The Magic and the Art of Bali Exhibition presents about 250 objects, belonging to one of the most eminent Polish collectors, and showing works created by past and present Bali artists.
It presents the context of magic and rituals and is divided into 3 parts. The first one (and the largest) displays paintings, the second fabrics, and the third – sculptures.
“Magic and Bali Art from the collcetion of Krzysztof Musial” is an exhibition, goal of which is to show the work of Balinese artists, its magical and ritual significance, as well as collection passion of Krzysztof Musial, without which the project would not be possible.
The exhibition presents the art of Bali in two parts devoted to the sacred an profane. This means that the collected objects are exposed by their sacral-ritual and secular pirpose. In the space devoted to the sacred there are paontings and sculptures illustrating the ancient Indian epics, the Hindu deities, as well as local ceremonies. Another valuable set of objects presented in the area of the exhibition are the fabrics, importance of which goes far beyond their mateial status.
In the transition space between sacred and profane is a group of ink drawings on paper made by Balinese artists in the 1930s. These are pieces of art depicting everyday life in Bali, shown frequently in a dramatic and expressive way. Most of them were formerly in the collections of famous anthropologists – Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson.
In the profane part one can admire a number of paintings and fabrics illustration Bali in its secular dimension, as well as the valuable collection of stylised figures of animals and humans made in the 1930s, mostly by anonymous artists clearly inspired by European art deco.
National Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw
The National Ethnographic Museum is a space where the achievements of world culture meet with individual sensitivity, becoming an inspiration to discover the beauty of diversity.
The State Ethnographic Museum – one of the oldest ethnographic museums in Poland. The museum was founded in 1888 and houses over 80,000 objects and about 120,000 archives. The Ethnographic Museum presents several permanent exhibitions and over a dozen temporary exhibitions a year.
In modern interiors, we present permanent and temporary exhibitions of interdisciplinary character and diverse themes. The autonomous structure of our institution is dedicated to the youngest Children’s Museum, where you can touch everything. The museum also has a library and the Antropos cinema with an unconventional repertoire. In the Bílý Koníček café you can get acquainted with the offer of the bookstore and shop while drinking coffee. In addition, the museum hosts trade fairs, special events, meetings with authors, workshops and seminars. Therefore, we encourage you to actively participate in culture – children, youth and adults.
National Ethnographic Museum diversity and richness of cultures around the world and present their values as a nationwide good, thus contributing to the development of an open society.