Every year around this time, business owners, entrepreneurs, residents and party seekers flock to KU DE TA for a night of wining, dining, music, dancing and auctions, all in the name of a good cause. The annual I’m an Angel charity fundraising events have been taking place since 2003, and each year local merchants and private donors contribute fabulous goods and services and cash donations to raise money for some of the island’s most poverty stricken communities.
Co-founders Mike Mohan, Danielle Van Poppel and Yawahar Punjabi created the I’m an Angel foundation after coming to the realization that a celebration was the perfect way to raise funds for worthy causes. The group got in touch with KU DE TA co-founder, Arthur Chondros, and the first charity gala was born. In the first year, the I’m an Angel foundation raised over $20,000 USD. Last year alone they raised over $100,000 USD for communities in Bali and Indonesia who need it the most.
“We do not give, we share, and with this strategy, we empower the community to think and help themselves,” says Program Director Asana Vibeke Lengkong. Under Lengkong’s direction, the foundation allocates funds to supply nutritious food and school supplies to underprivileged children, support sustainable development projects such as water tank infrastructure in remote rural areas, promote environmental awareness and education and provide money for healthcare and medical procedures. They also contribute disaster relief to communities that need emergency aid.
The I’m an Angel foundation works under the philosophy that aid should be shared and extended to each member of the communities they help and that these communities can then move forward to improve and maintain a better standard of living for themselves. The IAA team oversees engineering, construction and monitoring of projects and encourages communities to monitor their own success. The foundation also encourages the communities they help to prompt the government to match the funds raised by IAA.
This year, June 15th will mark the 11th I’m an Angel fundraiser at KU DE TA, and the event promises to be just as spectacular as the previous galas. Guests can expect an all-star chef’s dinner with top guest chefs from Bali, Indonesia, Singapore and the United States, exciting auctions featuring accommodation packages, jewellery, art, clothing and more, as well as live music performances and ‘living works of art’ from renowned entertainers.

BAYAK & PLASTICOLOGY

For some time, the problem of plastic waste has provoked the attention of artist Made Muliana Bayak. Bayak, who graduated from ISI Denpasar, has gained a reputation for intensely wrestling with and critically exploring ecological, social, cultural, humanitarian, and political issues—all within the context of art. His explorations include, not only visual art, but also music. As a guitarist, Bayak has shaped local indie bands Simulacra and Geekssmile. Bayak uses art and music as means and media to convey messages related to specific contextual issues. His solo exhibition at the Griya Santrian Gallery, Sanur on January 2012, which gained significant public recognition, serves as an example: Through the medium of nuanced parody, Bayak criticized the exploitation of nature by capitalism and neo- liberalism, in the name of tourism development in Bali. ??On the basis of the increasing awareness of Balinese about the need for plastic waste management, Bayak has created a series of art projects themed “Plasticology,” a concept that fuses the words “plastic” and “ecology.” Bayak premiered this series, which is based on mixed media pieces composed of plastic waste, in Gardenia Cafe, Sanur in December 2012. Now, Bayak launches a solo exhibition titled “Plasticology Reissue” at Ary’s Warung, Ubud. His future plan is to display other works within the “Plasticology” series, in other exhibit settings. ??Written by Wayan Jengki Sunarta. ?Translated by Rebekah Moore?? Read more