Badung Culture Agency Flags Unequal Project Distribution Among Artists Ahead of Bali Arts Festival
The Badung Regency Culture Agency (Disbud Badung) has highlighted the issue of artists taking on too many performance projects at the Bali Arts Festival (PKB) 2026. The agency found that some artists were simultaneously handling multiple assignments, effectively shutting out other equally competent artists.
“Many of our artists are juggling up to four or five jobs at once. This closes opportunities for other artists with the same competence,” said Head of the Badung Culture Agency, I Gede Sukadana, on Friday (24/7/2026).
Disbud Badung wants to ensure that the arts stage is not dominated solely by certain artist groups. This policy is expected to provide fairer space for all regional artistic potential at the next PKB. “We are evaluating this so that in the future there is equal distribution for artists with equivalent competence. This is an important evaluation material for us to improve performance governance,” Sukadana stated.
Sukadana also evaluated the imbalance in the number of artist representatives between sub-districts in Badung. He noted that one sub-district sent up to nine performances, while another only participated with three performances. “We see an imbalance between regions, where one sub-district can send nine performances but another only three. For PKB 2027, we want equal distribution so that each sub-district will be represented by four performances,” Sukadana explained.
He emphasised the need for equal distribution and regeneration of artists in Badung. One approach is to revive the Mangupura Cultural Festival, which has been dormant for two years. This district-level arts festival is projected to become a platform for selection and cadre formation for young artists before they appear at the PKB.
“The Mangupura Cultural Festival, which coincides with the city’s anniversary, will be revived after a two-year hiatus. This activity will serve as a cadre formation event and a scouting ground for artist talent for PKB 2027,” said Sukadana.
To improve the quality of performances at PKB 2027, Disbud Badung will also involve professional curators from among senior artists. Performance concepts will be directed to be bolder in executing innovative artistic works. “We want competent artists to act as curators in line with the main theme of PKB. We encourage artists to dare to innovate and directly execute their works, not just stop at discourse,” he concluded.