harmony with God, aim to ensure bountiful harvests. Individual subak members perform a series of 16 rituals, starting with the ritual of fetching irrigation water and concluding with the post-harvest ritual. Additionally, collective rituals involve all members of a subak, while others involve multiple subaks at temples near water sources.
Jatiluwih no 1
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 2
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 3
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 4
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 5
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 6
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 7
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 9
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 10
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas
Putu PW Winata
Putu PW Winata
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 13
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 14
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 15
4 panels polyptych 80 cm x 60 cm each acrylic on canvas 2024
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 15A
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas 2024
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 15B
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas 2024
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 15C
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas 2024
Putu PW Winata
Jatiluwih no 15D
80 cm x 60 cm acrylic on canvas 2024
Putu PW Winata
Putu Winata was born in Denpasar, Bali, February 27, 1977. His interest in the world of art, since his youth, was honed even sharper at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Metal Crafts Department, at the Indonesian Art Institute, Jogjakarta from 1995 to 1999. At the same time, his interests and talents in the field of painting was also forged, along with his friends in the Sanggar Dewata group. Apart from being actively involved as an administrator at Sanggar Dewata Jogja in 1997, and as the main treasurer at Sanggar Dewata Bali in 2008, Putu 'PW' Winata has also always been active in creating and exhibiting since 1996 until now.
Selected group exhibitions
2021 “Human/Nature” Art Moments Jakarta 2
2022 Art Jakarta “Garden” at Hutan Kota by Plataran, Jakarta
“Online Raw Art”, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
“World Without End”, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2023 Art Moments Jakarta, presented by Asosiasi Galeri Senirupa Indonesia
UOB Bank Special Presentation at Art Jakarta 2023
2024 Jakarta Garden, at Hutan Kota by Plataran presented by D Gallerie
Focus Art Fair, New York presented by D Gallerie
Solo exhibitions
2021 “Garden of Intuition” at Galeri Zen1 Kesiman, Bali
2022 “Seeds of Light” at D Gallerie, Jakarta
“Scenery” at Art Moments Jakarta 3, Jakarta
“Gesture of Nature” at Sheraton, Surabaya
“Imagine Asia” at The Ritz~Carlton Bali
2023 “Derana” at Bale Banjar Sangkring, Yogyakarta
“Latest Artworks” at Biasa Artspace, Ubud, Bali
“Latest Artworks” at Biasa + Seminyak, Bali
Awards
Top 10 nominator for the 2021 UOB Art of The Year Awards
Collaboration project
2022 Blue Label’s Johny Walker Statue at Sheraton Gandaria City, Jakarta
His admiration for the beauty and majesty of nature is expressed in many of his works. Meanwhile, his perseverance when practicing, experimenting, and exploring in the process of self-discovery has made his work not only more interestingly enjoyable, but also more authentic.
Jl. Barito I No. 3 Jakarta 12130, Indonesia
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