I Wayan Upadana's (b. 1983, Indonesia) multidisciplinary works integrate his interest in traditional Balinese culture with his desire to highlight the contemporary social and environmental issues confronting the island today. This work centres on the moon, which has a special importance for Balinese people who are predominantly Hindus and perform religious rituals during the full moon or the dead moon. Many people also go to the sea or springs to clean themselves as purification powers are considered to be at their peak during a full moon. The moon here is presented in a flat plane but has a thick, hollow and raised texture made from papier-mâché. Employed as the main medium in this work, the paper undergoes long and repeated drying processes, which hark back to the cycles in which the moon affects the tides of the sea.
I Wayan Upadana works and lives in Bali. He graduated with a major in sculpture from Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta in 2008, and is a member of the G-Five art collective. He has held solo presentations in Western Australia at Fremantle Art Centre (2016); Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta; The Ganesha Gallery, The Four Seasons resort in Jimbaran, Bali (2014); and Uluwatu Gallery in Sanur, Bali (2012). His group exhibitions include the Bali Residency at All Saints College in Perth, Western Australia (2019); the inaugural edition of Art Bali (2018), held in conjunction with the 2018 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group; Sculpture by the Sea in Cottesloe (2018); and Jakarta Biennale #14.