Nano Uhero, an emerging artist from Bali, is turning heads with his artworks that are multivalent in nature and speak of the urgency to protect the planet.
Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach, which celebrates Bali organic culture and tradition in artforms, invited the artist for a sculptural installation recently. Commemorating the holiday of Gulungan, the hotel along with Uhero, installed the environmentally-safe sculpture, "The Gentle Monster" in its lobby, the Neighbourhood Gallery.
Born in 1976 in Indonesia, Uhero is a master-weaver who makes art out of scratch, quite literally. Not only is he preserving the age-old traditional craft of weaving of Bali while giving it a unique touch but also attuning it to the burning environmental crises of the world. Uhero uses natural materials like rattan and bamboo as well as recycled materials such as unused plastic cargo belts, rope and other subproducts of the Balinese culture. His artworks are both local in their substance and universal in their thought.
Among his famous artworks are “The Womb” at Desa Potato Head, “Wiping the Rain” at Bali’s Festival of Arts, and “Joyland” in Taman Bhagawan.
Weaving is a rich and intricate craft that holds deep cultural significance in the Indonesian Island of Bali. A part of the Balinese island for centuries, weaving is closely associated with the cultural and religious aspects of Balinese lifestyle. The indigenous weavers produce a wide variety of textiles ranging from traditional garments, canang sari, daily offerings weaved from banana leaves to the woven architecture and textiles using techniques and motifs that have been passed down through generations.
Nano Uhero masterfully deploys his local and primitive techniques of weaving, also known as “radical weaving” to come up with sculptural installations. His installations, swamped with an organic aura, provoke the onlookers to think about the brutal torture of nature at the hands of humankind.
Experience the conflation where art meets eco-consciousness through the dynamic portfolio of Nano Uhero, thoughtfully scattered across Bali. Immerse yourself in the world of his creations that beautifully blend artistic expression with a deep commitment to environmental mindfulness.
A fictional character created out of a creative usage of hundreds of recycled plastic belts, Uhero’s “Gentle Monster” is a life-size sculpture that represents the duality of industrialisation and technology. During Galungan, people of Bali celebrate the victory of Dharma over Adharma. The "Gentle Monster" stands tall as a testament that through conscious and creative engagement, humans could still turn a global ecological crisis into something meaningful.
Where to see: Neighbourhood Gallery, Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach, Bali, Indonesia
The “Meditation Chair” is a cheeky piece of artwork that blurs the boundaries between art and furniture. In that, it is a utility sculpture that could also be used as a sofa. Uhero weaved the chair out fully out of recycled plastic waste. The sculpture encourages its onlookers to "make space" for themselves by inculcating the natural world around them.
Where to see: Museum of Space Available, Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia
“The Womb” is an undulating tunnel of bamboo which encounters you at the entrance of the Desa Potato Head at Bali. The visitors are greeted by traditional sounds of gong and a Balinese water blessing as they enter the structure. The sculpture is made entirely out of the locally renewable material, bamboo, woven intricately with no mechanical fixings or glue. It is a high design art with minimal environmental footprint. Entering “The Womb” made out of sustainably regulated material metaphorically implies a reincarnation which is guided by a drive to add to the upkeep of mother nature.
Where to see: Potato Head Beach Club, Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia
