PARALLELS: Legacies in Flux and the Emergence of Ubud Art Ground
A new art and cultural platform has emerged in the heart of Ubud with the launch of Ubud Art Ground, inaugurated through its debut exhibition, PARALLELS: Legacies in Flux. Taking place from 11 July to 10 August 2025 at Gudang Kayu, Batu Kurung Estate, the exhibition brings together artists from Bali and China in a visual dialogue that reflects on shared legacies, cultural divergence, and contemporary transformation.
PARALLELS: Legacies in Flux explores how artistic traditions – often perceived as fixed inheritances—continue to evolve through time. Drawing from classical Balinese forms such as Batuan and Kamasan painting, alongside the long history of Chinese ink painting, the exhibition highlights how these visual languages are reinterpreted by contemporary artists to address present-day contexts, personal narratives, and shifting cultural identities.
Featuring works by more than 50 artists, including established figures such as I Made Djirna, Satya Cipta, Made Wianta, and Kemal Ezedine, as well as emerging voices from both regions, the exhibition unfolds as a layered conversation across generations. Rather than positioning tradition and contemporaneity as opposites, the works on view reveal tradition as a living framework continuously negotiated, challenged, and renewed.
Beyond the exhibition itself, PARALLELS is supported by a month-long series of public programmes, including artist talks, curatorial tours, musical performances, artisan markets, and workshops. These initiatives invite audiences to engage more deeply with artistic processes and cultural discourse, reinforcing Ubud Art Ground’s role as a participatory and educational space.
Supported by the Satya Djaya Raya Foundation, Ubud Art Ground was established with a long-term vision to foster cultural exchange and artistic education between Indonesia and the international community. Rooted in local traditions yet open to global perspectives, the platform seeks to cultivate a sustainable art ecosystem that encourages dialogue, inclusivity, and cross-cultural understanding.
Located within the 5,000-square-metre Batu Kurung Estate, Ubud Art Ground is envisioned as a growing arts and cultural complex. In its initial phase, activities are centred at Gudang Kayu, a thoughtfully curated space dedicated to exhibitions and interactive programmes. Here, visitors are invited not only to view artworks, but also to reconnect with cultural heritage while encountering contemporary artistic expression.
Through PARALLELS: Legacies in Flux, Ubud Art Ground introduces itself not merely as a new venue, but as a proposition – positioning art as a space of convergence between past and present, tradition and experimentation, and local narratives within a broader global conversation.
