The Bali Arts Festival (BAF) XLV and the Bali Contemporary Arts Festival (BCAF) V in 2023 will be held consecutively. These spectacular cultural events begin with BAF XVL to be held from Sunday (June 18) to Sunday (July 16), followed by BCAF until July 30, 2023. Although presenting the same material, this time the art event involving thousands of artists will have a different content.

This was stated by the Division Head of the Arts and Culture Personnel at the Bali Culture Office, Ni Wayan Sulastriani, in a meeting to prepare for the cultural performance at the Bali Cultural Office, Wednesday (May 3). At that time, Division Head Sulastriani was accompanied by the BCAF Creative Team Warih Wisatsana and Ida Bagus Martinaya.

The theme for BAF XLV is Segara Kerthi: Prabhaneka Sandhi (The Ocean Creates Civilization) interpreted as an effort to glorify the sea as a source of universal welfare which is the origin of the birth of a civilization. The ocean symbolizes the breadth of knowledge, the depth of noble values as well as the estuary where various creations, tastes and initiatives of mankind are combined which gave birth to a noble culture that represents the noble, superior and sublime civilization of Balinese people.

The ocean also symbolizes Balinese civilization which is open to various cultures of people from all over the world and combines harmoniously in giving color to the diversity of Balinese art and culture and strengthening Bali as the Center for World’s Civilization (Bali Padma Bhuana).

This art event will be held at the Bali Art Center Denpasar, the ISI Denpasar Campus and the Bajra Sandi Monument, Renon. As planned, the fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia will simultaneously open and release the Grand Parade of BAF XLV and later that night will be resumed with art performance on the Ardha Candra Amphitheater.

A total of 10 BAF activities will jazz up the festival namely the Peed Aya (Parade), Rekasadana (Performance), Wimbakara (Contest), Kandarupa (Exhibition), Kriyaloka (Workshop), Widyatula (Discussion), Adi Sewaka Nugraha (Arts Devotee Award), Bali World Culture Celebration and Balinese Jantra Tradition (Regional Culture Week) which will be held at the Bali Art Center and the Bajra Sandi Monument.

This time Grand Parade will not involve existing higher education institutions, but will only be attended by Indonesia Institute of the Arts (ISI) Denpasar and nine districts/city throughout Bali. The city and district ambassador will showcase their traditional, classic and populist art packaged in the form of a procession of displays while walking in response to the theme of Segara Kerthi: Prabhaneka Sandhi (Ocean of Civilization Creation). “Well, what distinguishes the parade this time is the thematic having been arranged sequentially from one another,” said Sulastriani.

Rekasadana (Performance) apart from presenting ambassadors from districts and city in Bali, there will be performance by the art troupes from outside the region. The district and city ambassadors will present district-city-specific arts, so the performance will be surely different. In addition, as many as 14 art troupes from outside the region will be also involved, such as those from Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Seleman, Bekasi, North Penajam Paser District, NTT, Betawi, and other regions.

If previously drama gongs were presented in a parade, this time there will also be a drama gong competition to give younger generation the opportunity to be creative. Similarly, there will be presentation of joged bungbung art to ward off porn joged and joged ngebor, but Bali has a unique tradition of joged. Apart from the drama gong competition, there are also baleganjur, barong ket, and puppet gender gamelan competitions for children’s level. “There is also fashion from designers featuring Balinese customary clothing, fashion in couple and evening wear, and toga dresses,” she said.

As for exhibitions, there are art exhibitions, Bali Rise exhibitions and culinary stands which only optimize the stands at Bali Art Center, using the parking area to the south and behind Ksiraarnawa. The opening of the painting exhibition coincides with the opening of the BAF featuring paintings in the style of Kamasan, Batuan and Padangtegal which involves around 75 -80 artists. This event will also give awards to 10 art devotees.

Meanwhile, the Bali World Culture Celebration involves participants from overseas, such as Japan, Thailand, Australia, Gamut in collaboration with Belgian, Indian, Malaysian and Chinese artists. While the Balinese Jantra Tradition includes Murtirupa (demonstration), Pacentokan (Competition), and Temu Wirasa (Discussion). “The number of artists or art players involved in the BAF event in 2023 will amount to 18,974 people,” said Sulastri.

In the meantime, the BCAF V event has gone national and international. The BCAF 2023 has the theme Citta Rasmi Segara Kerthi, ‘Maritime as Source of Inspiration.’ Citta comes from the word Citti which means ‘to think.’ As the life order of the ancestral heritage, citta is interpreted as consciousness. While Rasmi means ‘radiance,’ reflecting the nature or character; reflecting beauty, emitting taksu or divine vibration. Citta Rasmi Segara Kerthi means ‘awareness to purify, glorify, care for, preserve, and conserve the sea or sea as a source of creation as well as anointing (life) for the welfare of humanity and all living things on earth.’

Its concept consists of Exploration, namely, the attainment of innovative art based on personal creativity, while the ideas and subjects of exploration remain based on tradition or local values; Experimentation, namely the attainment of modern or contemporary art based on creativity and medium of experiments; Cross-border, namely the attainment of new art based on transfer of media, multimedia and transmedia; Contextual, namely, thematic, stylistic and stylistic achievements of new art relevant to the context of the theme and timing of the Bali Contemporary Art Festival; and Collaboration, namely, the process and achievement of modern or contemporary art based on synergy and collaboration between artists of Bali or outside the region as well as overseas.

The activity materials consist of Pawimba (Competition), Adilango (Performance), Utsava (Parade), Aguron-guron (Workshop), Timbang Rasa (Discussion), Megarupa (Exhibition), Home Library & Cartoon Exhibition and Bali Jani Nugraha (Awards). National Level Modern Theater Competitions will comprise National Level Animation Films, Bali General Level Choirs, National Level Poetry Reading as well as Bali General Level Stand Up Comedy.

Curator of the BCAF, Warih Wisatsana, stated the registration for the choir contest is still ongoing, just amounting to three registrants so far. “This time the BCAF has become national and international. The current event has an update in accordance with the previous evaluation,” said Warih.

He further added that Adilango, an open 2-track performance in the process of curating presenters at the Bali Contemporary Arts Festival V 2023 Art Festival provides more spaces as appreciation for the artists, namely by invitation and by open call. For Bali Megarupa provides 4 venues namely ARMA Museum Ubud, Nata-Citta Art Space at ISI Denpasar, Bali Art Center Craft Building, Virtual Gallery (Online via Web Artsteps & Kunsmatrix. (BTN/015)