Welcome to Paradise, A Solo Painting Exhibition by I Ketut Teler

Maya Ubud Resort & Spa will feature a solo painting exhibition by I Ketut Teler, titled “Welcome to Paradise” from January 8 - February 8, 2011.

Teler will display 22 of his unique artworks themed “Welcome to Paradise”, which are the testimonies to the various phenomena of costumes, culture, tradition & religions that occurred in Bali. The paintings show various forms of acculturation and cultural adaptation that grow harmoniously in Bali.

Born in 1971 in the village of Bangli, Bali, Teler graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts Indonesia in Denpasar. Since 1992 he has been active in group exhibitions in a number of galleries and museums in Bali, Yogyakarta and Jakarta. In 1995 he participated in The Artist Residence in Boston, USA. In the same year he was awarded the First Prize Kamasra by the ISI in Denpasar.

Since 2002, Teler has been interested in icons and Buddhism which is often reflected in his works. He pursues the philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism, and the rituals of Vajrayana. “Through the middle way, I want to search and find the essence of dualism, which is able to bring about an attitude of tolerance and harmony in life. The middle way it also inspires a lot of my works,” he said.

Teler’s exquisite works can be viewed during this exhibition at the Lobby of Maya Ubud Resort & Spa from January 8 - February 8, 2011.

Palebon Agung in Ubud

A Palebon Agung, the cremation ceremony of Ida Dwa Agung Peliatan IX was held on November 2, 2010 in the vicinity of Ubud. The procession started around 1 p.m. with a mass of local community carried out 8.5-meter-high white bull with golden horns, a 6-meter-high dragon bridge (nagabanda), and a 25-meter-high 11-tier cremation tower (bade). The body of the royal Ida Dwa Agung Peliatan IX was placed in this tower and transported to the Pura Dalem from Peliatan Palace.

Materials Exploration, Solo Painting Exhibition by Dadik Isbandono

Dadik Isbandono displays eleven (11) of his unique paintings at Maya Ubud Resort & Spa. In this exhibition he roamed realism using different materials, such as: coffee, tea, pencil colour and acrylic on canvas.

Dadik shared that the technique he uses for painting with tea is similar with painting with water-colour. We can see the water marks from the brush. While painting with coffee will create an end result a rough surface. It’s interesting to know that the quality and way to handle these paintings are the same as painting using other materials.

Born in 1969 in Kediri - East Java, Dadik Isbandono studied fine art painting in IKIP Malang – East Java and was graduated in 1992. In 1998 Dadik moved to Bali and do a lot of human portrait paintings. He captures natural human expression in daily life in most of his works.

Dadik’s beautiful works can be viewed during this exhibition at Maya Ubud Resort & Spa from October 6 to November 15, 2010.

Maya Ubud Plant-a-Tree Campaign

Maya Ubud is supporting a local non-profit conservation organisation, Friends of National Parks Foundation (FNPF), to restore forest cover on the Bali adjacent island of Nusa Penida from only 5% to 30%.

Trees combat global warming by extracting CO2 from the atmosphere. Trees reduce soil erosion and bring higher rainfall. Trees provide habitat for wildlife.

Maya Ubud invites guests to plant-a-tree and restore 1 hectare of a 100 hectare reforestation project. A plaque listing all Maya Ubud donors will be placed on the land. Donors will receive the FNPF annual newsletter describing the progress of the reforestation project. $20 donation will cover the cost of growing 4 saplings from seeds in the FNPF nursery, planting on the land, and then 3 years of care (mulch & water)

FNPF is a local non-profit conservation organisation that combines Wildlife Protection, Habitat Restoration and Community Wellbeing (www.fnpf.org). FNPF has converted Nusa Penida into a unique “island bird sanctuary”. Endangered Indonesian bird species are released onto the island to build up their numbers free from the threat of poachers. FNPF runs day trips from Ubud to Nusa Penida to visit the conservation project. If interested, please contact our Resort Guide at extension 1901. All proceeds and donations are used to fund the project.

Orphanage Visitation

On Thursday the 28th of September, Maya Ubud began visitation to several homes of orphan in Bali. The first visit was the Balinese orphanage known as Seeds of Hope, located in Dalung and founded by Tommy and his wife Sandra. This orphanage provides care to 67 children from the age of 10 months up to 18 years. Benih Harapan was the second orphanage visited in the same day.

In the following days, Saturday the 2nd of October, Maya Ubud visited more orphanages, Darma Jati a privately run Balinese orphanage for more than 200 children and Tat Wam Asi an orphanage for 45 girls. Yayasan Senyum, a non profit, independent organization working to bring health care to people with craniofacial disabilities was visited as well during the day.

During this visitation, some donation of useable stuff has been handed to them by Maya Ubud management. Further donation will be given to the other organization that provided care to orphans and poor and homeless children.

Temple Ceremony at Maya Ubud

The Balinese temple ceremony called Piodalan was held on September 8, 2010 at Maya Ubud's temple. Hotel staffs and management presented banten and gebogan as an offering to the Hindu deities. The ceremony has been also filled with the hotel guests who are interested in attending the ceremony. Balinese Mask Dance and Shadow Puppet were performed followed by the procession with Ida Pedanda Gede Jelantik Giri, Balinese high priest.

Jewelled Batik & Fabric Collage Exhibition

The Gallery Boutique of Maya Ubud Resort & Spa during the month of September will feature a unique collection of jeweled batik tapestries designed by Annemarie Kipar along with a collection of fabric collage by Helga Fiedler.

German-born Annemarie Kipar decorates her beautiful batik selection with beads, sequins and stones piece by piece, creating beautiful glittering tapestries. Annemarie found Indonesian batiks to be magical in their intricate design with motifs ranging from imaginative to naïf; mystical to primitive. Each piece of art takes three to four months to complete. Over the years Annemarie’s tapestries have become collector’s items throughout the world and adorn the homes of celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor.

Inspired by Annemarie’s unique collection, her long time friend Helga A. Fiedler, whose hobbies included painting, doll making, patchwork & quilting, began creating her own wonderful pieces of collage from the extensive array of fabrics and beads collected over her many years in Bali. These intriguing pieces of artwork will also be displayed during this exhibition.

Look Back, Reflect on Nature; Water Colour Painting Exhibition

Maya Ubud Resort & Spa will feature a group painting exhibition featuring water colours artwork of 20 selected painters titled “Look Back, Reflect on Nature” from August 1 – 31, 2010.

The twenty (20) artists of Agus Budiyanto Aquarelle Studio through their beautiful paintings invite us to return to the environment, for viewing the paintings one will be able to look back, reflect and be encouraged to make every effort to maintain the balance of nature.

The Aquarelle’s beautiful works can be viewed during this exhibition at Maya Ubud Resort & Spa from August 1 – 31, 2010.

Part of the proceeds from this exhibition will be donated to the Bali International Women’s Association (BIWA) to support their social and environmental projects.

Maya Ubud’s a Spiritual Journey: an Enchanting, Healing, Loving Experience

Maya Ubud Resort & Spa’s special eight day package: A Spiritual Journey, has been an exceptional experience for its participants. See what they say about it.

Since the beginning of the year when first introduced, demand for this package has seen a steady increase by those wishing to discover the real essence of the life of the Balinese, and experience their unique culture and spirituality.

The Spiritual Journey package is a unique package that introduces and assists participants to better understand the spiritual aspects of Balinese life and customs, whilst creating a rejuvenating and healing experience for participants. The Spiritual Journey commences with a warm welcome from our caring staff, each one allocated to meet the needs of clients to ensure their stay is a memorable and enlightening one.

Each enlightening day commences with morning yoga and meditation sessions in a picturesque setting, followed on different days by exploring nearby temples and visiting a traditional Balinese healer (Balian), or even a spiritual consultation and priestly blessing. Another option is to learn with village ladies the art of making traditional temple offerings as our guide carefully explains the meaning of the offerings, which can later be presented during the village temple visit. On another morning clients will be taken for a walk to a traditional village to be greeted by local village people and experience how they start a typical day. Throughout the Spiritual Journey program, the designated resort guide will share with participants various aspects of the philosophy of the Balinese people, which will enlighten and help them better understand the unique practical, cultural and spiritual essence of Balinese life.

Each day is planned to ensure a relaxed pace with plenty of time in between scheduled activities to also enjoy free time . . . such as relaxing by one of the beautiful pools, taking the free shuttle bus to Ubud market, or simply being spoilt with one of several (all inclusive) spa pampering treatments that awaits you in the legendary riverside Spa at Maya.

Those who have participated in and experienced the Spiritual Journey package write only heartfelt comments following their stay.

“To say that participating in the Spiritual Journey program has been profound is an extreme understatement. In actual fact it is very hard to encapsulate in words the most blessed, healing, and magical, experience that I’ve had. From my day of arrival, I’ve been made to feel very special and this has been very soothing to my soul and healing for my heart… I truly am blessed!” said Ms Mary Rutledge (www.angelsartalchemy.com) at the end of her stay with Maya Ubud early last month, “I believe that this package is too important for people not to know about it,” she continued.

Ms Suzanne Hart of Australia (www.SHE.net.au) summarized her experience and that of her clients by saying; “The Balinese blessing ceremony was another highlight. Wayan our personal resort guide did such a great job of explaining the ceremony and guiding us through it. The ladies loved it!”

Ubud has always had strong spiritual healing elements related to the confluence of the two sacred rivers, the Oos and the Pakusera and an abundance of natural healing plants and herbs that thrive in the area, as well as the numerous balians (natural healers) that practice here, not to mention its ancient temples, revered priests and mystics.

Ubud is truly a place where one feels spiritually inspired, revitalized and loved.

Traditional Life of Bali - Solo Painting Exhibition by Wayan Pendet, June 15 - July 28, 2010 at Maya Lobby

Born in 1939 in Peliatan, Ubud. Wayan Pendet graduated from junior high school in Ubud in 1956 and then studied painting techniques under Anak Agung Raka Turas from 1956-1959. Apart from painting Wayan was also participated in wood carving and soft stone sketch and relief projects. Together with his mentor, Anak Agung Raka Turas he was involved in the creation of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Indonesia Miniature Park) Jakarta in 1975. He was also participated in creating two monuments at Museum Purna Bhakti Peritwi in Jakarta in 1990.

Pendet uses acrylic water colour on paper and canvas for his paintings. In his daily life Pendet is also a farmer and it is from here he has acquired inspiration for many of his paintings. His charming artworks reflect much of the traditional balinese way of life, dances, temple ceremonies and the colorful traditional markets.

Wayan pendet displays eighteen (18) of his unique works of art at Maya Ubud Resort & Spa consisting mainly of traditional balinese style paintings inspired by colourful traditional life of Bali.