In the Balinese Hindu faith, God is present in every living being through the divine soul called Atman. Atman is a small spark of God that gives life to every living being, including humans. Respecting and appreciating every living being and the diversity in creation is part of my faith, which leads to glorifying the Creator, God.
As a religious person, I do not only live the vertical connection upwards, to God. I also live in a society full of diversity, with mutual appreciation, respect, and acceptance of seeing differences as a unity. In order to make a difference, we need to generate empathy, which consequently opens the way upwards, to God. By living in this world, I praise creation and glorify its Creator as part of my faith.
I reflect on this understanding in my painting. The present artwork is made up of different colours in different intensities, intuitively arranged, in layers. Then it is stacked, and notches are carved in. Carved shapes and lines emerge from layers of different colours. They merge into one another and form a whole – harmony. My artistic process is a process of reflection (and therapy) of life amid diversity. Mutual respect and harmony can develop through an attitude of blending without focusing on religious identity or position. Through this process, all human beings are seen as people of faith. Through lived faith, diversity becomes something beautiful.
