Bali, Indonesia, 27 January 2016 – A new foundation, Yayasan TiTian Bali (YTB), dedicated to support and promotion of Balinese visual arts, will debut on 29 January, the 80th anniversary of the famous pre-World-War-II Pita Maha association of artists, which inspired its creation.

Speakers at the event will include Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga, Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, and Ricky Pesik, Vice Head of the Creative Economy Agency. The launch will take place at Bentara Budaya Bali in Ketewel beginning at 6:00 PM on Friday, 29 January 2016.

YTB’s mission is to encourage Bali’s visual artists to explore artistic avenues during every phase of their careers while maintaining the integrity of their unique cultural heritage. It aims to work with Balinese artists, designers, and performers to ensure the long-term cultural, economic and creative success of Balinese arts, and the highest levels of entrepreneurship in its creation and marketing.

Among other programs, TiTian plans to build a Bali Museum of Contemporary Art (Bali MOCA), which will exhibit both old and new work of high quality and talent with the expectation that it will inspire new directions and achievements in Balinese visual arts.

The TiTian Bali Foundation will also include a teaching and research institute focused on the education of talented, young Balinese artists. The institute will create an incubation center to develop their entrepreneurial skills within the context of creative economy. The foundation seeks the participation of existing village artists’ associations, schools, individual artists, and other arts organizations for all its activities. It is inclusive rather than exclusive.

The inaugural program at Bentara Budaya Bali on 29 January will include:

  • “A Reflection and a Vision for the Future of Balinese Art from 1936-2036.” – a brief overview
    of the historical origins of contemporary Balinese art and its future in the age of the Internet;
  • Presentation of the first annual Anugrah Pusaka Seni (Art Heritage) Award to an artist and
    patron who have made extraordinarily significant life-long contributions to the transformation
    and sustenance of Balinese Arts;
  • Announcement of the nomination period for the first Medali Lempad (Lempad Medal) to be
    given annually to a promising artist who has demonstrated talent and courage in furthering
    Balinese art;
  • Launch of the Indonesian language edition of Lempad of Bali: The Illuminating Line, the
    catalogue raisonné of the life and work of the legendary I Gusti Nyoman Lempad (2014);
  • A preview of the forthcoming exhibition: “The Concept of Rwa-Bhineda in Balinese Art,” with
    nine paintings by nine contemporary Balinese artists focused on the timeless and unending
    battle of good and evil in Balinese religious culture, the necessity of both forces, and the
    importance of balance between them. The exhibition will open on 5 February at the TiTian Bali
    Art Space, Jalan Bisma 88, in Ubud; it will run until March 31, 2016.