he inaugural edition of Art & Bali marked a new chapter for Bali’s arts scene as the island’s first international art fair transformed Nuanu Creative City into a stage for contemporary art, where ancestral memories meet digital futures.
At the heart of Art & Bali 2025, which ran from Sept. 12 to 14, is the theme “Bridging Dichotomies”, a curatorial and conceptual framework that explores the intersection of opposites: tradition and modernity, nature and technology, human creativity and artificial intelligence.
For Lev Kroll, CEO of Nuanu Creative City, the fair was also a realization of the creative city’s founding principles: “Nuanu was built to be a place where creativity drives everyday life. It shows how Bali’s philosophy and spirit can speak to the world through art and culture,” he said.
Kelsang Dolma, director of Art & Bali added, “For me, Art & Bali is about rooting an international conversation in Bali. It’s about honoring the traditions that shape us here, while opening the door for new voices and encounters that can only happen when people truly meet.”
The inaugural Art & Bali featured a truly diverse roster of 17 exhibitors and more than 150 artists from Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Spain, from Santrian Art Gallery, celebrated for its dialogue between Balinese tradition and bold contemporary practice, to the Asia Pacific Print Club, which is advancing printmaking across the region, and Feb Gallery Tokyo, known for cross-cultural experimentation.
Each edition of Art & Bali will be anchored by a curated exhibition. For its debut edition, curator Mona Liem presented Terra Nexus, a new, high-energy media show featuring over 30 artists from Indonesia and abroad in an exploration of how art, ecology and technology converge through pieces ranging from immersive installations to collaborations between digital artists and traditional carvers.
“This exhibition is a showcase of holistic expression. It is a stage where technology and science dance together with art to spark innovation rooted in local cultural context,” said Mona.
For the first time in Bali, visitors and participants also encountered Trokomod, Heri Dono’s monumental 7.5-meter installation that premiered at the 2015 Venice Biennale. A hybrid of a Trojan horse and a Komodo dragon, the work is both fantastical and political, a vessel for Indonesia’s voice on the global stage.
In addition, Art & Bali 2025 also saw the phase two launch of THK Tower, the province’s largest art installation made entirely of repurposed materials and designed by Arthur Mamou-Mani with Balinese artist Chiko Wirahadi. The second phase invited visitors to project their wishes and emotions into the structure, creating a permanent library of voices.
Performance is central to the spirit of Art & Bali, and highlights of the inaugural fair included the creative response of Denpasar-based performing arts collective Kitapoleng to Heri Dono’s Trokomod, two new shows by Mei Tamazawa at the Labyrinth Dome and participatory performances by Temu Gerak and Tanaman Liar, weaving sound, movement and landscape.
More than a marketplace, Art & Bali is a meeting ground where art strengthens community and amplifies the conversations shaping Bali’s place in the global art world.
For more information, visit www.artandbali.com or follow @artandbali on Instagram.
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