Exhibition At Top Ubud Museum Highlights Bali’s Artistic Heritage To New Generation Of Tourists 

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Bali’s ARMA Museum is hosting a new exhibition celebrating one of the island’s most influential cultural figures.

The new exhibition, ROOTS, celebrates 100 years of Walter Spies in Bali and will be held at the museum in Ubud until 14 June 2024. 

Walter Spies is undeniably one of the most influential figures in modern Balinese art. As explained by ARMA the exhibition explores the life, work, and influence of the German artist who fell in love with Balinese culture.

ARMA explains that exhibition guests can “Discover the story of Walter Spies – a German artist who played a key role in shaping modern Balinese art and sharing its beauty with the world.”

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ARMA continues “From his arrival in 1923 to his decision to settle in Bali in 1927, Spies formed a deep bond with local culture, becoming a mentor, visionary, and cultural bridge. Through rare archives, expert interviews, and cinematic storytelling, this documentary brings his inspiring and complex storytelling to the screen.”

The One Hundred Years of Walter Spies exhibition features artwork from Made Bayak and Gus Dark, in addition to installations and short films that highlight Bali’s post-colonial transformation of culture, including the advent of mass tourism and the struggles of cultural preservation. The film ROOTS by Michael Schindhelm will be shown in art venues around Bali, and at the ARMA Museum on the 14th of June. 

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Walter Spies’ most influential legacy is his partnership with Wayan Limbak, Bali’s most prolific dancer, choreographer, and storyteller, to create the Kecak dance. Spies worked with Limbak to devise a new storytelling performance rooted in traditional ceremonial dances appropriate for international tourist audiences.

Together, they helped separate what elements of the cultural practice could be shared and what of the sacred Sanghyang ritual of Balinese culture needed to be protected for local communities while opening up Balinese culture to the world.

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To this day, the Kecak dance is performed all over Bali, including every night at the Uluwatu Temple amphitheater. The Kecak dance tells the story of the Hindu epic Ramayana, the story of the triumph of good over evil. 

Tourists in Bali who are seeking to learn more about Balinese culture, especially the island’s artistic heritage, which can be seen in every aspect of daily life, will be suitably impressed with a visit to Ubud’s ARMA Museum. 

The ARMA Museum is a living love letter to Bali, founded and curated by Agung Rai. His love of Balinese art, culture, and history is palpable throughout the museum, and it is his life’s work to ensure that tourists and cultural visitors in Bali can have access to it.

This is why the museum is called ARMA. It is Agung Rai’s lifework, and ARMA stands for the Agung Rai Museum of Art. The museum is home to one of the finest collections of Balinese artworks in the world and has an impressive collection of work from artists hailing from around the Indonesian archipelago. 

Rai explained “Art is part of my being. Always has been. As a child, I was drawn to the workshops of all the fabulous painters who were able to bring my culture to life with a piece of canvas, a few brushes, and some paint.”

“Art got under my skin and it stayed. My fascination and passion for the Arts, in particular the art of painting developed into what I chose to be in life: A collector, protector, and developer of the Arts.”

 He adds, “After I saw the collections of The Puri Lukisan Museum and The Neka Museum, I knew that my future was determined. I was fortunate in buying and selling paintings and starting to collect them. That must have been around 1980. I trained myself to seek paintings that moved me, paintings I really connected to and that reflected the depth and sensitivity of the artist’s soul. I always felt a spiritual connection to the art I bought.” 

For the full program of events, talks, workshops, and screenings for the ROOTS: One Hundred Years of Walter Spies, visit the ARMA Museum Instagram page.