Curatorial Practice in Bali Kandarupa as an Arena of Knowledge Production and the Dynamics of Creative Dispositions among Traditional Balinese Artists

Abstract

Curatorial practice in art exhibitions not only determines the selection and presentation of artworks but also shapes the knowledge environment surrounding artists’ creative processes. This article examines Bali Kandarupa 2021–2024 as an arena of knowledge production and the dynamics of creative dispositions among traditional Balinese artists. Adopting a qualitative approach with a reflexive ethnographic orientation, the study draws on observation, interviews, exhibition documentation, catalogues, and inductive analysis of selected works. Paul O’Neill’s notion of curating as knowledge production informs the analysis of curatorial practice, while Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus is used to examine artists’ responses through established dispositions. The findings show that curatorial themes and dialogues prompted artists to connect visual sources, collective memory, personal experience, and artistic languages with exhibition ideas, while selection, catalogues, and exhibition design shaped interpretations of their works. These processes encouraged adaptation, expansion, and development in artists’ creative dispositions, opening new readings of Balinese traditional art today.