Carving Meaning into Space:
In Bali, craft is not a category, it is a way of being. This understanding sits at the core of the collaboration between The Craft and Balinese artist Ketut Nugi, where signage becomes more than functional direction. It becomes a cultural statement.
Born in Gianyar in 1996 and trained at the Indonesian Art Institute of Yogyakarta, Ketut Nugi is a multidisciplinary artist known for a strong and unmistakable visual language. His practice is shaped by a deep fascination with Balinese history, particularly the imagery produced during early 20th-century colonialism. His works often take the form of poster-like installations or denunciatory postcards mounted on fragile, unstable structures juxtapose bold, commercial-style text with charged visual scenes. Through this critical return to the past, Nugi questions how cultural commodification has shaped contemporary Balinese identity. Addressing younger generations in particular, his work urges a more conscious response to unchecked modernization, advocating for the preservation of traditional values through a language that is both contemporary and provocatively disruptive.
In our interview, he reflects on how traditional roles, undagi for architects, sulvika for sculptors, citrakara for painters, and sangging for mask or Barong makers, already define craft through profession itself. For him, these terms are not labels but living proof that craftsmanship in Bali has always been embedded within identity and daily life
This worldview shapes his collaboration with The Craft. Rather than treating signage as a decorative afterthought, Nugi approaches it as a subject, an active presence within the space. He believes that craft today must be repositioned, not seen as secondary to fine art, but as an inherited identity that deserves visibility and respect. “Craft should be viewed as a subject, not merely an object,” he explains, emphasizing the urgency of reclaiming its cultural weight in contemporary contexts
For The Craft’s signage, Nugi worked with Palimanan paras stone, translating his visual language into material form. His creative process begins with deconstructing symbols, searching for visual languages that can be rebuilt into new meanings. The result is signage that maintains a conceptual link to his paintings while standing firmly within the realm of design. Text placement, form, and material are treated with equal intention, ensuring that art and function remain inseparable.
One of the most striking decisions in this collaboration is Nugi’s interpretation of the undagi. Rather than depicting the figure literally, he transforms the undagi into form itself, expressed through structural elements such as pillars (saka), beams (sunduk), and rooflines. In doing so, the undagi is no longer an object to be illustrated, but a subject embodied by the signage itself, a quiet architectural presence guiding the guest through space.
Placed throughout The Craft, these signages do more than direct movement. They invite reflection on how spaces are built, how culture is translated, and how craft continues to live within modern design. Each carved surface carries an idea: that craftsmanship is not a relic of the past, but a living language, still capable of shaping how we experience a place.
Through this collaboration, The Craft and Ketut Nugi offer a reminder that even the most utilitarian elements can carry meaning. When craft is honored as identity, signage becomes more than a marker, it becomes a story, etched into stone and carried forward.
Walk through The Craft and discover how stone, symbol, and space come together to tell a story. Follow the signs, and let craft lead the way.
