Few days ago, I went to Batuan Village, near Ubud, Bali to visit a woodcarving gallery owned by a Balinese lady named Yan Nik. Her collection was amazing, featuring many different Balinese styles of woodcarving statues made from various types of wood, all displayed beautifully in her gallery.
During my visit, I had a conversation with Yan Nik. She, along with her husband, supports local artists by buying their work and selling them to public in her gallery especially to tourists and other interested buyers. This way, they help preserve the art of woodcarving and promote the artists' work.
Later I went into the gallery to see the wood carvings. There were fine statues of different sizes and wall decorations, which I think are called panels. The statues were made from different materials, such as satinwood, sandalwood, mahogany, and teak. The higher quality statues were placed on glass shelves. It was really enjoyable to walk around and admire the work of the Balinese woodcarvers.
One of the biggest statues was of the monkey god, which I took a photo of without realizing that no photos were allowed. I apologized to Yan Nik, but she said it was okay because I am a tour guide and a blogger, this might help promote her collection to my clients and wider audience 😀. She then gave me permission to photograph the statues inside the gallery.
Finally, I went to the front area of the gallery (which I skipped before) where I saw some artists working on finishing or carving statues made of various woods. The ones I saw being used were satinwood and hibiscus wood.
That concluded my visit to the gallery. I thanked Yan Nik and told her I would visit again next time.