Taru Bingin

Titled after the Balinese name for the Banyan Tree, a species of plant that is considered sacred in Bali, the exhibition reflects the lateral spread and interconnectedness of Balinese art and culture. Like the Banyan Tree, contemporary Balinese artists draw upon the past and present, creating new trunks and branches with a unique relation to their cultural heritage. The exhibition features a wide range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, installation, video, and performance, by artists of different generations and backgrounds, including Arie Smit, Chusin Setiadikara, Dabi Arnasa, Didin Jirot, Gede Mahendra Yasa, I GAK Murniasih, I Nyoman Darya, Ines Katamso, Jemana Murti, Kevin Jordanus, Made Wiguna Valasara, Sinta Tantra, and Victoria Kosasie.These artworks explore a variety of themes and issues, from social concerns to personal experiences and emotions.

 

Intercultural interaction has impacts on how a place, in this example Bali, develops its culture. Immigrants' influence, the local community's inherited culture, and the quest for the individual self all interact to form a complex ecosystem. Through the revisioning of the past within the context of their generational and interpersonal circumstances, each generation of artists adds to the canon of Balinese arts, regaining agency in their works and distancing themselves from the prevailing monolithic portrayal of Bali. Hence, the exhibition Taru Bingin intends to showcase contemporary Balinese artists beyond the confines of this limiting view of the island and to seek out the narrative thread within the exhibited artists.