Pedanda | 1994 | oil on canvas | 62 x 58 in.

Pedanda

1994
62 x 58 in.
oil on canvas
Bali, Indonesia

 

Pedanda is the highest form of priest or priestess in the Balinese religion, which is a combination of Hinduism and Animism. The Brahmin priests who fulfill this lofty position must first go through a death ceremony and then be reincarnated in the same body after renouncing desire and earthly attachments. Through imagery, the artist moves us through the elements of Balinese prayer; the Priestess is seen focusing through her third eye. Her Devotional prayer is transmitted through the vibration of the bell, then passed through the offerings, purified by the Holy Water, and finally sent to the heavenly realm through incense and the upward sweep of her hand. A flower petal completes the motion.