I Ketut Kasta

I Ketut Kasta was born in Peliatan, Ubud, in 1945. After completing elementary school, he began studying painting under I Ketut Djodjol from Tebesaya. At one point, he joined a transmigration program to South Sumatra, but his passion for painting eventually outweighed the prospect of a life as a farmer.

Kasta’s paintings center around Balinese daily life—market scenes, Legong dancers, Barong performances, and women preparing banten offerings or weaving cili-cili decorations. His works are marked by intricate detail. The figures he paints often resemble shadow puppets (wayang), with elongated limbs and slender postures. Their faces are typically rendered with a sense of innocence and simplicity.