Address: Jl. Raya Basangkasa 88, Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung
Having become locations of special encounters for the loftiest cultural events of the island, the numerous contemporary art galleries are not to be missed by visitors who are passionate about art and local handicrafts. In these stimulating creative spaces, eclectic Balinese art mixes with international influences, transforming exhibitions into outright happenings with music and food, where you can share creative ideas and future projects while purchasing original works of art and design. Contemporary artisans, artists and designers all do their most to keep the creative industry of Bali moving forward with exhibitions, projections, shows and performances. Workshops and creative labs for all or organised on weekends, offering unusual experiences, allowing participants to bring a piece of their own handiwork home with them. In Seminyak, the Nyaman Gallery hosts paintings and photos of contemporary urban art, along with antique objects by traditional Indonesian artists and the Naka Contemporary Art organises artistic events of all sorts. The coolest galleries on the island are the John Hardy Boutique & Gallery with its splendid jewellery created by hand by local artisans and the Tony Raka, a family-run “art salon” immersed in a garden in Ubud where art, culture and food live together harmoniously. In Ubud, there is also the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) which, since the 1970s, holds the vastest collection of classic and contemporary Indonesian art. An indispensable stop in Denpasar is the innovative and varied CushCush Gallery, offering original design furniture and objects, as well as organising artistic and cultural exchanges through residences and creative programs. More recently opened are the Art Bali Bali Collection (AB•BC) in Nusa Dua and the technological Ubud Diary, which hosts emblematic paintings in the traditional Ubud style by Balinese artists, scannable with a QR Code, using an App.
Written by Balinese scholar Professor I Made Bandem and American art historian Bruce W. Carpenter, this stunning study of masks as an ancient art form is a richly illustrated book, with over 1000 color images by photographer Doddy Obenk.
It is one of the sacred dances of the of Bali Island, with a mystical meaning. The ceremony is intended to ask for salvation from a catastrophe or epidemic. The Sanghyang Dedari is different from other Balinese dances, because Sanghyang requires the dancer's body to be possessed.
From a traditional drink to a true national symbol, arak is so important in Bali that it is used not only on intimate and less official occasions such as moments of joy in the family and in conversations between friends, but also in religious ceremonies.