Backstage (Indonesia, Bali)

In Bali, the behind-the-scenes of rituals are as visible as the ceremonies themselves. Religious and decorative crafts constitute a vibrant, informal economy deeply rooted in the local social fabric. On roadsides, in courtyards, between two trees, artist-workers—often called undangan —sculpt, paint, or assemble temporary decorations: symbolic portals, wedding arches, portable shrines, or false facades.

These installations, ephemeral or semi-permanent, are made of hybrid materials: plywood, resin, printed tarpaulins, industrial paint. We recognize the forms of the Balinese Hindu style (kala, nagas, floral or celestial motifs), but their execution is a matter of mastered tinkering, of constant adaptation to orders and budgets.

This know-how, often self-taught, is transmitted on the construction sites themselves, in a form of oral and gestural learning. It reflects both Balinese ingenuity and the influence of tourism, which transforms sacred gestures into commissioned objects. A culture where ritual also becomes local production , between economy, belief and image.