JIA CURATED 2025: A FESTIVAL OF PERSPECTIVES

Images courtesy of Jia CURATED

More than an Exhibition — A Lifestyle Experience in Bali

When Jia CURATED returned to Bali on 14–18 August 2025, it wasn’t just another design fair. It became a five-day cultural gathering where more than 200 brands and 100 exhibitors transformed Bali Festival Park into a playground of ideas, materials, and human connection.

This year’s theme, “Evolving Perspectives,” set the tone. It spoke of design that doesn’t stand still — design that adapts, reinvents, and invites us to see the familiar anew.

Among the highlights was Blanco Studio, where husband-and-wife duo KalpaTaru and Conchita Blanco presented The Living Character of Teak, a poetic meditation on wood’s resilience and dialogue with time. Nearby, Java Teakindo reimagined the traditional wooden house in Rumah Kayu, using reclaimed materials and modular systems that flex with the demands of contemporary living.

Heritage found fresh expressions. Tegel Kunci, a family-run cement tile maker from Java, experimented with marbling techniques that blurred the line between tradition and abstraction. Meanwhile, Sekata Living expanded the world of wallpaper with handcrafted elements in ceramics and weaving, transforming walls into storytelling surfaces.

Presented by Magran Living

Bali-based lighting atelier Ong Cen Kuang debuted Jamur (Mushroom), a copper pendant collection that quite literally asked the consumer to shape the light before installation. His booth — a morphing black box that shifted with the wind — reminded visitors how nature itself can be a collaborator in design.

Architecture took centre stage in Architecture in Scale, a curated showcase by Suzy Annetta featuring 24 Indonesian architects, from RAW Architecture and Ibuku to Pablo Luna Studio. Their maquettes ranged from intimate homes to expansive public spaces, each offering a window into how cultural context quietly informs design thinking.

Other headline initiatives included Waste to Wonder, where discarded materials were elevated into purposeful design. Highlights here were Studio andramatin’s paper-tube installation Light Between Lines — part bookshop, part meditative space — and Communal Objects, a collaboration between Millimeter Manifesto, CushCush, and LagiLagi, which embodied the spirit of gotong royong through modular furniture built with communities.

On an international note, the Taiwan Pavilion, curated by Studio Shikai, introduced a fresh wave of Taiwanese designers, while The Balvenie’s Makers Project, in collaboration with Studio Lianggono, offered a deeply sensorial installation inspired by craftsmanship and patience.

And it wasn’t just about exhibitions. The programme extended into talks with global names like Sabine Marcelis, Fernando Laposse, and Norm Architects’ Katrine Goldstein, alongside Indonesian voices such as Potato Head’s Radit Mahindro and CushCush’s Suriawati Qiu. As the sun set, live music and performances filled the park, balancing the reflective with the celebratory.

As co-founder Budiman Ong, that balance is the event’s heart: “It’s not just about showcasing design and craft, but about creating a dynamic environment where people can connect with creativity and culture — with exhibitors, and with each other.”

Now in its fourth year, Jia CURATED has proven itself not just an exhibition, but a lifestyle moment. It is where teak and copper, tiles and textiles, architecture and light — and above all, people — come together to remind us that design lives best when it is lived.

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