Curator’s Essay

In Naga (2024), Balinese artist Ni Nyoman Aura Komala Dewi explores the relationship between strength and sensitivity through gestural abstraction. The title draws upon the sacred serpent or dragon in Balinese Hindu culture—a powerful figure associated with guardianship, protection, water, and the balance between earthly and divine realms.

Aura’s interpretation carries a distinctly personal sensibility. As she explains, the painting was inspired by the dragon as a guardian and a symbol of wisdom, representing “a gentle kind of strength and a kind heart.” This insight invites us to encounter the work not simply as an emblem of raw power, but as an expression of protection tempered by tenderness.

In Naga, black, charcoal grey, ochre, and vermilion sweep across the paper in broad marks, layered brushstrokes, and fine linear details. The broad, dark brushstrokes give the composition its weight, while fine vermilion lines traverse the surface with a lighter, searching quality. Fluid, looping ochre forms introduce warmth, counterbalancing the heavier tones. The composition feels instinctive yet considered—never resolving into a fixed image, but relying on suggestion and open space to leave room for the viewer’s own perception.

Growing up in a family of artists, Aura notes that “art is like home”—understanding it not simply as a profession, but as a meaningful way to spend her time. Through Naga, she aspires to create paintings that go beyond visual beauty to “tell stories and keep company with the people who view them.”

Born in Ubud, Bali, in 2015, Aura has been immersed in artistic practice from an early age. Her early development was nurtured within a deeply creative family environment, leading to her participation in ARTJOG Kids exhibition in 2022, where her work was presented alongside that of her two artist siblings, I Wayan Dendy Permana Putra and I Made Ananda Krisna Putra. As one of Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary art festivals, ARTJOG Kids offered an early opportunity for Aura’s work to be presented within Indonesia’s wider contemporary art scene.

In 2023, she continued her exhibition experience with a group exhibition at Art Jakarta, one of the region’s prominent international art fairs.

Provenance and Dedication

We believe in curating contemporary fine art with context, care, and respect for each artist’s individual vision. Our collaboration with Ni Nyoman Aura Komala Dewi and her family reflects this commitment, honoring the intentions behind her work.

At Senja Living, we collaborate with emerging and established artists to bring important contemporary art to collectors, interior designers, and art enthusiasts in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

We are pleased to present Naga in keeping with Aura’s aspiration that her “artworks can bring positive energy and travel far beyond Bali, becoming known to many more people.” We trust Naga will find a home where its symbolism, expressive character, and distinctive energy can be appreciated for years to come.

— Founder, Senja Living

Artwork Details

Title: Naga
Artist: Ni Nyoman Aura Komala Dewi, Indonesian, born 2015
Medium: Acrylic on paper
Dimensions: 15.75" x 21.25" (40 x 54 cm)
Year: 2024
Style: Contemporary abstraction; gestural abstraction
Subject: The naga, interpreted by the artist as a guardian and symbol of wisdom, gentle strength and kindness

Provenance: Presented by Senja Living in collaboration with artists I Nyoman Bratayasa and Ni Nyoman Aura Komala Dewi, through their family art studio and gallery in Bali, Indonesia.

Collector’s Notes

Ni Nyoman Aura’s Naga brings expressive movement, layered color, and Balinese Hindu symbolism into a single, distinctive composition. Inspired by the dragon as a guardian and a symbol of wisdom, its balance of strength and sensitivity conveys a “gentle kind of strength and a kind heart.” This offers collectors an artwork appreciated both for its visual presence and the personal meaning behind its creation.

With its expressive character and symbolic resonance, Naga provides an opportunity to engage with the work of a wonderfully talented young Balinese emerging artist whose exhibition history already includes ARTJOG Kids (2022) and Art Jakarta (2023).