Palace Designer, Nyoman Nuarta, Unfazed by Criticisms
August 10, 2024
Jakarta - Nyoman Nuarta, the designer of the new capital city's Istana Garuda Nusantara (IKN), stated that he is not bothered by the criticisms directed at his work. He has been working independently from the beginning without any assistance from the government or banks.
"I've been working on my own; the government doesn't want to help me, and not a single bank is willing to assist me," said Nyoman, as quoted by Antara on Thursday (23/2/2023). Nyoman is used to criticisms, as he has faced them since his time as a student and during the construction of the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) statue in Bali. At that time, he was heavily criticized by the people of Bali. "Back then, during the construction of GWK, for 28 years I faced severe criticisms from the people of Bali. I was accused of various things, I was even protested against and received all kinds of threats; I was considered a destroyer of Balinese culture," he said. Regarding the mystical impression of Istana Garuda, Nyoman leaves it to each individual's perception. He believes that people's opinions can be influenced by their own experiences. Nyoman emphasizes that the design of Istana Garuda is solely his own creation. He does not employ the "ATM" technique (observe, imitate, and modify) because he does not want to offend the work of others. "I told President Jokowi that if the design looks like that (similar to others), I don't want it. Our palace must be different from others, without neglecting its functionality," Nyoman concluded.###