A place of wonder and mystery, Titisan Art is the place to find beautiful, well curated antiques, vastly different from the everyday Bali souvenirs. Situated across from Maya Sanur Hotel, Titisan Art is an art and antiques gallery, full of old collectible items from across the archipelago. Some of them are from preloved personal collections, or have an emotional connection to the owner. Entering the shop felt almost like a mini-museum or time capsule, with magic and the romance of yesterday around every corner.
Nyoman Marga, the shop owner, is as knowledgeable as he is kind and just loves talking about each item, their story and meaning. He knows the origin of every piece in the store and can’t wait to share their history with you. He has an incredible selection of amazing antiques from all over Indonesia, and is a very knowledgeable art dealer.
It is all started when Nyoman Marga met and fell in love with Komang Murtini in 1989. Backthen, Komang helped run her parent antique shop in Ubud, Sanur. Nyoman would find reasons tovisit to get to know her and learnt what she was passionate about. The couple got married in 1995 andcontinued their hobby in “antiquing” by travelling, searching, shopping, identifying and bringing theantiques back to Bali for their shop collection. For this couple, searching for and finding an antique isexhilarating and exciting. They have travelled to Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, as well as China and otherneighboring countries, also Europe. Remembering the most challenging journey, Komang said, “We brought back some fragile items from China, and we had to carry them by hand, like we were carrying babies on the flight”.
“I have paid a lot of money for some of the items however, especially for those that I got straight from someone’s home, but we are happy as we also enjoy their beauty while sitting here in the shop”, Nyoman added. Some items from Titisan Art have been bought and kept by world’s collectors.
At the beginning, running the shop was not easy but the tourists who stay at the hotels nearby provided very good market for them. And then they became known for the one-off collectors’ items and rare finds that they possessed, and their reputation grew – as experts in their field.
Nyoman’s favourite antique is a traditional baby carrier originating from a tribe in Kalimantan. He loves it because of what it stands for and symbolizes for him; a mother’s love, hard work, and simplicity of an older time.
Today people are becoming more aware of the value and beauty of antiques which is making collecting them more of a challenge as compared to before. The Titisan Art family is very passionate about what they do and have gained excellent reviews from their clients. Lose yourself in the magic and beauty of Titisan Art and prepare to lose hours while you do, one incredible story leads to another and one is never enough.
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