About Us

Yayasan Satya Djaya Raya proudly presents Ubud Art Ground (UAG), a new art and cultural platform in Ubud, Bali, serving as the convergence of artistic tradition and contemporary expression. Ubud Art Ground is designed to promote cultural exchange and deepen artistic insights for both local and international artists and audiences. By bridging tradition and modernity through various art forms, UAG aims to create an interactive environment that fosters dialogue, exploration, and collaboration.

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Located within Batu Kurung Estate in Kedewatan, Ubud Art Ground is developing a 2,000-square-meter space dedicated to arts and culture in the long term. For its inaugural initiative, activities are centered at GUDANG KAYU, a former timber warehouse revamped into a temporary exhibition space, located close to the future main art center that is currently under construction. This modular exhibition venue, along with its outdoor area, serves as an activation space towards the opening of the art center, and invite visitors to begin a meaningful experience in the area, engaging with art, cultural activities, and contemporary artistic expressions.

PARALLELS: Legacies in Flux is a dual exhibition that serves as the pilot project to launch the Ubud Art Ground platform. This exhibition features art practices from two cultures—Bali and China—centered around the theme "Legacies in Flux." It explores the parallels between these cultures in their history, development, and evolution of visual art disciplines and traditions that predate Western modernism and colonization.

 

The first part, “Legacies in Flux: Bali,” curated by Farah Wardani, offers a kaleidoscopic view of Balinese visual art from the classical era to the present. It examines how dialogues around tradition, modernism, and global aesthetics intersect and influence Balinese art, while also honoring the profound legacies and histories embedded in Balinese identity and daily life, despite ongoing debates and shifts within the cultural landscape. This exhibition features works by 51 artists, all born or based in Bali.

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The second part features a counterpart from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, China, curated by Professor Qiu Ting, Dean of the School of Chinese Painting at CAFA. It presents 20 Chinese artists in a standalone pavilion that highlights how the theme "Legacies in Flux" manifests within Chinese visual arts. Emphasizing innovation in traditional painting practices within contemporary contexts, this exhibition fosters a rich intercultural dialogue across time and space, exploring the enduring themes of artistic legacy and evolution. CAFA is showcasing a curated selection of 33 significant works from two leading faculty members, seven delegate artists from Indonesia, and eleven artists supported by the Lie Siong Tay Charitable Foundation. These works highlight recent innovations in oil painting and Chinese painting that blend traditional techniques with diverse media.

By juxtaposing the visual art practices of Bali and China, the exhibition encourages viewers to gain new perspectives on how artists reinterpret cultural heritage and traditions within contemporary societies. It also serves as an entry point for future exhibitions and educational programs to be developed at Batu Kurung Estate.