In a corner of the Sanur Village Festival 2010 on Friday, Kartika Affandi appeared absorbed in her work.
The daughter of the late maestro Affandi was painting on a canvas with her fingers. She was painting a model wearing a traditional costume for a mask dance.
Three hours later, she had finished painting five masked characters. The paintings were to be submitted to the festival's auction.
"I joined the Sanur Village Festival on my own accord. Sanur has given me many memories. I first came to Bali in 1939," she said, smiling though she looked tired.
She chatted with the model, and joked with her colleagues and visitors.
Bali, especially Sanur, has experienced tremendous changes, said Kartika, who came all the way from her house in Yogyakarta to take part in the festival.
"There have been so many negative changes," she said, citing environmental destruction and shifts in art and culture.
She said she expected the festival would pave the way to revitalize Sanur, including its art and culture. She hailed the organizing committee for accommodating artists to join the event.
Artists from the Sanur Painters Group performed their activities in an area called Art Kampoeng at the festival, which concluded Sunday.
In the area, visitors could walk around and see various creative works showcased by the artists. Most of the works were installations bringing messages of environment, art and cultural preservation.
Old buildings, which used to be residences of Grand Bali Beach Hotel employees, were transformed into studios and workshops for the artists.
Event coordinator IB Sutama said Art Kampoeng was a new idea presented in the annual festival.
In previous years, the organizing committee had always designated a special place for the artists' paintings and installations.
"The works were simply showcased in an exhibition. But now, in this Art Kampoeng, all artists are not only able to exhibit their works, but also to perform activities in the studios and workshops, and mingle with visitors," Sutama said.
Criticisms of degradation to the environment, art and culture were themes commonly depicted in the artists' works, he added.
Sutama himself displayed an installation resembling a BTS tower with a bright red color that glows at night.
He created the work to respond to the growing number of telecommunication towers that have been built without considering their effect on the landscape.
"Everyone now is highly dependent on telecommunication devices, they bring those devices with them everywhere. But not everyone is aware that the towers are disturbing," he said.
Head of the festival's organizing committee, IB Gede Sidharta Putra, said the organizer was very committed to preserving Sanur, which has long been known as a center for art development.
Although the town has transformed into an international tourist destination, Sanur has been able to maintain its social and cultural roots.
"Through this festival, we want to highlight the characteristics of Sanur. The place hasn't lost its identity even though it has become an *international village'."
The artists, he added, have played a role in building the good image of Sanur, adding that many foreign tourists visit Sanur because they want to interact with the artists.
