Bumi Kinar Shines the Spotlight on Tengkulak Kaja’s Ngardi’a Manu Exhibition
Art, culture, and traditions survive best when they are constantly practised, sustained, and celebrated by the communities that live them every day. Through the Ngardi’a Manu: Nak Nak Dini, Setia Mencipta collective exhibition, local communities in Tengkulak Kaja, Gianyar, showcase the intersection of art, traditions, and everyday life. Running from 15 October to 25 November
Inside Satyanara, Ubud’s New Art and Cultural Centre
Nestled on Kedewatan’s scenic hillside, Satyanara is a new centre for contemporary art, cultural exchange, and creative ideas. This integrated art centre connects art, cultures, knowledge, ideas, and communities across Asia. Descending the estate’s gravel pathway, flanked by verdant rice fields, visitors arrive at the expansive art compound. The entrance sets the tranquil tone with
Mount Agung: Abode of Ancestors or Seat of the Indic Gods?
To the casual observer, Bali is a paradise of Hindu temples, Sanskrit mantras, and colorful rituals dedicated to the classical gods of India. But beneath this postcard image lies a much older reality. Long before the arrival of early Indic influences 1,500 years ago – and the profound structural reorganisation brought by the Javanese conquest
Early 20th-Century Travel Posters of Java and Bali
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, long before a single click could secure an entire holiday, travel posters were far more than advertisements for destinations. They served as graphic ambassadors for hotels, airlines, railroads, and tourism agencies, promoting their services with bold, persuasive imagery. Reflecting broader shifts in tourism, society, and art, these
SAKA Museum Celebrates the Past, Present and Future of KAMASAN in Latest Exhibition
SAKA Museum at AYANA Bali has recently launched its first temporary exhibition showcasing how a centuries-old Balinese painting tradition continues to thrive.For nine months, SAKA Museum is presenting a new way to experience the Kamasan painting tradition through an exhibition unlike anything before. ‘KAMASAN: The Noble Tradition of Balinese Painting’ runs from 28 August 2026
Dwarapala: The Guardians of Balinese Entrances
When travelling in Bali and passing certain buildings, whether temples or houses, it is common to see two statues positioned on the right and left sides of the entrance, as if they standing guard– and indeed, they are. These two statues are known as Dwarapala. Derived from the words Dwara, meaning door, and Pala, meaning
Cross-Cultural Innovation is the Hallmark: Artist Designer In Residency 2026
Design innovation is a process that guides creatives in developing unique, functional products that deliver value to customers in new and novel ways. It takes an idea from inception to impact. This is the objective of the visionary initiative, the Artist Designer In Residence (ADIR) program, one of the many insightful and original enterprises led
The Tiger & the Palm-wine Tapper – The Story of I Papaka
We begin this edition (The Drinks Edition) with a fabulous illustration by the Balinese artist I Ketut Gede, titled ‘Fable of the bull, the tiger and the palm-wine tapper’ (c.1890), displaying an early depiction of a Balinese character harvesting ‘tuak’ from a palm tree. The illustration was commissioned by the Dutch linguist Herman Neubronner van der
Artist Agung Pramana Questions Colonial Propaganda Narratives & Imagery
Three hundred and thirty-six blue and white cyanotype prints, 20 by 15cm, arranged floor to ceiling within a 6-meter-deep by 5-meter-wide alcove of the Jogja National Museum (JNM), distinguish *After Exotic 1931*, a contemporary art installation by Balinese printmaker Agung Pramana. Immediately captivating, Pramana’s visual formula pulsates. Reproduction archival images, Balinese sculptures of mythical creatures,
The Mystical Homecoming of Contemporary Artist Gede Austana
A blindfolded “fractured” skull is engulfed in flames, with both halves distinguished by text. ‘This Is All I Know’ is a confession of frustration and hopelessness in a vibrant pop-meets-street-art style. Painted by Balinese-German artist Gede Austana, it is an emotional response to the racial discrimination he often endures, and was a highlight of the
W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp – The First European Artist in Bali
In the early decades of the 20th century, a small wave of European artists began visiting Bali, drawn by its natural beauty, rich Hindu culture, and vibrant artistic traditions. Dutch artist W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, regarded as the first European artist to extensively document the island starting in 1904, paved the way with his sensitive drawings, etchings,
Meet Bayoe Edan, the Digital Dalang of the Modern Age
A shadow puppet master (dalang) goes off-script, off-stage and online, reimagining a traditional medium of social teaching and repurposing it for modern audiences and media. How is Bali resisting the relentless transformation of its original being? The rising tide is indeed from the Sea. In some instances, this manifests as intellectual debate or political manoeuvring;
Art in Construction: Artist Rostarr’s Monumental Mural Enveloping Potato Head Beach Club
Those visiting Potato Head Beach Club are currently being welcomed by a new face – ‘Evolving Landscapes’, a black and white mural of epic proportions by Korean-American artist, Rostarr. Potato Head Beach Club first opened in 2010, and its initial unveiling captured the imagination with its Colosseum-like façade fashioned by one of Indonesia’s most renowned
