Calon Arang: The Witch of Girah Behind Bali’s Rangda and the Calonarang Dance
Calon Arang is the legendary witch of Girah whose story explains the origin of Rangda and Bali’s Calonarang dance, still performed today.
Tumpek Wayang: The Balinese Holy Day Behind Wayang and Kamasan Art
Tumpek Wayang is Bali’s holy day honoring wayang puppets, dalang, and Kamasan painters, held every 210 days to bless the tools of Balinese art.
Kamasan Ganesha Painting: Bali’s Elephant God in Two Sacred Techniques
A Kamasan Ganesha painting depicts the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesha using the classical wayang-style technique of Kamasan village, Klungkung — flat profile figures, natural pigments, and gold leaf, following the same visual rules used for Bali’s epic paintings. At Arts of Bali, the subject also exists in a second, contemporary form: a sand-texture relief painting […]
Balinese Mythology Painting: Barong, Ramayana & Sacred Stories
“The Barong doesn’t need translation. You know, the moment you stand in front of it, that this is a painting about something larger than decoration — larger than art, really. It’s about how the world stays in balance.” Every culture has its sacred stories — the ones that explain why good and evil stay in […]
