Art in Bali

Ogoh-Ogoh Festival Image Source : Prokomsetda.bulelengkab.go.id Ogoh-Ogoh Night (Pengerupukan) On the eve of Nyepi, Bali erupts into controlled chaos. Giant demonic effigies called ogoh-ogoh are paraded through villages in a ritual known as Pengerupukan. These towering sculptures—often grotesque, humorous, or politically satirical—represent bhuta kala (negative forces or chaotic energies). Built collaboratively by local youth groups (sekaa teruna), they are carried through the streets to gamelan accompaniment before being symbolically destroyed, usually by burning. Ogoh-Ogoh: Manifesting the Unseen Ogoh-ogoh emerge from Balinese Hindu cosmology, particularly the concept of bhuta kala—forces of time (kala) and chaotic energy (bhuta) that exist alongside the human realm. On the eve of Nyepi, known as Pengerupukan, these energies are symbolically drawn out and given form. The creation of ogoh-ogoh is not simply decorative. It reflects the Balinese worldview of Rwa Bhineda—the coexistence ...

Painting by Ni Desak Putu Lambon The role of women in Bali’s art scene has shifted dramatically over the past century. Once confined largely to craft traditions such as weaving, offerings, and ceremonial preparation, women are now central to the island’s contemporary visual culture. In 2026, they are painters, muralists, curators, collectors, writers, and cultural architects. Historically, painting lineages such as Kamasan and Batuan were dominated by men. Early figures like Ni Desak Putu Lambon and Ni Made Suciarmi disrupted those structures by entering formal artistic practice at a time when it was socially discouraged. Their presence marked a quiet but radical shift: women claiming authorship within visual storytelling traditions. Ni Desak Putu Lambon Ni Made Suciarmi Today, that authorship has expanded into multiple directions. Artists such as Mangku Muriati sustain classical forms while embedding contemporary commentary into sacred narrative frameworks. Meanwhile, internationa...