Roots

Leaving behind a life in the upper echelons of German society, the Russian-born artist Walter Spies emigrated to Java in 1923 before settling in Bali in 1927. He fully immersed himself in the local culture, capturing the island’s landscape and people in magical-realist-style paintings and drawings that continue to influence the art of Bali to this day. In this exhibition at the Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger, Spies’s time in Bali is explored through a recreation of his lavish retreat, Villa Iseh (30 August–17 November). Thematically divided into each room of the ‘villa’, the work of contemporary Balinese artists such as Gus Dark and Made Bayak are included to explore the postcolonial history of the island, the impact of mass tourism, environmental degradation and the preservation of Bali’s heritage. Also being shown are excerpts from Michael Schindhelm’s docu-fiction film Roots (2024), which depicts a Spies-like presence guiding viewers through Bali’s cultural evolution over the last century.

Find out more from Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger’s website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary

Industry, Hidden History Island of the Gods III, Reception of Paradise Created (2024), Made Bayak. Photo: courtesy Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger

Still of Roots (2024) by Michael Schindhelm. Courtesy Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger

Deer Hunt (1932), Walter Spies. Photo: © Afterhours Books Jakarta