Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine March 2019 | Page 70

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Explore | Interview
INTERVIEW
Twenty-eight years in
the making, the Garuda Wisnu
Kencana (GWK) monument
finally stands tall over Bali,
not only the tallest statue in
Indonesia but also arguably
the biggest one in the world.
Located in GWK Cultural Park in Ungasan,
Badung, Bali, the copper and brass statue
portrays the Hindu god Vishnu riding the
great Garuda as his trusted companion. With
its pedestal base, the monument reaches a
staggering height of 121m – about the same
as a 29-storey skyscraper – and is an
impressive 65m wide. To put it in perspective,
it dwarfs the Statue of Liberty by almost
30m in height, and is three times its width.
Given its impressive height and width,
Nyoman proudly declares, “It’s the biggest
statue in the world.”
The GWK monument was inaugurated
by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in
September 2018 and is inarguably one of
the most prominent landmarks of Bali.
The process of its creation, conceived with
the former Indonesian Minister of Tourism,
Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave,
has been a testing and emotional journey for
renowned Balinese-born, Bandung-based
sculptor and designer Nyoman Nuarta.
The artist has had to face many challenges:
protests from Balinese groups concerned
about the huge size, the statue’s head
catching on fire and difficulties obtaining
project funding. But none of these dispirited
Nyoman. He didn’t stop until the project was
finished and became the pride of Bali.
“My team and I were so moved when we put
the last module on the statue. It was exactly