Today's Adventure: Visiting Bali Culture and Art Center

Hi all steemians, today I will take you to The Art Centre in Bali called Taman Werdhi Budaya. It is a place where many Bali cultural festivals conducted throughout the year.

After walking pass the main gate, you will see this statue:the three mythical animals: Garuda bird, serpent, and turtle.

This Art Centre is started around 1970 which aimed at preserving Balinese art and culture.There are many buildings in this Art Centre. Among those buildings, the more popular ones are: The amphitheater, and Ksirarnawa building. Those buildings are the place to show case Balinese art and culture.

The Arda Chandra.

Ardha Candra is a big amphitheater with about 5000 seats. There is a stage designed for showing cultural performance including Balinese dances, dramas, and traditional and modern Balinese music. Every year, between June and July, there is a colosal event called Bali Art Festival is conducted and there are numerous cultural performances shown almost every day for a month here.

The amphitheater called Arda Chandra.

The center of the amphitheater stage.

The stairs to the Amphitheater and building in the center function is for lighting control.

KSIRARNAWA Building

Unlike the amphitheatre, Ksirarnawa is a closed building which has similar function like a stage.Beside cultural performances, this place accommodates many contest, and exhibition related to Balinese culture.

Ksirarnawa is a building also a theater, but more for indoor performance.

Ksirarnawa building from a closer look, a temporary stage was set up for poetry reading competition when I was there.

Mahudara Mandara Art Museum

The last section I visited was the art museum building. It has a collection of paintings and sculptures by some of the greatest artist in Bali.

This art museum is unique, from this gate, you will start in the second floor then end up in the first floor.

The name of the museum and when it was officially opened for public.

From the second floor, you can see lotus pond and a small pavillion nearby.

When I entered the second floor, there were these two figures greeting me. In the left side was a mythical lion or barong which represented goodness, and the right is rangda, on the right, represented evil. There were also many paintings on the wall created by some of the greatest painters in Bali.

Walk pass the door, you will see these mythical creatures and pairings along the walls.

Classical style paintings on the wall.
War against the Dutch in 1846.
A Balinese woman holding a fan.

A tribute to Lempad, the great wood carver of Bali.

After exploring the second ffloor, I descended through a ladder to the first floor. Here I saw carving made of wood, bone, and ivory. I also saw traditional clothes displayed in several shelves.

The first floor has collection of wood sculptures, ivory sculptures, and clothes.

A fisherman.
Intricate carving all over the ivory combined with ebony wood.
The story of God Vishnu statue.

Wooden statue of Mahatma Gandhi

Finally, I reached the exit. And so that's the end of our quick tour to Bali Art Centre. Hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for visiting, and see you again.