New Bali contemporary arts complex looks to redefine the relationship between culture and nature

US architects ArandaLasch have unveiled plans for a contemporary arts complex and gardens in Bali, envisioned as a place to experience 'art within nature'.

Revealed at the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Budidesa Art Park – funded by Chinese-Indonesian entrepreneur Budi Tek – comprises a series of art gardens, a museum complex and residences surrounded by rice paddies near the regional capital of Denpasar.

Budidesa will act as a new home for Budi Tek’s Yuz Foundation – a charity founded in 2007 to promote art. Outside, a central path makes its way through the gardens, offering exterior exhibition space for visitors to experience art within a tropical environment.

The outdoor area will feature works from artists including Ai Weiwei, Anslem Keifer and Maurizio Cattelan, as well as local Balinese artists. Natural elements such as plants, rocks and water will also be used in installations by contemporary artists, presenting nature as an art form.

Both the indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces have been designed to be integrated with their surroundings. An inhabitable roof will allow visitors to walk through the surrounding rice paddies and on to the museum’s roof, which doubles as a sculpture park. The roof is also designed to be its own landscape, which at night will include outdoor video projections, reflections and illuminations.

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