The Bali Arts Festival (PKB) is an annual art parade or festival initiated by the Provincial Government of Bali, and is used as a forum for the activities and creativity of artists in an effort to support government programs in terms of excavating, preserving, and developing Balinese cultural and artistic values. The Basis of the Implementation of the Bali Arts Festival is the Regional Regulation of the Province of Bali Number 07 of 1986 concerning “Bali Arts Festival” which was later revised by the Provincial Regulation of the Province of Bali Number 4 of 2006.  The main material of PKB in general consists of; marches, parades, competitions, performances, exhibitions, gatherings and training. 

The Bali Arts Festival, which was first held in 1979, lasted approximately 2 months (June 20, 1979 until August 23, 1979). In its travel history, in general, PKB has always been opened by high-ranking state officials. Only in the first PKB was opened in 1979 by the late Prof. DR. Ida Bagus Mantra who at that time served as Governor of the First Level Region of Bali as well as the initiator of the PKB. The rest of the PKB is opened by the Minister, Vice President, President and First Lady. 

The Gamelan gong kebyar parade is one of the events on the agenda of the prestigious Bali Arts Festival. In the festival, visitors can watch works of art as a result of the creativity of the artists and the expertise of the pengrawit in playing the Gong Kebyar gambelan.

Background

Bali Art Festival is held as an effort to offer the best artworks of the community. People can choose between arts and crafts, profane and secular, orders or pure creativity of the Balinese people. All that was done with the spirit of “offering”. That difference does not reduce the essence of art. Art activities are based on motivation as the best offering and “spirit” in all Balinese activities.

The Balinese arts displayed are offerings and copyrighted works produced as well as offerings. This is still being used. Art offerings and creative works contain sincere liberation, which in Hindu teachings are often called yadnya. Yadnya is presented through art and creative works to make his creation as the best offering, so as far as possible an artist will not offer his own or his ugliest or modest work, moreover, the offering is in the form of art and creative works that are born from cultivation as the upstream of love and love the spiritual civilization of community art.

The Bali Arts Festival is a media and means to explore and preserve cultural arts and improve welfare. The excavation and preservation of cultural arts include philosophy, noble and universal values, basic concepts, cultural heritage of objects or non-objects of high historical value, science and art as representations of civilization and the development of art through creation, innovation, cultural adaptation with hope to stay alive and be sustainable in the context of changing times and times and in an ever-changing environment.

History 

The Bali Arts Festival staged various creative works, arts and artistic aspirations both reconstructed art, innovated art, arts attractions as well as community art and culture appreciation. The Government of the Province of Bali, since 1979, by the late Ida Bagus Mantra initiated and initiated a public party, which until now has been called the “Bali Arts Festival” (PKB).

Preservation of cultural arts, among others, by displaying classical arts that are almost extinct and buried in the community. The Bali Arts Festival is a medium and a means of motivating the community to explore, discover and display cultural arts and to improve welfare for the community. The excavation and preservation of cultural arts include philosophy, noble and universal values, basic concepts, cultural heritage of objects or non-objects of high historical value, science and art as a representation of civilization and the development of art through creation, innovation, cultural adaptation, with hope remains alive and sustainable in the context of changing times and times and in an ever-changing environment. The implementation of the PKB from year to year has given its own nuances to Balinese art and culture by presenting themes that are always different. Presumably, the Balinese way of art is presented in a container of the Bali Arts Festival, each year is also different.

Bali Arts Festival makes Balinese people to always be active and creative to fulfil our lives. Thus the activities and artistic creativity to produce creative works and art of the Balinese people will never stop, to explore and develop new ideas, both artistic ideas and in daily activities, in order to connect the continuity of life. The exploration and development of new ideas in art, are used to balance the distribution of foreign cultures as a result of overall globalization and can guide people’s behaviour in the context of thinking, saying and doing which are implemented and realized in the form of creative works of art and culture.

In the history of this folk art festival, it has always been opened by high-ranking state officials. Only the first PKB was opened by the late Ida Bagus Mantra who was then the Governor of Bali’s First Level Regional Governor as well as the initiator of the PKB. The rest of the PKB opening is carried out by the MinisterVice PresidentPresident and First Lady.

2011

Bali Arts Festival (PKB) 2011 The 33rd edition themed Kala Patra Village (Adaptation of Life in Multiculturalism) was held at the Werdhi Cultural Park Bali Art Center and held from June 11, 2011 to July 9, 2011. Data obtained from the organizing committee said PKB XXXIII involved 15 thousand artists from Bali, 16 groups from outside Bali and five groups from abroad. Over the next month, the artists will exhibit their art through cultural arts attractions that take place at the Art Center for Taman Budaya Bali. Specifically for arts groups from abroad including Japan, the United States, India, Malaysia and Australia.

The main theme of the five years (2010-2015) is ” Segara Giri ” (Footprint of Life). The Provincial Government of Bali itself has budgeted funds amounting to Rp 3.96 billion for the organization of the Bali Arts Festival (PKB).

Some new notes in this year’s PKB:

PKB 2011 refers to six main subjects; parades, art performances, competitions/parades, gatherings, exhibitions and documentary films.

For foreign participants who will participate to enliven this year’s PKB, including Japan, the United States, India and Malaysia. The foreign participants will be joined by art delegates from 13 provinces in Indonesia, as well as from nine districts and cities on the island of the Gods.

For the parade, the Bali Arts Festival will begin from Surapati Street, precisely in front of the Jaya Sabha Building towards Hayam Wuruk Street, then end at Taman Budaya Art Center Denpasar.

There is something new in this year’s PKB, namely collaboration of traditional and modern art through organizing ‘fashion shows’ by displaying traditional cloth clothing such as songket and endek.

2012

The 34th edition of Bali Arts Festival (PKB) themed Paras Paros (togetherness) was held at Werdhi Cultural Park Bali Art Center and was held from June 11 to July 9, 2012. The theme of Paras Paros is meaningful to revive the spirit of togetherness and harmony.

2013

Bali Arts Festival (PKB) 2013 35th edition themed Taksu (Creativity Generates Self-Potential) was held at Werdhi Cultural Park Bali Art Center and held from 15 June 2013 – 13 July 2014.

2014

Bali Arts Festival (PKB) 2014 The 36th edition with the theme of Krtamase (Firmness to the Universe) was held at the Werdhi Cultural Park Bali Art Center and held from June 13, 2014 – July 12, 2014.

2015

Bali Arts Festival (PKB) 2015 37th edition with the theme of Jagaditha (World Community Welfare) was held at Werdhi Cultural Park Bali Art Center and held from 13 June 2015 – 11 July 2015.

2016

Bali Arts Festival (PKB) 2016 38th edition themed Karang Awak (Loving the Land of Birth) was held at the Werdhi Cultural Park Bali Art Center and held from 11 June to 9 July 2016. Opened by President Joko Widodo accompanied by the Governor of Bali and a number of Ministers The Working Cabinet is located in front of the Bali People’s Struggle Monument Bajra Sandi, Denpasar. The parade was followed by 9 (nine) regents/cities in Bali and artists from outside the region and abroad who brought the art of origin from their respective regions.

The opening was marked by the kulkul beating carried out by Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture Anies Baswedan who was also accompanied by the Governor of Bali Made Mangku Pastika, Deputy Governor of Bali I Ketut Sudikerta, Chairperson of Bali Provincial DPRD Nyoman Adi Wiryatama, and Head of the Bali Provincial Culture Office Dewa Putu Beratha. At the same time, UNESCO certificates were handed over to 9 traditional Balinese dances that were included in the UNESCO Representative of Humanity submitted by Minister of Education and Culture Anies Baswedan to Governor Made Mangku Pastika and also the delivery of paintings by Maestro Nyoman Gunarsa by Governor Pastika to the Minister of Education and Culture which would later be submitted to UNESCO.

PKB 2016 also left problems, including; The high rates of parking for two-wheeled vehicles and four-wheeled vehicles for visitors who want to watch the show and PKB night market fires on Friday, July 1, 2016, around 3:00 pm, located in the area of ​​the clothing sales stand west of the Art Center, entered Banjar Kedaton, Desa Sumerta Kelod, as well as exhibition, stands for craftsmen & paintings of the art centre area and the administration office of the Art Center cultural park.

2017

Bali Arts Festival (PKB) 2017 The 39th edition with the theme of Ulun Danu (Conserving water from the source of life) was held at Werdhi Cultural Park Bali Art Center. PKB takes place from June 10 to July 8, 2017. Ulu can mean head, centre, source, upstream, whereas Danu can mean lake or water source, so Ulun Danu can be interpreted as the center, source/spring. The themes adopted in this parade also vary each year based on continuity, text and contextuality. The big theme for 2016-2020 Panca Most Bhuta consisting of 5 elements or elements that make up living things in between motherland (ground), apah (water), wind (air), cassia(light) and Akasa (ether).

The Bali Arts Festival is also an economic guarantee. In the implementation of this year’s PKB, it booked a turnover of Rp 12.52 billion from handicraft transactions. The largest transaction value of Rp 4.44 billion was obtained from metal crafts and their derivatives. The textiles earned Rp 1.47 billion, and wood crafts Rp 683.51 million.

2018

Bali Art Festival (PKB) 2018 40th edition themed Teja Dharmaning Kauripan (Api Spirit Creation) is held from June 9 – July 7, 2018, centred at Taman Budaya, Art Center in Denpasar, Bali. Performances at the CPB include dance drama (dance), Balinese Modern theatre, Photography Workshop, culinary festival, and music performances. There are also competitions such as documentary contests, handicraft competitions, literary writing, painting, and photography contests. Parade and Parade procession brings Kebyar Gong Parade mask Panca, Parade Ngelawang, Parade Drama Dance Arja, Parade Puppet Parade Joged tube, and Parade Drama Gong.

Denpasar city itself features 32 sekaa (group) involving 2,700 arts and artists.

2019

Bali Arts Festival (PKB) 2019 41st edition with the theme “Bayu Pramana” (breath of life) was launched from 15 June to 13 July 2019, centred at Werdhi Cultural Park Bali Art Center, Denpasar, Bali. The concept of Bayu Pramana comes from two words namely ” Bayu ” and ” Prmana “. Bayu means wind while Pramana means strength. Bayu Pramana means the Power of Life of Life, the most vital energy that supports and controls everything. The meaning was transformed into a theme and wind element in the 2019 PKB.

PKB was opened by President Joko Widodo accompanied by a number of officials at the Ministry of Tourism, including; Head of the CoE Implementation Team Esthy Reko Astuty, Deputy for Industrial and Institutional Development of the Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, to Deputy of Marketing Development I of the Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Rizki Handayani. Also joined was Deputy of Marketing Development I Regional III Kemenpar Muh. Ricky Fauziyani, and Assistant Deputy for Regional Destination Development III Harwan Ekoncahyo.

During the month of the PKB implementation, there will be a total of 220 performances with around seven performances per day, enlivened by 11 art ambassadors from abroad and 21 art participants from various regions in the archipelago. PKB 2019 was also filled with activities and art competitions related to the preservation of Balinese language, script and literature.

PKB schedule can be seen on this site.

2020

The 42nd edition of Bali Arts Festival (PKB) 2020 which should be held on June 13 – July 11, 2020, was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic in Indonesia.

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