Bali, Island of Gods and Mysteries

At the edge of distant seas, where mystery and spirituality weave their fabric, lies a rare pearl in the Indian Ocean: Bali, the island of the Gods. At the heart of the Indonesian archipelago, this exotic and enchanting land reveals a pantheon of customs and beauties that one might believe frozen in time. Like a showcase of a bygone era, Bali offers itself as a timeless parenthesis, where traditions are sacred and rituals, ancestral ballets. The rice terraces, like waves sculpted by the hand of time, tell a story of harmony between man and nature, a symbiosis that seems eternal. In the villages, temples emerge like jewels, sanctuaries dedicated to the gods and goddesses who populate the daily lives of the Balinese. Their ceremonies, ritual and colorful, seem to be an eternal dance between the visible and the invisible, a tribute to a deeply rooted spirituality.

Bali is also the meeting between ancient traditions and art. The craftsmen, sculptors and painters, heirs of a centuries-old artistic lineage, perpetuate unique know-how. Each work tells the story of an island where art and spirituality mingle in an inseparable fusion.

Balinese dances, true poems in movement, are like windows opening onto a parallel reality. The graceful gestures, the exotic masks, everything evokes a world where we glimpse the invisible, where we dance with the spirits to the sound of gamelans and cymbals.

However, even with the boom in tourism, Bali retains an unaltered charm. Towns like Ubud, nestled in lush vegetation, retain their authenticity and peaceful atmosphere. The traditional markets, with their colorful stalls of sarongs and spices, bear witness to the excitement of a preserved local life.

In short, Bali reveals itself as an enchanting enigma, where beliefs and customs weave an indissoluble fabric with natural beauty. An island that tells a complex and poignant story, where each rice field, each temple, and each smile of the Balinese seems to be a page in the great book of human history.

During his visit to Bali in January 2020, French photographer Stéphane Sensey found himself stranded on the island due to the pandemic. Photographer and insatiable traveler, Stéphane Sensey then chose to explore the most remote areas. He goes from the west to the north of Bali, staying in Munduk, an old plantation village located in the hills overlooking the north coast or in the region of Sumberkima and Pemuteran which is home to the ancient Pura Pulaki temple. From there, his photographic series on Bali begins.

Stéphane Sensey takes us well beyond the romantic and idyllic clichés that we already know of Bali. He invites us to discover the island of Gods in its most beautiful colors, its customs, its authenticity, its light, like a taste of eternity immortalized.

The photographs from the Bali series by Stéphane Sensey can be discovered in our eShop. Limited Edition art photographs. Maison Sensey Selection