A Leap into the Local Culture

Out of the traffic-ridden streets and racket of Denpasar, towers the majestic Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Center (Bali Art Center or Taman Budaya Bali), a stunning complex of wooden buildings, decorated in the Balinese architectural style, surrounded by splendid gardens, where music, dance and art come together in what is considered the island’s cultural hub. Theatres and amphitheatres are the dominating structures of this eclectic art centre, inaugurated in 1976; covered or open-air, from 500 to 7000 seats, they are the stages for performances of every type. Gedung Ksirarnawa is the theatre which, every year, since the 1980s, has hosted the Bali Arts Festival, one of the most important and festive events in Bali, during which, the centre is adorned in standards and decorations fashioned out of bamboo and coconut leaves. The art museum holds the wealth of art created by Bali’s most famed artists in a permanent exhibition space. In the four halls of the museum, ancient paintings by famed local artists hang next to those of young emerging talents, along with Barong, sculptures, Balinese handicrafts but also ink drawings on Chinese paper by the master I Nyoman Lempad, works by contemporary artist Nyoman Gunarsa and a painting by I Gusti Ngurah Gede Pemecutan. Among the buildings that make up the Bali Art Center, there is also a holy area, the Puri Taman Beji Temple as well as the Widya Kusuma Library with its reading hall in which you can flip through books on Balinese art and history. It is suggested that you consult the centre’s calendar to enjoy one of its folkloristic events.