TAKSU: THE ART OF BALI – RECENT GIFTS TO CDU ART COLLECTION – TAASA Review December 2019

Kellie Joswig S howcasing the splendour of Balinese art in Darwin, Taksu: The Art of Bali – Recent Gifts to CDU Art Collection presents works from two prominent Australian collectors of Balinese art, the late Christopher Hill and Michael Abbott AO QC. The exhibition at Charles Darwin University (CDU) Art Gallery features recently gifted early 20th century sculptures and ritual objects, dance-drama masks, Wayang Kulit shadow puppets, and modern and contemporary paintings.

Although the geographical parameters for collecting at CDU includes the Southeast Asian region, there were previously only a handful of works from Indonesia and these wonderful gifts form the University’s first acquisitions of Balinese art. The word taksu refers to paintings and objects imbued with a spiritual energy or created through divine inspiration.

It gives some context to many of the works on display, demonstrating the often inextricable links between the complex belief systems of the Balinese and creative output...