REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, DENPASAR -- Eleven foreign art groups are scheduled to perform during the the month-long 38th Bali Art Festival to be held until July 6, 2016.
"Culture is universal. Through culture, we could strengthen relations with other countries," Head of the Bali Cultural office Dewa Putu Beratha stated here, Monday.
The foreign art groups to feature in the festival are from France, China, Timor Leste, Japan, Britain, Canada, Thailand, India, and the United States, among other nations.
The French collective of artists "Les Grandes Personnes" performed on an open stage at the Ksiarmana Cultural Park in Denpasar on Sunday evening.
The collective Les Grandes Personnes performing with four giant puppets, reaching a height of up to four meters, combined drama and visual arts to tell stories.
Frank Ivet, the director of Les Grandes Personnes, expressed happiness on being able to perform for the first time in the Bali Art Festival.
The audience was enthralled by the entertaining and unique performance that lasted for an hour.
Some 15 thousand Indonesian and foreign artists are participating in the 38th Bali Art Festival being held in Bali from June 11 to July 9, 2016.
"The Bali Art Festival will feature 225 arts from Bali's districts and cities, and 15 thousand artists are expected to participate in it," Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika stated during the opening of the festival, here, Saturday.
Artists from other regions, such as Jakarta, East Java, East Nusa Tenggara, Blitar, Balikpapan, Bandung, Gunung Kidul, and Magelang, are also taking part in the festival.
Foreign participants hail from the United States, India, Great Britain, Japan, France, Thailand, China, and Timor Leste.
The festival was officially kicked off by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at the Bajra Sandhi People's Struggle Monument on Saturday evening.
"I am happy that I am here this evening. The 38th Bali Art Festival is an event much-awaited by the people and tourists from different countries," he remarked while opening the festival.
The event not only serves as a medium of education but also boosts the economy of the Balinese people, the president affirmed.
On the occasion, President Jokowi was accompanied by First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo, Education and Culture Minister Anies Baswedan, and Tourism Minister Arief Yahya.
The festival attracts not only local people but also foreign tourists.
The opening of the festival was marked by a cultural parade featuring a variety of dances and arts from districts and municipalities in Bali Province.
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