Nyepi: Balinese Silence Day In Contemporary Painting Practice

Nyepi Balinese Silence Day In Contemporary Painting Practice 1 I Wayan Karja Institut Seni Indonesia Denpasar, Bali [email protected] Abstract Nyepi means silence or day of silence and is the Balinese Hindu New Year celebrated once a year throughout the island of Bali. Nyepi falls on a day after the ninth of the new moon on the Balinese lunar calendar. The purpose of this article is to examine and visualize the inner atmosphere of Nyepi Day, especially relating to its appreciation and expression in contemporary artwork. The steps of creation are as follows: 1) mental preparation and concept maturation, 2) preparation of tools and materials, 3) execution with expression according to inner drive and development, 4) contemplation, and 5) aesthetic response. The result is a contemplative artwork that reflects the therapeutic aspect of human feelings, emotions, and mental development. This contemporary art practice is not only an expression of the creation of a form of art, but also an inner contemplation of the appreciation of Nyepi Day itself. It is important to stress that both process and result should carry equal importance in the resulting artwork. The concept of appreciation is subjective and abstract in accordance with the belief in God as our creator. Keywords: Nyepi, silence, contemporary art expression. INTRODUCTION Nyepi Day is a very unique event for Balinese Hindus to open the new Çaka Calendar year which falls the day after the dark or new moon, consisting of twelve lunar calendar months beginning with the spring equinox. Nyepi is a day of complete silence for 24 hours (start-end at 6:00 am). On Nyepi there are four practices Balinese Hindu perform called Catur Bratha yoga samadhi. It means no fire or light, including no electricity, no physical work other than spiritual work, no moving or traveling, fasting and not entertaining oneself. All the activities will be abandoned, in order to carry out the culture that has been passed down from generation to generation by the ancestors. Nyepi is a day of contemplation to increase awareness of self-existence, and to clean up the physical and mental pollution in life, through Nyepi purification and inner enlightenment because humans are nature. Nyepi Day, when associated with fine arts, is almost entirely focused on ogoh-ogoh. Ogoh-ogoh is a sculptural work of art that is paraded around before Nyepi Day. Ogoh-ogaoh represents a Hindu figure called Bhuta Kala. Ogohogoh will be paraded around the village by a group of people on the night before Nyepi Day. The ogoh-ogoh procession will be accompanied by Balinese gamelan called bleganjur. The practice of making art and staging ogoh-ogoh is a special attraction in Nyepi celebrations, 1 Paper presented in the 25th IFSSO General Conference and General Assembly on “Social Media, Cyber-religion and Culture” and Ordinary Session of the IFSSO General Assembly, Monday, 8 May to Tuesday, 9 May 2023, convened at St. Andrew’s Educational Foundation, St. Andrew’s College, Mumbai, India, organized by International Federation of Social Sciences Organization (IFSSO) in cooperation with St. Andrew’s Educational Foundation–Mumbai ANDIE (Academic Network of Dedicated and Inspired Educators)–Mumbai, GAP (Grand Academic Portal) India. ogoh-ogoh becomes a place to compete with the creativity of young people. This article does not review ogoh-ogoh works, but the author focuses on the essence of Nyepi which is very quiet physically and mentally as the focus and inspiration for the creation of contemporary art works. Contemporary art is a product of tradition, encounters with cultural history, confronted with the modern West, and economic development, changes in information technology that push the world towards a global culture and are accelerated by these interactions (Turner, 1993). Contemporary art became visible in public media, markets, and museums, as well as art world discourse in the 1990s, surpassing most of the earlier art (Smith, 2014). For the author, Nyepi as an inspiration for Contemporary art refers to the concept of minimalism in painting practice, especially abstract paintings with Balinese color themes from 1998 until now. Contemporary art is focused on the essence of Nyepi, a case study of personal subjective and intersubjective experiences in the appreciation of Nyepi Day with a view of universality, combining East-West cultures. The achievement of the minimalist climax expression of Nyepi in contemporary painting has significant meaning and therapeutic art value. Firstly, it recognizes the simultaneous existence of a transcultural and shared dimension of art with infinite differences in people, communities, and artistic expressions. Secondly, considers the use of artwork practice as a primary mode of inquiry through which artistic evidence informs practice and research. These trajectories converge to show continuity and new creations in the field of Contemporary art that are therapeutic, and healing for body, mind, and soul. Nyepi as a concept is linked to the art practice of minimalism in the Western art world. However, if we look back to Eastern cultures, we see that Zen ideals carry the essence of minimalism. Likewise, in Balinese Hinduism, this categorization is found in the concept of the invisible, spending time alone. Abstract concepts such God as Empty Space and God as Universe are expressed through the ideas of "less is more". As with the Zen concept that "form is emptiness, emptiness is form" the ideal of merging with the ethereal, the highest consciousness. God is worshiped within. We can see attempts to express these concepts in abstract painting; however, the final exploration of silent expression can only be found at the sublime level, the level of emptiness and nothingness. The effects of silence on the therapeutic process, the creative process, and the therapeutic relationship are explored (Regev, Chasday, & Snir, 2016). Almost every Nyepi day, the author feels moved and tries to be solemn to celebrate it, and after the celebration wants to capture the experience of silence and expresses it in form of painting. This article discusses four works whose creation process was inspired by the silence of Nyepi, such as 1) The Color of Shiva (2010), 2) Cosmic Energy: Starry Night (2012), 3) Cosmic Energy (2012), and 4) Cosmic Energy (2019). This writing process raises research questions. Why is Nyepi important to be expressed in contemporary art practice? How is silent visualization in Contemporary art practice? What are the implications of Nyepi as an inspiration for contemporary art practice? The creation of this painting is personal and intersubjective, the aim is to better understand and capture the experience of silence verbally, a visualization study of the inner atmosphere, the essence in the celebration of Nyepi Day, and its appreciation and expression in the practice of contemporary art. METHODS Art-based research is the approach used in this research, which is the practical process of creating a contemporary painting that uses inner experience, aesthetic experience, and visual work, which is carried out in the studio as a laboratory. The visual artworks and textual descriptions are used as data and can be analyzed. Four paintings take themes related to the atmosphere of Nyepi Day in Bali. This theme is the author's project, the practice of art as a research method, and its content. The author creates the artwork, and there are no research participants (Leavy, 2023). This approach can potentially conduct a visual study, generating data that would not have emerged with written or verbal communication alone. The main advantage of this approach is that the process of creating art also yields data, mainly aesthetic experiences. This experience is an opportunity to express oneself without knowing what will occur and brings new insights as an object of research. There are several stages of creation, namely 1) mental preparation and concept maturation, 2) preparation of tools and materials, 3) execution, improvisation, following the impulse, and inner development, 4) contemplation and deepening, and 5) aesthetic response. Based on observation and reflection, the author was inspired to write down the experience of creating in the form of writing. The goal is that abstract art can be read and understood by art lovers. It is this awareness that inspires the desire to write art-based research as a verbalization of meaning. This writing begins with determining the object of research, namely four paintings by the author inspired by Nyepi Day. Data collection is done by observation, contemplation, interview, and study of reading materials in accordance with the object of creation. Then proceed with editing and analyzing the data, and presenting the data in the form of a journal article. RESULT AND DISCUSSION The results of this arts-based research explain three main things: 1) The Urgency of Nyepi in Contemporary Painting, 2) Visualization of Nyepi in Contemporary Painting, and 3) Implication of Nyepi as a contemporary painting practice. Figure 1. Process of silence day in contemporary art practice The Essence of Nyepi in Contemporary Painting Nyepi in Bali is an effort to maintain inner and outer balance by removing ourselves from our daily routines. Spending time alone can provide spiritual nourishment, and the seeds of creativity grow from open spaces and wider horizons. The silence and darkness of the night become an inner reflection that a speck of light is much more visible when it is dark. Realizing the feeling of silence and transforming the abstract into concrete. The quiet phenomenon is unusual in the Balinese painting scene, which tends to be crowded with objects. In contrast, the author's paintings are the result of deep contemplation and are not crowded. The lights are extinguished, it is dark, and the radio, television, and communication devices are turned off. Everything is focused on inner development and self-clarity. For at least one day during Nyepi, Bali has no smoke pollution, no air pollution, no noise, no fire, no visitors, no entertainment, no indulgence of lust, no work, nothing to do, no activity at all, just silence and contemplation, no imagery. Silence is the source of the seeds of artistic creativity, the inspiration to create art. Nature sounds such as birds, crickets, frogs, etc. are like nature's music. The German philosopher, Schopenhauer, wrote that "all art aspires to the condition of music". Music is non-representational - it affects us emotionally and intellectually. Nyepi as an inspiration in contemporary painting practice does not only present visual objects, but can be used as a verbal discussion that can be shared with art lovers and readers of art discourse. Nyepi is a day of silence, introspection, to reflect on the values of compassion, patience, and virtue. The environment and atmosphere are created to support selfintrospection, and appreciation of space, God as empty space. Visualizing Nyepi in art practice, Swiss artist Paul Klee's theory says that "Art does not reproduce the visible, but rather makes the invisible visible" (Bourneuf, 2015). For this reason, the four paintings below as a result of Nyepi's contemplative reflection are used as a visual study of minimalist art, as follows. Figure 1. Painting by Wayan Karja, 2010. The Color of Shiva. Acrylic on canvas. Figure 2. Painting by Wayan Karja, 2012. Cosmic Energy: Starry Night, acrylic on canvas, 180 x 210 cm. (Photo is taken by the author, 2023). Figure 1, The Color of Shiva is a predominantly white painting with strokes of black, red, yellow, and gold that resembles calligraphic art. The colors of the Balinese Mandala are a color circle consisting of white occupying a directional position in the east, red in the south, yellow in the west, and black in the north, and gold placed in the middle. This painting reflects cosmic balance. Figure 2, Cosmic Energy: Starry Night, is inspired by the twinkling stars in the sky at midnight on Nyepi. At that time, the universe within is at peace, silently merging between heaven and earth, with distant lights adding beauty to the stillness of the night. The essence of Nyepi is even more significant and profound in inspiring the creation of contemporary paintings. Figure 3. Painting by Wayan Karja, 2019. Cosmic Energy. Acrylic on canvas, 300 x 300 cm. Figure 4. Wayan Karja, 2012. Cosmic Energy, Acrylic on canvas, 180 x 210 cm (Photo is taken by the author, 2023). Figure 3, Cosmic Energy is a reflection of the dynamics of darkness and silence, but nature provides light according to its own capacity. In addition to the celestial bodies that glow and sometimes move, creatures such as fireflies also enliven and beautify the silent night. This kind of atmosphere inspires the creation of contemporary paintings. Figure 4, Cosmic Energy, towards sunset, the sky is cloudy, some stars begin to appear, and the fusion of light and darkness in the twilight unites to welcome the coming of the night. The clouds in the sky are like a painting composition that evokes the feeling to paint and immortalize it on canvas. The reflection of Nyepi creates the thought that no matter how dark it is, there must be a speck of light. Silence as meditation has been one of the most enduring, widespread, and most researched methods of psychotherapy in the development of the therapeutic arts. However, to this point, the encounter between contemporary painting and the discipline of meditation in psychology has been marred by significant misunderstandings and by an assimilationist integration in which much of the richness and uniqueness of meditation and its psychology and philosophy have been overlooked. Also overlooked are key benefits related to understanding psychological issues, such as cognition and attention, mental training and development, health and pathology, and psychological capacity and potential. The combination of the Nyepi concept and contemporary painting gives rise to a meditation tradition with greater cultural and conceptual sensitivity, opening up possibilities for mutual enrichment. Meditation is a creativity that is parallel to the appreciation of the essence of Nyepi, therefore the creation of painting with the content and essence of Nyepi becomes a unity of human psychological needs. In line with what the American poet Ezra Pound wrote, "Don't move. Let the wind speak, that's heaven... the verb is 'see', not 'walk'" (Stiles, & Selz, 2012). The Nyepi reflection night reflects that the outside is dark, and the inside is light. There is no moon, the dark is symbolic of the tiny starting point of light. Light and darkness hold between them a wide range of colors and mark the New Year - the first blank page of the future. Art is created not only for beauty and aesthetics but also as a guide to basic human feelings, touching the deepest human emotions; art is sublime, a union with one's soul. The concept of Nyepi is a fusion of art and the philosophy of silence. The Eastern philosophy of changing less is more or form is empty, the empty form becomes the core of artistic expression. The spirit of contemporary art practice grows with the concept of modernization, reduction, and simplification. The fusion of art and religion is, of course, in partnership." (Foley, 2004). Silence in contemporary painting is an expression of artistic purity, influenced by the doctrine of 'Art for Art's Sake' by Gautier and Baudelaire, which implies that their artistic activities do not require moral or social justification (Lucie-Smith, 1995). Beauty in art and a coherent system of criteria put the visual, moral, or social purity of art or a combination of all of them to use in evaluating works of art. Contemporary art, although expressing many social and political issues or also environmental issues, has religious values attached to it (Sabana, 2003). Visualization of Nyepi in Contemporary Painting Contemporary art practice, which has been oriented towards Western art, is shifting from local awareness to global awareness, contemporary awareness is increasing everywhere. The art of Asia and Indonesia, including Bali, does not only refer to Western contemporary art, but there is a local awareness that raises the spirit of local cultural traditions (Bydler, 2004; Turner, 2023). Contemporary art refers to interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary where other disciplines are used as art interventions to enrich the art itself. In this studio art research, the opposite process emerges, the author paints something empty, calm, quiet, and meditative, with the dominant monochromatic color of gray. Mental Preparation and Concept Maturation Stillness and emptiness are the beginning of an idea, as an idea is always there, like the sun that shines every day. But because of clouds and rain, we don't always see the sun. This scene is used as a trigger for concept maturation and mental preparation to create, just like the blue sky and the sun. The condition of stillness and clarity is always there, depending on our readiness to accept it. Such is the importance of emptiness, the starting point to visualize the essence, the inspiration to paint contemporary art. The four paintings chosen by the author are examples of art-based research; a blend of religious studies, psychology, and meditation intertwined in a contemporary painting. Mental preparation is aimed at paintings that achieve simplicity in the sublimation of art and life. Commonly referred to as minimalism, the concept of minimalism originates from an art movement with roots dating back centuries in Bali. The ancient Hindu concept signifies the idea of "emptiness". One of the manifestations of God is empty space. The Hindu view of art is the Hindu view of life, life as interpreted by religion and philosophy (Anand, 2019). The art of the narrative tradition is expressed in symbols of nature, abstraction, and collaboration. However, the author's works bring a profound simplicity to the outer surface of the canvas with monotone colors. This idea seems controversial compared to the intricate and detailed Balinese art in general. This Nyepithemed contemporary painting uses only color, an unrepresentative object. Minimalist art is often associated with abstract art. The term "abstract" is applied to paintings that have no recognizable subject, this theme corresponds to the essence of Nyepi in Contemporary painting. This message of the essence of silence is in line with the statement of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, a psychiatrist, and writer born in Zurich, Switzerland, who stated that "Learn to get in touch with the silence within you and know that everything in life has a purpose." Maya Angelou goes further: "In silence, we listen to ourselves" (Khumbanyiwa, 2022). Preparation of Tools and Materials Preparation of tools and materials such as painting in general requires canvas, paint, brushes, water, a place to mix colors, cleaning cloths, and the necessary studio space according to the size of the canvas. The space is considered sufficient to conduct art-based research in a laboratory manner so that the appreciation of the serenity of Nyepi can be practiced physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Execution, Improvisation, Following an Impulse, and Inner Development Inspiration comes and goes; no matter whether the writer invites it or not, it comes on its own. Inspiration is one of the important parts of this artistic creation. Albert Einstein said that "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Imagination is the language of the soul. Pay attention to your imagination and you will find everything you need to fulfill." Canadian artist living in the United States, Agnes Martin in her Untroubled Mind (Stiles, & Selz, 2012) explains that we need to clear our minds in order to be clear and open to receive inspiration. As a creator of art, writers must always be ready to welcome the inner power of creativity. Nyepi can provide inspiration for writers to create when they are in a state of silence. Paintings are diaries, which must be written every day to express feelings and keep the mind clear and open. To open the channels of creativity, one must be still, silent, and open to a high stream of consciousness. Sometimes, that silence brings forth a great idea and a feeling of gratitude. The process of creating this artwork is a spiritual practice, a process of execution, improvisation, following impulses, and inner development. The deeper the silence, the simpler the thoughts about life, the simpler the art that emerges, and life itself seem simpler as a side effect of this creative process. This process of creation can turn anything into an image. The author gives an analogy, imagining oneself as a tree, which grows, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, and fruit. All the processes to produce the fruit must be gone through. This lesson illustrates that the improvisational approach is physically, mentally, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually an approach of religion and art becoming one in contemporary art. Art practice utilizes personal technique play, flow, and freedom. Contemplation and Deepening Minimalism does not mean emptiness. Emptiness does not mean anything. All inner perception processes require contemplation and deepening. The process of contemporary art practice that uses Nyepi as imagination is a process of contemplation and deepening of selfexistence whose entrance is through Nyepi, the expression that produces therapeutic painting. The concept of minimalism must be contemplated deeply because the shapes and colors are characterized by something very personal and abstract. The abstract is the essence, it is difficult to recognize and understand and requires extra understanding to get the real core and essence. The contemplation of Nyepi in painting is an art form whose visual elements mimic very few objects that we can see with the naked eye. Although visible natural objects appear, they are only a trigger of ideas for further subjective processes. The abstract art style emerged as a reaction to the subjective elements of abstract expressionism. Regarding the contemplation of minimal existence, in an interview with Frans Hak (1979), Beuys said: "Creativity is not the monopoly of artists" (Stiles, & Selz, 2012). This is an important fact to ponder, realize, and deepen that everyone can experience art and beauty. Everyone is an artist, meaning that everyone can determine the content of life in their field, whether in painting, music, dance, engineering, caring for the sick, economics, cooking, and so on. Aesthetic Response. Composition is a layout to provide space for solitude in painting, to open up space for aesthetic responses to enter the space of imagination. Nature is individual, we are nature, related to belief, reduction, simplification from complex to simple to perceive simple and eternal truths. Color after color tells us that only color can evoke deep inner feelings. Only with one, two, or three colors of experience can the mind be aroused by a simple image. Such is the power of Nyepi that can be felt not only by artists but also by everyone depending on the level of depth and aesthetic response. Simplification or reduction does not mean reducing value, but simplifying forms can open up wider opportunities for content and essence. Selfcontemplation, empty or self-made labyrinths, and inner simplicity are the same doors, both religion and art in parallel can lead us to the same goal. A long process in an aesthetic journey, open mind and open heart, builds an aesthetic experience. Shapes, colors, textures and balance that are not too dynamic, symbols of serenity and aesthetic perfection. Aestheticism is a theory of art, first formulated in the 18th century by Emmanuel Kant, according to which philosophy of art differs from other forms of philosophy by virtue of the premise that art can only be judged by its standards. Anthony Douglas Williams (2008) writes that "Silence has a mysterious calming effect, letting your soul be at peace with your mind." Implications From the silence and darkness, we can see the stars in the sky. Darkness is an important part of feeling lighter in both the external and internal environment. Especially for exile, it is associated with efforts to balance oneself with the universe. Humans need special ways to calm down in order to awaken awareness of existence. Empty means starting from scratch. Similar to daily activities that require weekends, Sundays, and holidays, to rest. Contemporary art combines primitive, classical, traditional, modern and postmodern art. “Art works as a bridge between the past and the future, interpreting tradition with modernity and modernity with tradition” (Couteau, 2003). The broad Contemporary coverage, encompassing everything, implies that the whole is the part, and the part is the whole. The artistic elements are in line with the practice of celebrating silence in the expressions and techniques of Contemporary painting. The alignment of the concept of Nyepi with the concept of contemporary painting makes this work a visual manifestation of an atmosphere of silence, especially in relation to the symbolic balance in The Color Shiva (fig.1). The author believes that the same principle will apply to form, color and atmosphere, as depicted in Starry Night (fig.2). What influences a painting is not the copying of some familiar objects on canvas, but the shapes, colors, textures and lines that make up the objects independently. Everything has implications for inner and outer silence. Describing a silence that leaves behind the element of complexity, up to the peak of simplification, whether formed by chance or on purpose, as seen in the work of Cosmic Energy (fig.3). To imagine emptiness, authors often think of clarity, peace, and simplicity in paintings of solitude. Sublimation is the term for the realm beyond perfection, which is essential for the minimal idea on which works of art are based. This concept guides the author in exploring the aesthetics of simplicity and its implications for understanding the essence of life. The simpler it is, the harder it is to explain. This article therefore explores the mystery of spending time alone with minimal painting seriousness, as occurs in the upper realms, or the sky (fig.4). The Balinese tradition provides many illustrations and symbols regarding the balance of the macrocosm and microcosm. Cosmology is an important part of everyday life, physically and mentally. The belief system about the origin of the universe becomes an organizational set of beliefs. Likewise in the creation of contemporary painting, cosmological foundations become something that is closely related to the practice of everyday life (Karja, 2020). The main focus of the author's paintings over the past few years has not only been to combine art and spirituality, Eastern and Western arts but also to enhance how the results of arts-based research are not only academically obligatory to meet certain requirements in administration but are also meaningful to society at large. Improving works so that they can be accepted by the wider community has implications not only for academics, students, lecturers, and the community. This simple setup that follows a predetermined scheme becomes more involved when the complexities behind the work as a whole, as well as each work, are understood. This contemporary painting practice delves into the roots of Balinese culture while exploring new possibilities, especially supremacy and sublimation. Sublimation is an artistic term that was first used in the 18th century but comes from the Roman philosopher Longinus. It was popularized by Longinus Boileau's translation into French (1674), and by the English philosopher, Edmund Burke's Philosophical Inquiry into the Origins of Sublime and Beautiful Ideas (Pierce, 1998). Further, Sir Joshua Reynolds said: 'The great in painting, as in poetry, so preoccupies and dominates the whole mind that there is no room left for heeding the petty criticism. In the same year, Immanuel Kant called the majesty of imagination. What is sublime is the absolute harmony of proportions. The path to this simple and complicated way of expression was, of course, messy. But when you think about it, it all seems to make sense now. The author begins to see how it is possible to move into a world inhabited by admired people. But wild nothingness will not suffice; the author will need an anvil mechanism, a portal. Faced daily in foreign cultures with questions of who the self is, where it came from, where the work originated, and where it went, writers naturally turned to the mandala – the most universal thing in the self. Apart from being a representation of the cosmos, mandalas are used as meditation tools. Some are meant to "expand" consciousness, others to "focus" it. After all, mandalas are meant to lead a person on a journey that ends in peace and balance, the cruel chaos of the world being simplified and tamed, distancing oneself from desire. American artist, Jenny Holzer, in a conceptual work, makes the statement that "Protect me from what I want." The implications of Nyepi are regulating emotions, meditation, self-awareness, and self-emptying. Parallel meditation cat for the same purpose. Both process and artwork help writers understand life on a more conscious and deeper level. Therefore, practice is a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds. The author feels the phenomenon of spiritual color in black, gray, white and gold. Physically the eye is only able to see color, but in aesthetic experience it is felt through our personality. Spirits contact us through colors. This kind of artistic practice can provide answers to questions about the Creator. When I first pick up color, a single color is like the first step toward abstraction, the writer doesn't know exactly where it's going. Art according to this view was born as a secondary activity of religion and the relationship between art and religion throughout history has often been interpreted as a relationship between form and content, in the sense that art gives form to religious content. Art is therapeutic, when art materials are involved in the creative process during quiet times, clients have a more pleasant and positive experience than when art materials are not used during quiet times. This highlights the importance of art materials during the therapeutic process, especially during silence (Regev, Chasday, Snir, 2016). Silence in artistic and religious practices is an attempt to seek and worship God within through artistic expression, color, light and taste, God is Feeling. CONCLUSION The essence of silence in contemporary painting practice is to awaken creativity and inner sensitivity to see, feel and visualize. Nyepi is not only related to art and religion but also to individuals to develop aesthetic experiences and build capacities in the practice of painting. Painting is the essence of religious philosophy which is present in a visual form that is more