Art Mart

The inland town of Ubud is known as the cultural hub of Bali. But before you picture a tranquil artists' community, where the reverent silence of masters at work is broken only by tropical birdsong and the lilt of a distant gamelan, let us put you straight. Ubud is a hot and raucous placeand you're more likely to run into T-shirt hawkers than artists. Visitors are also often struck by the uneven quality and random subject matter of the work on display. Many of the town's famous sculpture studios seem to prioritize commercial expedience over artistic tradition, and put a chaotic...