Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach is well known to celebrate its unique neighborhood and so, with help from Balinese artist, Nano Uhero, they presented a sculptural installation made of radical weaving techniques, titled “Gentle Monster”.
To commemorate the Balinese sacred holiday of Galungan, Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach invited renowned Balinese artist and master weaver Nano Uhero to apply his unique “radical weaving” technique to create a sculptural installation for the hotel’s Neighborhood Gallery (lobby).
Weaving is a big part of Balinese culture, from canang sari, the daily offerings weaved with banana leaves, to the woven textiles and building materials, the technique has been used for centuries.
Nano Uhero transformed hundreds of recycled plastic belts to create his large-scale sculpture.
The Gentle Monster, as he calls it, is a fictional creature that represents the duality of industrialization and technology. While plastic was invented to better our lives, and has achieved that in many ways, the way it has been managed has led to many unforeseen, ecological challenges.
However, he believes and we all hope, there are still ways to turn things around through conscious use and recycling. The Gentle Monster transforms what could become a threat to the ecosystem into a beautiful work of art, and in turn, gives a smidgeon of hope for the future.
During Galungan, the people of Bali celebrate the victory of Dharma over Adharma, or good over evil. The Gentle Monster reaffirms this hopeful message, a possibility of winning over current ecological challenges through art and community.
“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with Nano. Together through the language of the Balinese culture, and with their mindfulness and gratitude to nature, we hope that the Gentle Monster can create further awareness not only about Galungan, but also how as a business, we are always on a learning and a path of improvement to become a more environmentally friendly property,” said Andreas Bergel, General Manager of Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach.
Nano Uhero is an Indonesian artist born in 1976 in Ubud, Bali. Nano is a master weaver, carefully preserving the traditional craft of weaving and bringing it into the context of contemporary art. Nano’s thought provoking installations and environmental projects are scattered across the whole island of Bali.
