Valasara
Made Wiguna Valasara
(b. 1983, Bali)
Valasara is an Indonesian artist known for his work in painting and sculpture. He graduated from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta in 2007. Valasara is particularly recognized for his embossed canvas technique, used to explore themes ranging from reinterpretations of traditional Balinese painting and Renaissance art to appropriations of modern visual languages. His recent works engage critically with social and cultural issues in Bali.
As someone deeply rooted in Balinese identity, Valasara draws from the symbolic richness of ritual life—visual, auditory, and performative—often experienced firsthand. His Carousel series responds to the ongoing commodification of Balinese culture, where rituals have increasingly become spectacles for tourism. These works reflect on the cyclical reproduction of identity, using traditional forms within contemporary contexts to question the tension between authenticity and display, devotion and commodification.
Bali has long been romanticized as a spiritual paradise—a manufactured image shaped by colonial administrations, anthropologists, and tourism agencies. This perception persists today through state campaigns like “Ajeg Bali,” continuing the idealization of Bali as a living museum. Valasara’s work challenges these narratives, offering a nuanced critique through a distinct and technically sophisticated visual language.
He has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, and Taipei. His solo exhibitions include Collective Fragment (Art Agenda Jakarta, 2021), Playing Balinese (Art Stage Singapore, 2016), Lukisan-Lukisan (Art:1 Art Space Jakarta, 2015), Solo Project (Art Central Hong Kong, 2015), and Animal Behaved (Mon Decor Art Space Jakarta and Selasar Sunaryo Art Space Bandung, 2010). His accolades include the Public Vote Prize at the Sovereign Asian Art Prize (2020), and he was a finalist in both the UOB Painting of the Year (2012) and Indonesian Art Award (2010). He also completed an artist residency at Selasar Sunaryo Art Space in 2011.
Carousel, 2001/2004
Laminated canvas, acrylic, wood, acrylic glass, dynamo, MP3 player, speaker, cables, metal, circuit wheels
Bali has long been perceived, especially by outsiders, as a sacred place: a self-contained, unique, and fragile world that must be protected from the overwhelming forces of modernity and external influence. This romanticized view, shaped primarily during the interwar period, became the foundation for Western (particularly colonial) imaginaries that envisioned Bali as a kind of harmonious utopia.
Rather than an accurate representation of an existing reality, the popular image of Bali, especially as promoted through tourism, is a constructed narrative. It emerged from a historical convergence of colonial administration, cultural anthropologists, and tourism promotion bodies. These forces collectively orchestrated the image of Bali as a “living museum” of Hindu-Javanese culture, a “last paradise” preserved within an exoticized glass showcase.
In this context, it is not paradoxical to suggest that both the global tourism industry and the Indonesian state bureaucracy have continued the colonial project of “Balinization.” Through state slogans like Baliseering or Ajeg Bali, there has been a consistent effort to reinforce and institutionalize a particular idea of Bali, one that conforms to expectations of cultural purity and performative identity.
Within this system, rituals and sacred practices have become increasingly commodified. Once embedded deeply in spiritual and communal life, these ceremonies are now often staged for the benefit of tourists, transforming acts of devotion into spectacles for consumption.
In his Carousel series, Valasara reflects critically on this phenomenon. Through layered visual language and a mastery of embossed canvas technique, he explores how Balinese identity has been curated, replicated, and displayed, rotating endlessly like a carousel of cultural symbols. These works do not merely present visual commentary; they interrogate the tension between authenticity and performance, between sacred practice and commodified ritual, in a Bali that finds itself continuously reconstructed by the gaze of the other.
Timeline
2002 - 2012
FIber Art, Art:1 Mon Décor Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Homoludens #3, Emmitan Contemporary Art Gallery, Surabaya, ID
BlackBox, with G-Five, Danes Art Veranda, Bali, ID
UOB Paintings of The Year 2012, Jakarta, ID
ArtJog 12, Yogyakarta, ID
Painting@Drawing, at Tonyraka Gallery, Bali, ID
Unload/Reload, Nadi gallery, Jakarta, ID
Art Stage Singapore 2012, Presented by Semarang Gallery, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
UNLOAD/RELOAD, Transit Residency#1, Selasar Sunaryo, Bandung, ID
ArtJog 11, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, ID
Homo Ludens #2, Emmitan Contemporary Art Gallery, Surabaya, ID
The Studio: Moved Out - Valasara & Widyadiputra ‘Lampung’, Edwin’s Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Jakarta Contemporary: 1001 doors - Reinterpreting Traditions, Ciputra Marketing Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Bali Making Choices, Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta, ID
Media[A]esthetic, with G-Five, Tonyraka Art Gallery, Ubud, Bali, ID
Crossing and Blurring the Boundaries: Medium in Indonesia Contemporary Art, presented by Andi”s Gallery, Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta, ID
Reflections of Megacities, Jakarta Art Award 2010
Contemporaneity, BIENNALE IAA 2010, Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta, ID
Sensuous Object - Valasara & Wayan Upadana, Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, ID
Survey I.10,Edwin’s Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Return to Abstraksi, Tonyraka Art Gallery, Ubud, Bali, ID
ArtJog 10, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, ID
Recent Work of Sentak, Emmitan Contemporary Art Gallery, Surabaya, ID
White Cube, CG Art Space, Jakarta, ID
I Sense, with G-Five, Canna Gallery, Jakarta, ID
2009 Jogja Biennale X: Jogja Jamming, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, ID
September Ceria, Jogja Gallery, Yogyakarta, ID
Tujuh Bintang Art Award: The Dream, Tujuh Bintang Art Space, Yogyakarta, ID
Asyaaf and Art Season, Canna gallery at Seoul Korea
Loro Blonyo Kontemporer, Oei Hong Djien Museum, Magelang, ID
Bali Art Now: Hibridity, Jogja Gallery, Yogyakarta, ID
Reinventing Bali, Presented by Sanggar Dewata Bali, Sangkring Art Space, Yogyakarta, ID
Survey I, Edwin”s Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Harlequin, Langgeng Gallery, Magelang, ID
2007 Sentak!!, Art:1 Mon Décor Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Bumi, Art:1 Mon Décor Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Modern Kaligrafi MATAHARI, Museum Affandi, Yogyakarta, ID
Belok Kanan Jalan Terus, Sangkring Art Space, Yogyakarta, ID
Tribute to Young Artist, Sangkring Art Space, Yogyakarta, ID
Domestic Art Object, Jogja Gallery, Yogyakarta, ID
Harlah ASRI, Benteng Vredeburg, Yogyakarta, ID
Rhythm & Passion, Jogja Gallery, Yogyakarta, ID
Kepala Busuk, Presented by Sanggar Dewata Indonesia, Art Center, Denpasar, Bali, ID
2005 Jejak 01, Sanggar Dewata Indonesia, Balai Rupa Sanggar Dewata Indonesia, Yogyakarta, ID
Bazaart FKY XVII, Benteng Vredeburg, Yogyakarta, ID
Afandi Prize, Galeri ISI Yogyakarta and Soka Galery, Jakarta, ID
2004 Bazaart, FKY XVI at Benteng Vredeburg, Yogyakarta, ID
Dies Natalis XX: Lustrum V, Galeri ISI Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, ID
Having Fun, Presented by Sanggar Dewata Indonesia, Langgeng Gallery, Magelang, ID
2003 Tokoh dalam sketsa, Galeri ISI Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, ID
Lampu Andong, Benteng Vredeburg, Yogyakarta, ID
Dies Natalis XIX ISI, Galeri ISI Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, ID
Termogram, Presented by Sanggar Dewata Indonesia, Museum Neka, Ubud, Bali, ID
2002 Ada Apa Dengan ISI, Galeri ISI Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, ID
2013 - 2025
Tumbuh, Group Exhibition, RedBase Gallery, Sidney
Arung, Group Exhibition, Can's Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Art Jakarta 2024, presented by Can's Gallery, ID
Art Jakarta 2024, Presented by Mizuma Gallery
Milari, Duo Exhibition with Edy Soetardja at Ruci Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Aotearoa Art Fair, New Zealand, Presented by Red Base Art Gallery, Australia
Cross of the Matter, at Red Base Gallery, Sidney, Australia
Jakarta Art Garden, Presented by CAN'S Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Indonesia Contemporary Via Print Making at Sydney Contemporary, Australia
Indonesia Contemporary Via Print Making, Presented by DEVFTO at Titik Dua Ubud, Bali, ID
Art Jakarta Gardens, Presented by Bale Project, ID
Taru Bingin, Presenting Bali Contemporary Artist at ISA Art Gallery, Jakarta, ID
2022 Indonesian Contemporary Art & Design12, Fragmenting Yesterday, Reshaping Tomorrow at Grand Kemang Hotel, Jakarta, ID
Transcendental Images: Self in History, Presented by Puri Gallery at Titik Dua ,Ubud, ID
Art Jakarta, Presented by Bale Project, ID
Art Jakarta Gardens, Presented by Bale Project, ID
My Life As a Dog, Back Yiri, Presented by Yiri Arts, Taipei
Art Tainan, Presented by Yiri Arts, Taipei
2021 Garden of Dysthopia, Cans Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Hidup Berdampingan Dengan Musuh, Virtual Exhibition, Ciputra Artpreneur, Jakarta, ID
Art Taipei 2021, Presented by Yiri Arts
Art Moments Jakarta Online, Presented by ArtSphere Gallery Jakarta, ID
Art Moments Jakarta Online, Presented by Art:1 Jakarta, ID
TEXO, Presented by Yiri Arts, Taipei
Scope, virtual Exhibition, Bale Project
Art Jakarta virtual Exhibition
UOB fundraising, Virtual Exhibition
Sovereign Art Prize Exhibition, Hongkong
2019 SCARTniversary, Senayan City, Jakarta, ID
Contemporary Worlds : Indonesia, National Gallery Australia
Art Jakarta, Jakarta, ID
2Dl3D Interaction l Intersection, Ruci Art Space, Jakarta, ID
INTENTION PLEASE, Edwin’s Gallery, Jakarta, ID
2018 BEYOND THE MYTHS, Art Bali, Bali, ID
20TH SSAS/AS/IDEAS, Bale Tonggoh, Selasar, BANDUNG, sunaryo, ID
SINERGI SENI RUPA 2’ PAPER BASED ART.CONSERVATION,RESEARCH AND INNOVATION, ITB, Bandung, ID
Manifesto 6.0 , MULTIPOLAR, Galeri Nasional Indonesia, ID
2017 Age of Hope, Equator#4, Jogja Biennale XIV, Jogja National Museum, ID
Art Stage Jakarta 2017, Presented by Bale Project, Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City Hotel, Jakarta, ID
Kecil Itu Indah (KII), Edwin”s Gallery, Jakarta, ID
ArtJog 17: Change Perspective, Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta, ID
Pra-Biennale Jogjakarta Equator IV, PKKH, Yogyakarta, ID
2016 Contemporary Art From Bali, Langgeng Art Foundation, Yogyakarta, ID
Crossing : Beyond Bali Seering, presented by Project11, Fortyfive Downstairs, Melbourne
Di Ruang-ruang Terbuka Salihara, Komunitas Salihara,Jakarta, ID
Art Stage Jakarta 2016, Presented by Bale Project, Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City Hotel, Jakarta, ID
ArtJog 16: Universal Influence, Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta, ID
Avanzi, Biasa Art Space, Jakarta, ID
2015 Bazaar Art Jakarta 2015, Presented by Bale Project, The Ritz Carlton Pacific Place and Pacific Place Mall, Jakarta, ID
Urban Spirituality, Sudakara Art Space, Sanur, Bali, ID
My Exquisite Corpse, BIASA Art Space, Seminyak, Bali, ID
Philippines Art Fair, Presented by Equator Art Project, Philippine
2014 UOB Painting Art Award, Paza UOB, Jakarta, ID
Symbol, Spirit, Culture, Edwins Gallery, Jakarta, ID
Bazaar Art Fair, Presented by Art:1 Mon Décor Gallery, The Ritz Carlton Pacific Place and Pacific Place Mall, Jakarta, ID
Manifesto #4: Keseharian: Mencandra Tanda-Tanda Masa, Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta, ID
In Between/Diantara, Trimatra national competition, Salihara and KEMENPAREKRAF, Jakarta, ID
Genome Aesthetic, Sudakara Art Space, Sanur, Bali, ID
Imagining Indonesia: Tribute to Sudjojono, Tony Raka Art Gallery, Ubud, Bali, ID
SEA+ Triennale, Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta, ID
Indonesia Art Award 2013, Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta, ID
Plastic Attack, with G-Five, Tony Raka Art Gallery, Ubud, Bali, ID
Homo Ludens #4, Presented by Emmitan Contemporary Art Gallery, Bentara Budaya Bali, Bali, ID
ArtJog 13: Maritime Culture, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, ID
Irony in Paradise, Arma Museum, Ubud, Bali, ID
Education
Bachelor of Fine Art at Indonesia Art Institute [ ISI ] Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, ID
Solo Exhibition
2023
Cosmic Construct at 13A New Street, Hongkong
2022
Carrousel at Yiri Arts, Taipei
2021
Collective Fragment at Art Agenda Jakarta, ID Presented by Bale Project
2016
Playing Balinese at Art Stage Singapore 2016, Presented by Equator Art Projects, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, Written By Agung Hujatnikajennong
2015
Lukisan Lukisan, Art:1 Art Space, Jakarta, ID, Curated By Agung Hujatnikajennong
Solo project at Art Central Hongkong, Presented by Art:1 Art Space, ID
2010
Animal Behaved, Mon Décor Art Space, Jakarta, ID, Curated By Suwarno Wisestrotomo
Animal Behaved, Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung, ID, Curated By Suwarno Wisestrotomo
2009
Marshalling Lines and Colors, CANNA Gallery, Jakarta, ID, Written By Mike Susanto
Garis Sebagai Ekspresi Penciptaan Seni Lukis, ISI Yogyakarta, ID