The Good People From Bali

A virtual photography exhibition by Mikica Andrejić

The Association of Serbian-Indonesian Friendship NUSANTARA organized a virtual photography exhibition by the author Mikica Andrejića in which he attempted, as faithfully as possible, to convey the spirit of the people and ethnicities living on the Indonesian island of Bali. On the website of the Association www.nusantara.rs. 48 “Photographs that speak more than 1000 words” are presented where Andrejić introduced the spirit of the Balinese people, which while not materially rich, shines on every corner with kindness and tranquility.

“After an 18-hour flight from Belgrade, through Doha and Singapore, I finally landed in Bali. The first impression was that the humidity was lower than at the Singaporean airport, and after a short break, I took a taxi to Ubud, the island’s cultural center, with numerous galleries and workshops for making stone and wood objects. An unavoidable point during the stay in Ubud is a visit to the market, the so-called Ubud market, maybe as much as to the temples in the city” are the first impressions of Andrejić from Bali. “In the city itself, you should definitely visit Pura Dalem Taman Kaja, which is located near the market. A five minute walk from the market is the Saraswati Temple, which, in a way, you enter through a Starbucks, which, in my opinion, should not even exist in Ubud, because if you want a good espresso, you can get it at Nomad Restaurant or in one of the numerous local cafes the abovementioned can’t even approach one in terms of quality.”

Ubud is in a very good position because a tourist can easily go on a tour of all the attractions on the island from it. Someone who comes to Bali for the first time must stay there from six months to a year to get to know its nature, history, culture and, most importantly, its people.

“Besides Ubud”, Andrejic continues his impressions, “I spent two nights in Sanur and five more in Kuta, near Seminyak beach, which is full of tourists and surfers from Australia during the day (my first impression was that these tourists could leave a little less garbage behind, just like us in Greece, for example). On the other hand, the beach is filled in the evening with locals walking and hanging out while the kids play football on the most beautiful field there is. Walking on that beach can be compared to walking on the finest mattress. When it comes to mattresses, in every accommodation I’ve been to in Bali, they are the best I’ve slept on in any of my travels.”

“I have visited a large number of countries and cities that I would like to go to again, but I can freely say that in Bali I would like to live. I tried to convey my experience of the island and the people who live there in these photos. I hope that my vision of Bali, which I tried to present to you with this selection of photographs, will at least bring you closer to that beauty and tranquility that is difficult to describe in words”, said photographer Mikica Andrejić on the occasion of the exhibition.

Mikica Andrejić (1977) is a photographer of the younger generation who lives and works in Zaječar. He has been working as a professional photographer since 2011 and is primarily engaged in documentary, architectural, concert and portrait photography. In addition to digital photography, he also deals with analog photography, about which he has held numerous workshops in schools in Zaječar and surrounding areas. So far, he has had two solo exhibitions (in Niš in 2013 and as part of the Border Rock Festival 2018 in Kladovo), he has participated in dozens of group exhibitions, while his photographs are on numerous covers of famous Serbian rock bands. He is the winner of several awards under the patronage of the Photographic Association of Serbia, and his photograph was included in the selection of the 18 best photographs in 2019 and 2020, according to the editor of the magazine “Vreme”. He is one of the founders and active members of “Skver magazine” www.skvermagazin.com.