Culture & Arts
Traditional ceremony
Painting, carving, sculpture
Dance, Music
Silver and Jewelry Making
temples and landmarks
Local guides in less tourist areas
Exploring Bali’s culture is a tricky proposition. The island is far more developed now than when I first visited in 1988. But amazingly enough, the local culture, based on Balinese Hinduism, is still strong and intact, although, like all cultures, it has evolved over time.
John F. Groom, Founder
The culture is still very much part of everyday life for most Balinese families, most often exhibited by attending ceremonies. If you want to have a deeper understanding of the culture we can recommend books or articles to read before you visit Bali. There’s nothing wrong with watching the sorts of dances featured for tourists at hotels or on the beach; Balinese dance is still a living art form and beautiful. But we can also help you explore the culture on a deeper level. For instance, Ubud is regarded as the cultural capital of Bali, but it’s crowded, traffic is bad, and its very touristy..
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We recommend the nearby village of Batuan, which has far less tourists but a lot to offer in terms of traditional culture and arts. Through our affiliated company, Indo Art house, we have supported traditional dance and music in Batuan for several years. We support a traditional kids painting class, as well as providing scholarships to a couple of particularly promising young artists.
We have also started a program to revive a traditional musical instrument, the Genggong, as well as purchasing an elaborate instrument, the Kulintang, for kids at a local orphanage to learn to play. Both the Genggong and the Kulintang were featured at this performance we hosted in Batuan in December of 2024. We also hosted this major art exhibition for young artists in Batuan in 2022.
Most tourists visit the large public temples, and we can guide you to some very interesting ones. But you can also learn a lot by taking a close look at the small temples set up at every home and hotel, and learning about the daily process of how those are maintained. Or taking a trip away from the typical tourist areas like Seminyak, Canggu, or Ubud and visiting less developed areas in Bali.
The physical manifestation of Balinese Hinduism is art and crafts, and having traveled all over the world I don’t think anywhere has as rich a tradition in creating arts and crafts as can be found throughout Java and Bali. I first started my collection of Balinese art in 1988.
If you’re interested in traditional Indonesian arts and crafts, our team can give you expertise and access that would simply be impossible to find elsewhere.
Our foundation not only knows Balinese culture; we have run important exhibitions in dance, painting, and music. We sponsor children’s painting classes, art exhibitions for children and adults, and much more. We want to share the authentic side of Bali with you, while empowering the everlasting tradition of the Balinese people.
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Here, one of our team members stands next to a traditional installation at this unique art gallery. Explore the less often seen aspects of Balinese art and culture away from the well trodden paths.
Watch the next generation of traditional Balinese dancers practice at a famous temple in Batuan.
Bali has an amazing wood carving tradition. There are lots of mask makers, but we know who is considered the best. The masks are part of the ceremony process, so understanding how they are used in dance and storytelling is critical to a deeper understanding of their role in Balinese culture.
Some call it the Indonesian Statue of Liberty. In reality, it is its own spectacle. Standing tall as the largest statue in the country, this installation looks over a large quarry park where you will find traditional performances of dance, music, and storytelling.
We have started the local revival of the traditional Genggong being played here at an exhibition we sponsored with our affiliate, Indo Art House in Batuan.
Prudhvi, Bryan, Adhi, and San from Bali Travel Partners in front of an intricate carving that is truly amazing – yet very few people see.