Bali Arts & Crafts, Wood Carving, Batik
Artistic Bali is a melting pot of cultures and traditions. The Balinese have an inborn talent of absorbing different cultural elements, blending them with their own, to produce dynamic new artistic hybrids. Across the years, Bali has soaked up Chinese, Buddhist, Indian, Hindu, Javanese and Western influences.

The Balinese were, traditionally, animists. Even when Hinduism arrived in Bali, its practices were adapted to go hand in hand with local traditions, thus making Hinduism in Bali very much different from its original form in India. Even the Hindu Mahabarata and Ramayana epics take on Balinese nuances and beliefs when played out in the wayang.

Other aspects of Balinese life follow suit. Take for instance, its performing arts. Bali's dance, music and Wayang theatres still retain rich religious connotations, after having been enriched by contemporary artistry, and are still performed to appease and please the gods. This is illustrated in the trance dance of the Barong, or the intense Kecak dance; which retains very Balinese elements but includes a rhythm set by Western influences.

Traditionally, Balinese paintings depict religious and mythological symbolism, but Western influence wrought a change resulting in paintings freely creative but still distinctively Balinese. Painting in Bali has certainly undergone tremendous development. To the inherently talented Balinese, painting was merely another means of self expression, of transferring feelings of faith and reverence into form.

Absorbing free expression from Western artists and painters who made the island their home, Balinese painting then took a beautiful turn by adapting this new influence into Balinese culture creating fresh nuances and clever styles of paintings which remain distinctively and unmistakably Balinese.

The artists and painters of Bali today apply their talent to capturing contemporary pieces of nature, daily life and even tourists; and have brightened up their canvasses by adding colour to the traditional shades of coal grey and the dominating religious or mythical characters of Bali's Wayang.

The island's artistic culture really owes its evolution to the Raja of Ubud, well-known for his fondness of arts and paintings, and his openness to foreigners and their ways. It is only fitting that Ubud became and still remains the centre of Bali's art world, having welcomed renowned artists like Bonnet, Spies, Blanco and Snel, who visited the island and found that they just couldn't leave.

Wonderful museums like the Puri Museum Lukisan, the Neka Museum, and the Rudana Museum house permanent collections of some of the best paintings ever produced by the talented Balinese and their foreign counterparts.

Bali Wood Carving
Gold and silver making, wood and stone carvings, have also kept their grace through their evolution.

Mythological forms of stone and wood stand guard in front of shrines and temples, or gaze out from the walls of houses and museums. In Balinese culture, woodcarvings have the honour of holding the most sacred of offerings, and also the bodies of Balinese as they are cremated.

Wooden carvings also adorn the Balinese home and are often placed near the gate in welcome.

Bali Batik
Bali's batik, ikat and double ikat have designs inspired by religion and Bali's myths and legends, but there are also more contemporary designs inspired by Javanese motifs. Modern batik artists find expression through various subjects, ranging from objects of nature, to beautiful landmarks and cultural events, and sometimes accompany traditional designs with an insightful modern interpretation.

The Balinese have also perfected the art of ikat and double ikat weaving. Though inspired by the batik of Java, this cultural art form is very unique and carries its own character. Ikat literally means tie. This art is so-called as a piece of ikat cloth is woven in a way that the ink is "tied" in one of the two threads.

A double ikat, meanwhile, is a repeat of this technique, where both threads contain ink. The ink bleeds beautifully to its surrounding areas of cloth, creating a piece of cloth with subtle and unique patterns. The village of Tenganan is famous for its excellent double ikat cloths, and a good piece of double ikat may take months to finish.

Certain patterns of the ikat, especially black and white, and checkered pieces are believed to have the power to protect the wearer against evil spirits. This belief is widely seen in the pieces of ikats covering or dressing statues guarding the entrances of temples.

Bali Artists
For centuries Bali's artists and craftsmen have worked skillfully under the patronage of the priests and ruling classes, decorating palaces and temples. But Bali's artists have always been anonymous, never putting their name to pieces of lovely work, but always living close together in "artist villages".

Given the richness of skill and striking talent of the Balinese, it is interesting to note that Balinese artists did not have much room for personal expression. Creativity plays second fiddle to strict aesthetic and religious guidelines. But it is indeed fascinating that this practice soon changed with the arrival of Western artists at the start of the century. The talented Balinese started to develop their own individual styles, where imagination and art reigned supreme in painting, woodcarvings, jewelry making, textiles, stone carvings, dance, drama and music.

Ubud is heart of Bali's arts world, although the entire isle of Bali can be seems to be to the manifestation of art on earth. The Raja of old Ubud, strongly encouraged Bali's artistic development, especially in painting. Artistic, if somewhat eccentric westerners like the Dutch born Hans Snel, German born Walter Spies and American Antonio Blanco were prominent artists, who made Ubud their homes during the 1930's.

Located in the hills north of Denpasar, Ubud is a wonderful place for both art and the performing arts. Visitors who come for a few days nearly always end up staying much longer. Road expansion has made Ubud more accessible resulting in rapid expansion which now includes the neighbouring artistic villages of Campuan, Penestanan, Padangtegal, Peliatan and Pengosekan.

For a real picture of artistic Bali, visit the homes of the late Gusti Nyoman Lempad, a local pioneer of Balinese artist; American artist, Antonio Blanco; Walter Spies, the influential and rather infamous German artist from 1930s, which is now one of rooms at Hotel Tjampuhan; and the restaurant of Dutch painter Hans Snel.

Check out the Handicraft Villages where Bali's talented artisans live. These villages are Batubulan for stone carving, Celuk for silver & gold jewellery, Mas for wood carving, and Pengosekan for painting. Or make a stop at the "Art Market" in Sukawati to bargain for all kinds of handicrafts and textiles.
 

Shopping in Kuta, Nusa Dua, Seminyak, Denpasar
Virtually everybody comes to Bali to shop, and even if shopping wasn't the ultimate aim, you'll still end up with fascinating and irresistible buys. Bali is a treasure trove of fine art and handicrafts, antique and semi-antique furniture, paintings, delicately carved jewelry, wood and stone carvings, masks, woven and dyed fabrics. (What to buy in Bali)

Bargaining in markets, shops and art shops, is normal practice and getting a good price depends largely on one's bargaining prowess. As bargaining forms a large part of the fun of shopping in Bali, remember to carry cash, as not all places accept credit cards - and be good humored. Shops are usually open from 10am to 11pm.

International labels, local designer clothes plus skillful tailors and dressmakers offer reliable 24-hours services. Shops selling similar items are normally grouped together to make comparing prices easy, and if the shop you're in doesn't have a particular colour or size, why, just pop over next door!

Shopping in Kuta, Legian and Seminyak
Kuta's main road is lined with shops selling everything from swimwear, sarongs, handicrafts and CDs to jewelry, clothing, furniture and leather goods. There are even more street hawkers peddling watches and bracelets. Remember to firmly say no, if you're not interested.

The north of Legian Street, from Seminyak to Kerobokan, is now an enclave of boutiques specializing in local designer clothes, antiques, furniture and lifestyle goods. Stop for a bite to eat at interesting delis and warungs. Hawkers are scarce at this end of this street, so you'll have no need to worry about being harassed.

If you just don't enjoy haggling for the right price, Kuta has a number of department stores and shopping centers with fixed prices. Try Kuta Square and Kuta Centre located very close to each other in Jalan Kartika Plaza. Kuta Square is also popular with local shops and a branch of the Matahari Department Stores & Supermarket. Bali Collection in Nusa Dua with a large number of specialty shops and restaurants is also a hit with the avid shopper, as it has everything a tourist and shopper could be interested in.

Shopping in Denpasar
The island capital is generally not a tourist area but there are still a few places worth checking out. The Kumbasari market near the river is a typical Indonesian market with household goods and clothing, spices and dried goods as well as fresh produce. The nearby Jalan Hasanudin, is a whole street of gold shops, selling 18-22 carat gold jewelry. A stone's throw away from Jalan Hasanudin is Jalan Sulawesi where all types of fabrics are sold. The whole street is lined with fabric stores with a few household ware stores peppered in between.

If you're looking for handicrafts check out the shops in Jalan Gajah Mada. The items are similar to those in Kuta, but without the persistent street hawkers to bother you. Denpasar also boasts of a wide range of department stores. Check out the Matahari, Libi, MA Department Store, New Dewata Ayu, Tiara Dewata, Ramayana or the Tragia.

Nusa Dua Shopping
Nusa Dua has a small charming market, with some neat bargains at its entranceway. If you venture out of the gates there's also the Hardy's Supermarket and Department store and some leather shops and tailors close by.

Within the Nusa Dua complex is Bali Collection, a huge open-air shopping mall with stores selling fixed priced, high quality items. Sogo Department store is also worth a try for things uniquely Bali. It is also good to know that all hotels have their own shopping areas with fairly exclusive products.

The bypass Ngurah Rai
Along the main highway from Nusa Dua to Sanur, is an endless collection of pottery, wrought iron and furniture stores. You can find some good pieces if you look carefully. You'll need to bargain hard.

Sanur Beach Shopping
Sanur's main shopping street of Jalan Danau Tamblingan has a more relaxed atmosphere and is less crowded than Kuta. This comfortably shaded street, lined by numerous cafes make it a perfect place to shop all day!

There are hawkers in Jalan Danau Tamblingan also, however the hawkers here are pleasantly and thankfully not as aggressively persistent as the ones at Kuta, maybe except for hawkers at the beach market. Sanur has an interesting collection of different shops. You can also find a Pasar Seni or Art Market displaying lovely woodcarvings and other equally fantastic handicrafts.

Batubulan
Batubulan was famous for its stone carvings. Stone sculptures were traditionally carved from Bali's rich source of soft volcanic rock, or paras, and used to decorate palaces and places of worship. Bali's skilled craftsmen can make virtually anything from a well-known character in a Balinese story, to a little garden gnome. Items from all over Indonesia can really be found here. Serious buyers will have no problem finding great bargains.

Celuk
Continue on the road to Ubud, and you'll pass through Celuk, the famous home of silver and gold artisans. Items upon items of all types of intricately designed pieces can be found. The silver filigree work is simply astounding, with days of painstaking work in each piece. Do remember to bargain when buying works of art from Celuk. Off the main road, in the villages where the craftsmen work and live, better prices and more variety awaits.

Sukawati
Stop at Pasar Seni or Art Market in Sukawati and grab some bargain handicrafts and fabrics. The traditional market of Sukawati is located on the main road and side streets, with a vast variety of woven baskets and Balinese ceremonial items made from colourful "Prada" or gold painted cloth. Don't miss out on the great paintings, at really good prices.

Ubud
Ubud is still very much the artistic centre of Bali, although it has gone through considerable change from the small artist's village it was a decade ago. It is now a centre of activity with a many different Balinese paintings on sale. Well-known and highly regarded galleries like the Neka, Agung Rai and Rudana are worth a visit.

The works of western artists can also be viewed. For example, Antonio Blanco has his collection displayed at his gallery and home, and Hans Snel's paintings are exhibited at his restaurant and hotel just a little off the main road.

Follow the main road and you'll pass many smaller galleries with different styles of paintings, and a collection of stores selling clothing, antiques, jewelry, handicrafts and also a few good bookshops. The central market too sells a variety of goods. Ubud's neighbouring villages of Peliatan, Penestanan and Pengosekan are also home to many artists and galleries.

Tegalalang
This village is home to Bali's woodcarvers. Other nearby villages are famous for the carving of soft wood figures. You'll easily find many knick-knacks of brightly painted flowers, leaping frogs, temptingly real fruits, and lifelike animal figures in abundance.

Gianyar
Gianyar is the source of Bali's many textile factories producing the different types of cloth, ikat and batik. Here you can watch the weaving process and, of course, make a purchase!

Tenganan
Tenganan is a small Bali Aga village, unique in that it is the only place in Bali producing "Geringsing" cloth. The making of Geringsing is no easy feat. The threads of the cloth must first be dyed to a final pattern before being woven together. Remarkable skill is needed to weave the threads and make them match exactly. Geringsing is produced only in small quantities and can be quite pricey. Hardly surprising, considering the detailed and painstaking efforts involved.

Other items for sale in Tenganan include woven grass baskets and "Lontars", or palm leaf manuscripts. Lontars are Bali's traditionally made books, which weaves a tale through script and pictures drawn onto dried palm leaves.

Kamasan
Kamamsan is home to traditional Balinese "Kamasan" painting where a line drawing is made in black ink by a master artist, and coloured in with natural pigments. Different items such as banners, paintings, bags and hats beautified with Kamasan paintings are available here. The Kerta Gosa, literally meaning Hall of Justice, at Klungkung features some impressive displays of Kamasan style paintings.

Klungkung
Some of the oldest antique stores in Bali call Klungkung home. You can easily find krises, songket sarongs and some good quality 22 carat gold pieces in Balinese design to take home as precious souvenirs and interesting conversation pieces.

Bona
Bona is a village well known for bamboo growing and items made from bamboo like furniture and mats. Bona's villagers also make interesting and endearing keepsakes from lontar leaves.

Bedugul
Located high in Bali's cooler mountain region, Bedugul is renowned as a farming area. The local market sells fresh fruit and vegetables and locals have the green fingers to make orchids and other plants thrive.

Duty Free Shopping
There a number of duty free shopping outlets in Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and the airport in Bali, carrying a wide range of designer label boutiques. But an important tip is to avoid these outlets if you're on a hunt for anything Balinese. Why? Simply because local products are sold at ridiculously expensive prices at Duty Free Outlets.