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Made Mudana

"Om Swastitastu! (a Balinese greeting that means may you be safe and happy)! My name is I Made Mudana. I am from a community of artists from Ubud, Bali where East and West meet in peace and harmony. I spend my life carving horses, I just love it very much. When I see a log, an image has already installed itself in my mind. Then, I carve out the parts not needed. My father taught me how to carve when I was just ten years old - I had no formal art training at that time. In Bali, traditions and culture pass on from generation to generation. We learn and play together with peers. The senior people teach and guide us patiently. Everything goes on naturally over the freedom of art expression. However, each of us has individual talent that grows in its distinct way. Artwork is very different when made without machinery. I have to follow the wave of the shape of the wood, print the figure in, and take it out piece by piece. The form appears gradually until it becomes the desired one. I now work with five artists who are my students and family."