CHESTERFIELD: Balinese art on display

Bali has a rich cultural diversity, which is reflected in this latest exhibition, where traditional ‘Wayang’ styles and Batiks sit pretty with modern abstracts and ‘Young Artist’ styles - a school of painting that sprung up from a small village outside Ubud in the 60’s - and has flourished ever since.

Local Musician/Promoter Aaron Brown was so struck by the artists in Bali whilst on holiday there in 2006, that he immersed himself in the language and culture of Indonesia, travelling back many times, helping struggling artists make a living.

After a few exhibitions of their works in bars and cafés in and around Leeds, the Indonesian Community in the area asked him to provide an exhibition at Leeds University for the celebration of their National (Independence) Day - Hari Kemerdekaan in 2007. This success forged deep links with the community and has led to 14 exhibitions in the UK so far, with this one in Fair (Not Fur) Traders being the first in Chesterfield - which retained it’s ‘Fairtrade Borough Status’ in 2011.

The exhibition runs at Fair (Not Fur) Traders, Newbold Road, Chesterfield, until the middle of June.