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Made Suraja

"Bali is usually called 'Island of Paradise.’ It is a place where people enjoy peace and happiness. Coming from a young generation, I owe much to the rich culture we have in Bali. I am in awe of our ancestors – such visionaries – who were able to instill such rich and meaningful traditions into our culture.

"Balinese people are very attached to ceremony, art, and social life, and temple life. Temples are living monuments where people pray on every important holy day. Idols are installed as sacred figures in specially decorated shrines that nobody dares to disturb. Our temple idols are living statues that have a powerful spirit, and they strengthen Balinese spirituality. It is these idols that inspire my sandstone statues.

"I learned to carve sandstone when I was in secondary school, and am still enjoy carving to this day. I also enjoy exploring my other talent - painting. I have no formal background, but I learned painting from my friends, mainly Wayan Suwarjiwatman. From Suwarjiwatman, I learned the modern technique that characterizes most of my paintings."

Suraja has exhibited his work in galleries throughout Bali.