Art is part of my being. Always has been. As a child I was drawn to the workshops of all the fabulous painters who were able to bring my culture to life with a piece of canvas, a few brushes and some paint. Art got under my skin and it stayed. My fascination and passion for the Arts, in particular the art of painting developed into what I chose to be in life: A collector, protector and developer of the Arts.
After I saw the collections of The Puri Lukisan Museum and The Neka Museum I knew that my future was determined. I was fortunate in buying and selling paintings and starting to collect. That must have been around 1980. I trained myself in seeking paintings that moved me, paintings I really connected to and that reflected the depth and sensitivity of the artist’s soul. I always felt a spiritual connection to the art I bought.
The result of my collecting passion is now on display in the Museum that carries my name: Museum Seni Agung Rai / Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) and includes works not only by leading Balinese artists like Ida Bagus Made Poleng, AA Gede Sobrat, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, I Gusti Ketut Kodo, AA Gde Meregeg and Nyoman Meja, but by artists from all over the Indonesian archipelago. You will find renowned names as Affandi, Sudjono, Srihadi Soedarsono, Raden Saleh and many others, but also work of upcoming masters I put my faith in like Putu Wirantawan. Since the beginning of the 20th century the culture and natural beauty of Bali moved and inspired numerous foreign artists to produce great works of art. Some of them stayed for a few months, others spent their entire life on the island. The ARMA collection includes works by Rudolph Bonnet, Arie Smit, Le Majeur de Merpres, Willem Dooijewaard, Willem Hofker, Hans Snel and Donald Friend. Walter Spies was a visionary who build bridges between The Western and Balinese culture and has therefore a special place in our collection.
To guarantee and sustain its continuity, the Museum is managed by The ARMA Foundation. The funds raised by the Foundation (including your welcome contribution) are used to contribute to our efforts in treasuring, promoting and developing the Arts and Culture, not only of Bali, but of all Indonesia. For me, what has been accomplished up till now is just a beginning. My dream of continuously being able to contribute in preserving and growing the art of Bali. In particular of Ubud, is still very much alive. I am delighted that your visit to ARMA helps you to share my dream with me. May Ubud remain the artistic centre of Bali for generations to come.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to all who have supported me in the establishment of ARMA. Thank you for your ideas, commitment and loyalty to the ARMA cause. Praise and prayers of thanks to Almighty God Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, because it is only by God’s grace that what we envisioned has been realized today.
Om Santi Santi Santi Om
Ubud, March 2015
Agung Rai
Founder of ARMA
The Guardian of Balinese Harmony
First a smile! So he is a Balinese. Open. Then a “naughty” wink, so you understand he is a smart one! Then he starts talking– not about himself, but about his island. Typical of the man. Gung Rai, owner of the ARMA Museum. Listening to him, you will soon find yourself in a world of temples, dances and holy trees, and understand how in Bali Man is part of nature and Nature shaped by Man.
He may talk about the gods, and you will be told that how they dwell in the self –one in the heart, another in the liver etc—and motion the Universe in an eternal movement of coming and going, creation and destruction. But it is when he starts glossing about visual arts that his eyes really spark. He never painted, he will tell you, but it is nevertheless through painting that he found the language and means to talk to his guests about Balinese harmony.
You may then learn that he started as a peddler and became a merchant, but before long you will understand that he never meant to “accumulate”, but instead to “show”. And what else could he show, if not the artistic representation of Balinese harmony. Hence his museum and resorts, where Nature, Man and certainly the Gods come one last time in total harmony with one another, as this same harmony is seen elsewhere shrinking in landscapes and villages.
Jean Couteau
Cultural philosopher and writer.
To built and maintain a Museum of world renown, providing the highest quality events in rapport with Indonesian and Balinese arts and culture, with highly trained staff who work together to reach the organisation’s goals while providing excellent service to people from all cultures.
Agung Rai’s vision is daring, inspiring, visionary, challenging and broad. At the same time it is also meaningful, realistic, acknowledges and builds on the past, and focuses on the future.
The philosophy of ARMA is a strong reflection of its creator. Agung Rai lives his life as a creative adventure full of exciting possibilities. He is keenly perceptive of people and the world around him and insightful about the present and the future. He is curious and imaginative; energetic, enthusiastic and spontaneous. He values co-operative efforts and good will.
ARMA is a direct result of Agung Rai’s love of the arts, as well as his culture and people.
Agung Rai’s philosophy doesn’t only impact on the outside world. This philosophy is well integrated into the whole organisation, and forms the fundamental ideas around which ARMA is built.
Agung Rai’s leadership is characterised by his concern not only for the arts, but also for humanity. He is adaptable, seeks harmony and affiliation and his leadership is one of encouragement.
This philosophy is integral to Agung Rai’s vision and has produced not only beautiful buildings, but incredible opportunities for artists, Balinese people of all ages, and people from an all-encompassing diversity of cultures.
Of course, no-one is alone with their dream. Agung Rai’s wife, Ibu Agung Rai Suartini, has supported her husband’s vision with her own strong characteristics. She is a driving force in making her husband’s dream sustainable,valuing competence, efficiency and results.
The philosophy is the guiding light by which the staff members carry out their work, and through which the organisation expresses itself.
The ARMA Foundation in Bali, Indonesia, was established in 1996 to promote and preserve Balinese art and culture. The Foundation is the administrative arm for a complex that includes a world class museum, a center for visual and performing arts including a dance and music Sanggar, or informal school. Hundreds of children, teenagers and adults have benefited from the ARMA Sanggar, which ARMA makes available without cost to local families. Many of these children have gone on to perform in their communities as skilled dancers and musicians. But now the continuation of the ARMA Sanggar program is under serious pressure, due to the declining income from donations of tourists.
The island of Bali in Indonesia has long been recognized for its many traditional art forms. Music and dance in particular have been celebrated for their contributions to world heritage. Originally these art forms were an outgrowth of the native Hindu religion. They were designed as offerings before the central Godhead to celebrate the grace of the human form. International appreciation for Balinese dance and music became the basis for much of the tourist interest in Bali.
The aim of this specific program is the preservation of the Legong Keraton of Peliatan within various aspects involves melody, movements, themes, narration, instrumental accompaniment, the systems of decoration, costuming, and staging. It also includes the socio-cultural and historical background.
The framework for the preparations of the program at ARMA has already been arranged. The work group involves a director, a secretary, and three expert members. It also includes two dance choreographers, two music composers (musicologists), two musicians, and three dancers with backgrounds of formal education and local artistic dedication supported by the Sanggar ARMA. The program’s management team is supplemented with artists, a photographer, an audio-visual technician, an anthropologist, and a historian of Balinese literature. This group is involved in the matter of describing their respective duties. The whole team has been working together since the preparation stage, researching, collecting and organizing data, to the stage of implementation of these studies and the evaluation of work.
The ARMA foundation has established and developed society’s appreciation of its mission through implementation of fundraising programs that guarantees the perpetuity of this cultural mission.
Dancing and music exercises in Sanggar ARMA
Regular stage performances every, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday,Saturday, full moon, and new moon
Cultural workshops, such as painting, dancing, playing traditional music, sculpture, making offerings, batik painting, meditation, and weaving, etc.
Regular and incidental exhibitions
No fee is charged to local people attending a cultural workshop organized by the ARMA Museum, as the ARMA Foundation was created to support and preserve the Balinese culture.
Recent events have threatened the continuation of the traditional art forms. The shift within the Balinese society from an agrarian to an industrial livelihood was swift enough to make visible the lack of support for the arts. Globalization has brought a change in art making from one of balanced spiritual offering towards the basis for a wage system. Other factors include a lack of enduring documentation about traditional dance and music, and the significant loss of master teachers through age and passing
We hope that you will consider joining the ARMA Foundation with your financial support.
ARMA Foundation
Mr. Agung Rai
