In the eastern part of town, on street Nusa Indah, fifteen minutes’ walk from the Kereneng bemo station, or direct on a Sanur-bound bemo, the Ardha candra Cultural Centre houses a moderately interesting art museum and stages spectacular nightly kecak dance performances. From mid-June to mid-July it also hosts the annual Arts Festival, a huge programme of drama, dance and art exhibitions. The main exhibition hall is housed in the long, two-storey building towards the back of the compound, and begins with an overview of Balinese painting, with a few examples in the classical wayang style, followed by works from several different schools, taking in the so-called Ubud, Batuan and Young Artists styles (see pp.514-515 for more on these). Religious and secular woodcarvings fill the next room, together with an assortment of Ramayana and topeng dance masks. There are more ambitious carvings downstairs, along with a collection of modern non-traditional paintings spanning a range of styles from batik through to Cubism.

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