Two Keys

Bali has long been an island of healing, its spiritual traditions and rituals drawing travellers well before Eat, Pray, Love turned the search for self-actualisation into a global phenomenon. But there is another side to Bali that isn’t just about wellness. Look beyond the yoga shalas and cold plunges and it reveals another side: an island filled with ceramicists, textile artists, bamboo architects and more. Here, generations of traditional craftsmen sit alongside a new wave of designers and makers, making the island fertile ground for ideas, experimentation and reinvention.

It is within this dynamic landscape that Jia CURATED has found its place. More than a design fair, it has become a meeting point for the region’s creative community, bringing designers, artisans and makers together while positioning Indonesia not simply as a place of exceptional craftsmanship, but as a source of cultural exchange. Now in its fifth edition, the event moves to a new beachfront setting at Pengembak Beach in Sanur. Its 2026 theme, Nature Weave, takes its cue from the surroundings, inviting participants to work with rather than against the landscape of sea, sand and mangroves.

We speak to Budiman Ong — co-founder of Jia CURATED and the designer behind the lighting atelier Ong Cen Kuang — about wearing both hats and his shortlist of must-visit design spots in Bali.

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