The Fearless Nomad Art Series - Baturulangun Children’s Art Exhibit
On Sept 8th I curated a very special fundraiser event at Tropical Nomad Coworking Space Canggu - The Baturulangun Children’s Art Exhibit. Baturulangun is a community children’s art school in the village of Batuan, Bali. The elders of the village - artists who specialize in the Batuan style, teach the young generation the traditional technique every Sunday 9-11am at a local temple. The artwork these talented children produce is nothing short of phenomenal.
If you’ve heard of Batuan before, it is because it is famous for it’s art and handicraft culture, specifically Batuan style painting. Batuan Village is one of the oldest villages on the island of Bali, which is part of the Gianyar Regency and is close to the village of Ubud. Batuan style of traditional painting was popularised in the 1930s with the influx of tourism to the area. Batuan style depicts ceremonial aspects of Balinese life, such as the religion, calendar and wayang kulit (Balinese: wayang) which is known as Kamasan or Wayang Style. Wayang itself is a two-dimensional painting that characterizes Hindu-Buddhist epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana. The paintings were traditionally used in temples or palaces as ornaments. The name of the kamasan style itself is taken from the name of the village where it comes from. The materials used in the kamasan style are derived from traditional ingredients (minerals and vegetables or plant sources). They also use white bone, soot, or stone. Bamboo is used as a tool for painting and the media (canvas) is usually a traditional canvas made of wood, tree leaves, or cloth.
In 1930, the rules of Balinese painting were updated with the influx of Western influence. The introduction of the new canvas from western materials, ink and paint, has transformed the traditional style into modern painting. Batuan village is not particularly influenced by the West, as Ubud is. Rock paintings are often dark, overcrowded representations of legendary scenes or themes from everyday life, strange animal monsters, and witches greeting people. The paintings of Batuan Village are gradations of black to white ink that are spread over most of the surfaces, creating a pitch-dark atmosphere. In later years, the design started covering the entire space, which often contributed to the bustling nature of these Balinese paintings. - Bali Golden Tour
The Baturulangun Children’s Art Exhibit opened on Sept. 8th and will be on display until the 23rd of September. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the artworks will go towards funding the Baturulangun art program, making it possible for teachers to instruct the students, purchase art supplies and frame the children’s art.
My deepest thanks go out to the Tropical Nomad, Ayu, Ichi and team for supporting this great cause with your space. Thank you to the teachers of Batuan and Gede, my liaison for helping me organize this exhibit and to my partner Daniel for spending many hours installing the exhibit with me.
The show features the artworks of 30 children from the community. Some of the kids were able to join us for the opening, which was absolutely lovely. We are also so proud and pleased to announce that we managed to sell 15 out of the 30 paintings pre and during opening on Sept 8th, with 100% of the proceeds going to Baturulangun! My deepest thanks to the community for supporting this amazing cause and making this fundraiser a success! If you have not yet seen the show, you still have a week and a half left to enjoy it!
