Bali: Time, Rites, Art and Magic

Balinese rituals, art and a unique sense of time are what set Bali apart!

This unique book describes the concept of time in Bali and the magical significance of religious rites and festivals that are bewilderingly complex yet endlessly intriguing. Authors Jean Couteau and Georges Breguet begin by unraveling the difficult Balinese calendar and making it accessible. This calendar forms the basis for an elaborate cycle of celebrations held at regular intervals which help the Balinese to mediate between the human realm and the unseen world of ancestors, gods, demons and spirits.

Lavish purification rituals, offerings, divination, dances, music, theater, art and trance spectacles are the result—all described here in loving detail. This book is richly illustrated with 62 specially commissioned drawings by Balinese artist I Gusti Nyoman Darta and a selection of color photographs of the most important rituals along with detailed painted Balinese calendars from museum collections around the world.

Jean Couteau has a doctoral degree from EHESS in Paris and has lived in Indonesia since 1980. He co-founded the magazine Archipelago and curated the English Corner column for the Bali Post as well as contributing essays to major media outlets like Tempo, Gatra and Jakarta Post. He is also a regular columnist for the national newspaper, Kompas. Couteau has written many books about Indonesian artists like Affandi, Srihadi Sudarsono, Walter Spies, Gusti Nyoman Lempad and Made Wianta as well as books on the ARMA and Puri Lukisan museums in Ubud. He speaks Balinese and is recognized as a cultural expert on the island.

Gusti Nyoman Darta is the great-nephew of the renowned Balinese master artist I Gusti Nyoman Lempad. Entrusted as a child to the Ubud royal family, he was raised and immersed from an early age in the cultural traditions of the palace. His formative years were shaped by shadow puppetry and ceremonial rituals and he continues to play a key role in palace life. Today, Pak Darta is frequently called upon to lend his expertise to the construction and restoration of Balinese temples—not only in Bali but across the archipelago. He is a talented artist in his own right in addition to being a respected traditional healer.

Georges Breguet studied biology and human ecology and first came to Bali in the late 1970s to undertake research on the genetic features of local populations, especially in the village of Tenganan, one of the rare villages to have escaped 14th century Mojopahit Javanisation. His interests then evolved to include the study of modern and traditional culture, and textiles in particular. Having also become a specialist in Indonesian Art, he now consults for various European museums and collectors, in particular the Museum Branly in Paris. He also curates exhibitions and writes books and art exhibition catalogs.