Bali has long been known as a tropical paradise with a long history of art but only recently it has become a budding destination for urban and street art.
At the heart of that movement is makerspace, Rumah Sanur – Creative Hub, where international and Indonesian artists are increasingly finding a home, a place to explore ideas, find their voice and provide a creative outlet.
In the lush grounds of Rumah Sanur, artworks by acclaimed international Street Artist, ROA and local favourite Farid Stevy sit alongside murals by Berlin Illustrator Pablo Ientile and French-based Natch.
A mixed-medium artist from Yogyakarta, Farid Stevy’s distinctive work is depicted on walls and canvas using his distinctive red and white colour palette.
Inspired but the world around him, Farid explores themes including self-confidence and empowerment.
“I want to say things about self-confidence, basically about my history and people in my art. I was underestimated by many people in my early years in art so I just want to fight back with my art and give other people confidence,” Farid said.
The two pieces at Rumah Sanur – Creative Hub reflect these broader themes in Farid Stevy’s art.
The Pillars Project, a large-scale work painted onto upcycled water containers from an old shipping yard is influenced by the building, the space and the time. For the Pillars Project, Farid found inspiration in the youth of Bali.
“The last thing I remember about Bali is how the youth in Bali is struggling with a case of disempowerment,” Farid said.
“I want to make art that empowers youth, I want to make sure less youth are underestimated by other people,” Farid said.
Farid’s latest artwork in the space sits at the main entrance to Rumah Sanur. A depiction of a speech which talks about becoming a citizen of Indonesia from the 1970s by Mochtar Lubis.
“Recently, I have been quite interested with the term Indonesia, being Indonesian and being the people of this world,” Farid said.
In painting the speech at Rumah Sanur, Farid chose a place that represents that same shared spirit with himself and the words of Mochtar Lubis.
“I think Rumah Sanur wants to make sure that everybody in Sanur, in Bali and I am sure in Indonesia and all of the people in the world also has this courage, have this reference and revelry to fight the system, to beath themselves, to move forward, to embrace possibilities, to achieve dreams, everything that is good,” Farid said.
“So, I just want to share the spirit from and with a commonplace, the text, my spirit and Rumah Sanur’s spirit that I believe have the same fire and encourages everyone,” Farid said.
It is with this same spirit of community that Rumah Sanur aims to foster creativity among local and international artists by providing a space for collaboration and expression.
A piece by renowned Belgian Street Artist, ROA also has a home in the space at Rumah Sanur.
Rarely photographed himself, ROA’s works are recognisable to many and can be found across the world from London to Los Angelese and Bali. Influenced by the 1980s street culture, ROA blends his love for music and graffiti in his art.
ROA’s echidna at Rumah Sanur depicts an ancient monotreme that is Indigenous to Papua New Guinea and Australia when the two islands were joined, it is a good reminder of the shared history between the places.
Not only a space to see art, Rumah Sanur also provides the community and artists with a place to engage with each other. It is also home to the Open Studios Program in collaboration with CushCush Gallery as a part of the DenPasar 2018 exhibition.
The Open Studio Program – running until November 8 – is designed to promote art to the community and showcase some of the island’s best talents. It hosted artists Wai Santy, Andre Yoga, Uncle Joy andGregory Jansen with an exhibition by the Tepi Barat Community.
It provides an opportunity for the community to interact and engage with artists in a studio environment and see them at work.
Rumah Sanur also runs design programs, currently, the Masaboca Boot Camp program is in session, mentoring three Indonesian designers on product and business development.
A selection of photos of the artwork and artists in Rumah Sanur is available here.
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About Rumah Sanur – Creative Hub
Rumah Sanur – Creative Hub was founded in 2015 in Sanur. Home to Kopi Kultur, to~ko Concept Store and Teras Gandum, it engages the community and encourages collaboration between the creative, business, start-up, social entrepreneurs and communities.