Ari Bayuaji’s work presented in Bangkok Art Biennale 2024

Montreal-based Indonesian artist Ari Bayuaji presents a group of new sculptures at BAB 2024. Rangda sculptures and masks are still used in Bali at temples and shrines. These figures serve as reminders of tragedy and natural disasters, to maintain people's awareness of the need of nurturing nature and culture for a peaceful and prosperous life. Barong is a creature with a lion or tiger head that symbolizes the good spirit that protects the land from the bad spirits in the Hindu Balinese mythology. Almost 70% of the materials Bayuaji uses in his work are upcycled plastic ropes found in forests and beaches. The artist started to collect them from the mangrove forest near his home in Bali during the pandemic lockdown. Witnessing how Balinese people suffered from the sudden lack of tourism, Bayuaji proceeded to employ people in Sanur to clean up the collected plastic ropes and to unravel them – contributing to their sustenance during challenging times.

Bangkok Art Biennale 2024
| Duration: October 24, 2024 – February 25, 2025
| Venue: Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), Bangkok, Thailand
| Opening Hours: Tue – Sun, 10am – 8pm

Installation view of Ari Bayuaji’s work at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre