Discovering Contemporary Art in Purpa Art Gallery
Purpa Art Gallery Bali opened its first gallery in Ubud in 1970; it’s one of the oldest galleries in Bali. The owner, I Nyoman Purpa, was one of the most eminent curators and collectors in Indonesia. In 2014, her daughter Ari Purpa opened her own gallery in Seminyak, specialising in modern and contemporary Art by
The Sacred ‘Medal Agung’ Gate
The most famous attraction in Klungkung, Kerta Gosa was built in 1686 inside the complex of the Semarapura palace. Today, Klungkung is mostly known for its Hall of Justice known as Taman Gili Kerta Gosa, a historical site located in the heart of Semarapura, the regency’s capital. Kerta Gosa’s court room is an elevated
An Introduction to Bali’s Intricate Batuan Art
Batuan paintings are remarkably dense with deeply saturated tones. Their images are often dark and sometimes macabre, but they are always carefully made and carefully balanced. The forms in the paintings swirl and intertwine, they repeat each other and expand outwards until they transform into new shapes and new patterns. They create labyrinths of pulsating
Balinese Architecture: A World of Order & Harmony
Balinese villages give an extraordinary impression of order. Houses are all identical and strikingly parallel in layout; with family temples, kitchens and rooms occupying the same relative position in the walled compound. Large temples, likewise, all have the same structure with their main shrines occupying the same kaja kangin (east-mountainward) corner. This Balinese sense of
Genevieve Couteau : The French Virtuoso That Bali Art Historians Failed to Cite
Volumes have been written about the foreign artists who have visited, lived and worked on the island of Bali during the first half of the 20th century. Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet and Theo Meier are celebrated icons, while Hofker, Covarrubias and Le Mayeur are all praised for their special talents. These artists, however, are all male.
The Bade Makers: Bali’s Coffin Craftsmen
Tucked away in a back street on the outskirts of Denpasar is a strange and wondrous sight. Every few days this wide, open shed is populated with beautifully wrought animals. Fine looking bulls are the main production although sometimes you might see a pig, a dog or even a lion. They are bade, effigies used
No Baby, No Honey : Bali’s Pregnancy Myth
As a society that still strongly holds traditional practices and culture, the Balinese people see themselves as an infinite entity; one that is powered by ‘regeneration’. This is why having children is a huge deal for Balinese society, for children allow the continuation of a family cycle, which allows the continued function of larger entities
Wayang Wong: The Dance of the Human Puppets
In Bali, tradition is cherished by the local community. Music, dance, carving, painting – all were once considered ways of paying homage to God, to the spirits of ancestors and to Mother Nature. These activities now considered ‘art’ were once holy acts, locally known as ngayah. In the year 1478AD, the fall of the Majapahit
Revealing Chinese and Balinese Cultural Connections Through Art with Tjandra Kirana
One of the most charming characters within the Bali art community is TjandraKirana. Quick with a smile, and always ready to share a light-hearted joke, or a tale, he is gifted with a generous, and effervescent personality. Born in Denpasar in 1944, of Chinese Indonesian heritage, over the past six decades the well-known, self-taught photographer
The Rejang Dance and its Great Hat Parade
One of Bali’s most sacred and ancient dances is the beautiful stately Rejang. Traditionally the dance is performed by village virgins and is performed within the inner sanctums of the temple grounds, re-enacting one of Bali’s great legendary myths of Dewarta Nawasangha about heavenly nymphs and a god’s water supply. And one of the most
Tenganan Turns it On
The residents of Bali’s most famous traditional Bali Aga village like to celebrate and every month of June, they really like to turn it on. During this month the village comes alive as the festival season revs up with dance, ceremony and a host of visual extravaganzas. The month’s celebrations peak, on the 24th and
The Gandrung Dance: A Java-Bali Cultural Connection
When people hear of the Gandrung dance, their first thought are often of Banyuwangi, a coastal town on the eastern tip of East Java. It is the closest town across the Bali Strait when leaving from Gilimanuk, Bali’s most western point. Whilst on the surface Javanese and Balinese cultures look different, deep down many similarities
Banyan Trees and the Cult of Ancestors
Indonesia is home to one of the most fantastic trees in the world, the banyan tree, locally known as waringin, a kind of ficus. Apart from its size and surface, the most extraordinary aspect of the banyan is its resilience. When its vines touch the ground, they grow into new roots and trunks, spreading out
