Bali arts and crafts

Bali
arts and crafts

page 2

Wood sculpture, stone sculpture,
jewelry, and batiks

Wood sculpture - in Mas

This village is clearly Bali's wood carving center. Its artists create refined Balinese sculptures depicting Hindu-epic Ramayana characters, ordinary people and various animals (the Njana Tilem Gallery is generally regarded as Bali's finest artistic producer). Mas is also unrivaled in carving the colorful Balinese wood masks (see photo) worn by classical dancers.

Stone sculpture - in Batubulan

This village is Bali's stone-carving heart. Most works are of deities and other Balinese temple themed objects. Many artisans also cater to tourists by sculpting everyday Balinese subjects, real and whimsical.

Gold and silver jewelry - Celuk

This village (near Batubulan) is Bali's gold- and silver-smithing epicenter. Intricate earrings, necklaces, bracelets and brooches are popular items with Bali tourists.

Batik - Where made

A batik is a fabric richly decorated using a special dyeing technique. Many are used as sarongs. Although virtually all the "Bali batik sarongs" sold to the tourists and Balinese are made in Java,

Bali does produce in small quantities some exceptionally fine hand-made including the rare double itak from the walled village of Tenganan (near Candi Dasa). A single cloth can take years to finish.