Whose Canvas: Nyoman Sani

In the world of arts, she is one of the not-so-many women who has reached widespread acclaim. She is all about woman, unceasingly empowering other women through her art. Through her MotherArt Space, she seeks gifted young women, enlightening them to keep growing in the world of arts.
What is your art all about?
My art covers women. I’m interested in their lifestyle, their characteristics, and how they solve the problems in their daily routine sand careers. Other aspects like their gestures and fashion also make exciting ideas to be laid on canvas.
How did you first meet the idea of creating these female figures?
The idea sparked when I was doing my final project. The students were asked to make 12 original works. I was a bit confused about what I should make, but at the same time, I was reading a book about an urban life titled Midnight in Jakarta. That’s how the idea came about. I started painting women and their lifestyles which were not too much explored in Bali at that moment. This project was back in 2000.
What is the characteristic of your art?
The head cutting. What I want to convey here is that people are not perfect, including women. We are lacking on many things, and how I portray it is through the depiction of their heads. There will always be the face and the hair, but if you look through it, you can sometimes spot that either their nose or ears are missing. With this vagueness, I believe my objects still look good and pretty when they are actually imperfect.
As a female artist, what challenges do you face most?
The challenge is to face the other artists, who are mostly men. So, as women artists, we have to keep our existence by continuously creating art. And when creating art, we can’t play around. When there is an idea coming out, we have to put it into realization immediately. We can’t hold it for a long time, as the process has to keep going.
Nyoman Sani exhibits in Art Patio until May 20