Kita in Bali

In the streets, everything looked familiar: the clutter of billboards, rows of sari-sari stores, surplus Japanese vehicles, ukay-ukay stores, and even siomai stalls. You wouldn’t think you  left Cebu at all until you see the intricate stone reliefs and wood carvings that decorate the houses and buildings.

The mix of Hindu and Buddhist imagery reminds you that you are now in the heartland of Sanskrit culture in Indonesia: Bali.

Cebu and Bali share one thing in common: they are both centers of creativity and faith and famous for the succulent roast pig (our lechon which they call here babi guling).

As in Cebu, furniture shops and workshops of craftsmen line the streets of Denpasar and Ubud, and, like the small chapel in every sitio or barangay, there’s a small temple in almost every corner. In fact, the traditional layout of a typical Balinese house always provides a family temple or shrine.

Other than these features, Cebu and Bali can look the same. You just have to replace the Buddhas and Ganesh icons in the altars with that of Christ or the saints.

We arrived here Wednesday noon to join our Balinese artist-friends mount the Indonesian leg of our exchange exhibit entitled “Kita” (“We” in both Bahasa and Filipino) at the Gaya Art Space, a contemporary art gallery in Ubud, the famous art community in Bali.

Like most buildings here, Gaya looks like a big temple, a fusion of modern and traditional Balinese architecture in keeping with the law that requires all buildings to be built here not to go higher than a coconut tree and to reflect the native style.

Walls do not totally enclose the structure of the gallery, thus allowing Ubud’s cool air to circulate and natural light to enter from different directions. Interior space big enough for a congregation. But it is empty, so there’s a lot of space to surround whatever artworks are exhibited here.

At the back of the gallery is a pool and garden villas that look down on a river. It is a very quiet resort, with no piped in music or television, so you get to hear only the rustle of bamboo leaves and the murmuring sound of the river.

Not far from Gaya are rows of family temples and villa resorts lining the street that bends to the famous strip of art galleries, cafes, souvenir shops, bookstores, and even more temples. Our Balinese hosts have arranged to have us stay in a villa with a small courtyard and private shrine along downtown’s main street.

Right down into the river from where we are staying is Ubud’s oldest temple, which is said to be the site where Ubud was founded centuries ago. The sacred site is believed to have some mystical energy that could be a source of healing. Pilgrims and tourists now flock there now looking for spiritual solace or, more likely in the latter, a photo opportunity.

Last night we took a small trip ourselves to the town of Seminyak in the southern coast of the island, near the international airport. Seminyak is home to many art galleries, furniture shops, and stores selling lamps, book cases and other interior accessories. One could say that it must be Bali’s hub of the design industry.

Our hosts brought us there to attend the opening of an exhibition at the new Kendra Gallery, a sleek modern gallery that showcases local contemporary art. Last night’s show features the collaborative work of the Papermoon Puppet Theater and the young artist but already famous artist Iwan Effendi, who made assemblages and installations that invite audience participation. The theatre collective also presented a puppet show before a huge audience of consisting mostly foreigners already residing in Seminyak and other parts of Bali.

But as I write this, we also prepare for the opening of our own show tonight. It is perhaps the first art interaction happening here in Ubud between Indonesia and the Philippines. With me representing the Philippines are Cebuano artists Celso Pepito and Darby Alcoseba. The Indonesian artists featured in the show are Antonius Kho, Ade Artie Tjakra, Syahrizal Koto, Wayan Linggih, and Made Somadita.

The show in Bali ends the three-leg series of travelling exhibit we have with the Indonesian artists. But it’s actually the start of a continuing exchange in art between our two countries.