Ketut Budiana

Ketut Budiana was born in 1950 in Padangtegal, Ubud, Bali. He comes from a family of traditional master artisans and is skilled at making temple images, sacred masks, and cremation artifacts. He studied briefly with Rudolf Bonnet (Dutch, 1895-1978), and from 1969 to 1972 he studied at the Sekolah Seni Rupa Indonesia (SSRI, Indonesian School of Fine Art) and the Pendidikan Guru Sekolah Lanjutan Pertama (PGSLP, Teachers' Vocational Secondary School) in Denpasar. Since 1972 Budiana has taught at several schools and is currently a teacher at SMSR (Sekolah Menengah Seni Rupa - Senior High School of Arts), Batubulan. He has been a leader in the Yayasan Ratna Wartha (Gems of Discovery Foundation) in Ubud since 1980.

As well as being a painter, Budiana is also a sculptor in wood and stone. He specializes in mask making for sacred performances, in carving the great bull-shaped coffins used for cremation, and in sculpting statues of awesome guardian figures for temples. Much of his time is spent in creating works for local temples, time which he gives freely as his gift of service to the gods (ngayah). In all this he follows family tradition; his paternal grandfather was an artist (sangging) and architect (undagi), and Budiana learnt his trade as a sculptor when a boy assisting his grandfather carve the temple facade at the Pura Dalem, Padangtegal, Ubud.

Exemplifying the Balinese ethic that the artist is also a teacher, Budiana teaches at the Senior High School of Arts, Denpasar, sharing his skills and knowledge with the next generation of artists. In all these respects, Budiana’s life and work are deeply embedded in the traditions of Balinese community life and religion.

Budiana's paintings can be found in the collections of:
• Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• Museum of Ethnology, Berlin, Germany
• Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan
• Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud, Bali
• Neka Museum, Ubud, Bali
• Agung Rai Museum of Art, Ubud, Bali
• Art Centre, Denpasar, Bali
• Rudana Museum, Ubud, Bali

Solo Exhibitions:
2003
solo exhibition "I Ketut Budiana: Illusory View from the Balinese Spiritual Cosmos", Tokyo Station Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2000
solo exhibition, Agung Rai Museum of Art, Ubud, Bali
solo exhibition at Latrobe University, Melbourne, Australia
solo exhibition in Barcelona, Spain
1998
solo exhibition, “Ogoh-Ogoh Project”, Barcelona, Spain
1995
solo exhibition, “Ogoh-Ogoh Project”, Seattle, USA
1991
solo exhibition at Rudana Fine Art Gallery, Peliatan, Bali
1976
solo exhibition, Puri Lukisan Museum, Ubud

Selected Group Exhibitions:
2005
"Bali on Bali, Sunjin Gallery, Singapore
"Seniman-Seniman dari Gianyar, Bali", Astra Gallery, Jakarta
2004
“Exploring Modern Indonesian Art”, Art Forum, Singapore
2001
“Modern Magic: Post-War Balinese Modernists, 1958-2001”, Art Forum, Singapore
1997
"Indonesia-Japan Friendship Festival", Iwate Prefectural Museum, Morioka, Japan and Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
"Modern Balinese Paintings", Tokyo, Japan (organised by Agung Rai Museum of Art)
1995
group exhibition at Museum Nasional, Jakarta
1994
group exhibition at Singapore Art Museum, Singapore
1992
group exhibition at "World Presidents Organization", Washington D.C., USA
1990-92
"Festival of Indonesia" travelling exhibition, USA
1988
group exhibition, Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud, Bali
1996
group exhibition, Tropen Museum, the Netherlands
group exhibition, Tokyo, Japan
1985
group exhibition, Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan
1979-1990
annual group exhibitions, Bali Arts Festival, Art Centre, Denpasar
1979
group exhibition, Tropen Museum, the Netherlands
1977
group exhibition, Sydney, Australia
1975-1977
group exhibition, Taman Ismail Marzuki Art Centre, Jakarta
1974
group exhibition, Mitra Budaya Building, Jakarta
1973
group exhibition, Puri Lukisan Museum, Ubud