author

In 1986 Richard Horstman (b. 1964 Melbourne, Australia) first visited Ubud, Bali. He then returned to Indonesia regularly, pursuing his passion for surfing. His interest in Eastern cultures  inspired him to travel throughout South East Asia. In the early 1990’s he began making sculptures, exhibiting and selling works from his home studio on Phillip Island.

In 2004 Richard began living in Bali, he currently resides in Ubud, the island’s cultural and artistic heartland. His experience in Indonesia totals more than 27 years. He regularly visits museums and galleries attending fairs, exhibition openings, art discussions, auctions, and cultural programs locally, nationally, and in the region.  Richard’s passion for art inspired him to write articles, first being published in Indonesia in 2007.

Richard’s role is as a bridge between the public and the art world, to aid in the communication of art and its understandings. He contributes articles and essays to the print and online media, and exhibition catalogues, while actively communicating with artists, curators, collectives,  galleries and art spaces, art lovers, collectors and the public.

Since January 2018 he has held the position of  art columnist for NOW!Bali Magazine and was temporarily the Contributing Editor Indonesia for Asian Art News & World Sculpture News Magazines from late 2019. Richard was the art columnist for UbudLife Magazine for 10 years. He regularly writes for  the national largest English language newspaper, the Jakarta Post newspaper and digital art media in the region, including Art & Market.net and Plural Art Magazine. His clients include Larasati Auctioneers and Zeeuws Veilinghuis Auctioneers in the Netherlands.

Richard was an advisor to Cata Odata Art House in Ubud 2012 – 2018 then at Ubud Diary, a specialist gallery for the Ubud School of Painting from May 2019 until the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. On 30 November 2019 he launched his book Ubud Diary: Celebrating the Ubud School of Painting – the Diversity of the Visual Language. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Bali Art Society 2014-2015. Well known in Bali for his contributions behind-the-scenes he is also an art tourism presenter. During the pandemic in 2021 he contributed to writing a curriculum and his writing skills have evolved to include opinion pieces commenting on modern culture in Bali and in 2022 he began writing book reviews published in the Jakarta Post and NOW!Bali.

In November 2022 Richard began initial steps for my next book, WINDS OF CHANGE: Women in Balinese Art, the first study into the pioneering women in Balinese art, due to be published later in 2023. He is currently writing articles to be published early in 2023 for Plural Art Magazine and the Australian quarterly hardcopy magazine ArtLink.

As an art activist Richard has a strong social platform and is committed sharing ideas and brainstorming with artists, gallerists, museum owners, auction houses and collectives about professional structuring, communications, vision, branding, building community and the on going development of the Bali art infrastructure.

“Art is a force that empowers and unites people, while building community. Art makes our world a more beautiful, peaceful and meaningful environment.”