“And there she was, Ibu…!” — The Story behind the iconic portrait.

I’ve lived on The Island of the Gods for more than a year and have had countless photogenic, wonderous, and epic adventures, but none was so fascinating as the spectacle of Galungan!

Every 220 days, the Balinese celebrate their New Year with 10 days of epic festivities, fascinating parades, and bizarre rituals. This is something every photographer and traveler should experience because it’s mindblowing what the Balinese culture is truly about.

But one thing you have to understand about the Balinese is that they can’t tell you straightforwardly about what time or what location their events are being held. These adorable, kind people can give you endless smiles, but a pinpoint location or moment in time is asking a lot.

Websites are devoid of information, social media accounts have no clue, and people in the streets are just guessing about.

This meant I have to figure it out myself…

Hints from above

I’ve found something magical that helps me every time I’m in need. Let’s visualize a crossroads where I can go left or right, and I have no clue which road to take. I will just stand there and wait for a hint from above!

And every single time, and I’m dead serious, I get a hint!

I might be a sparkle of light, a peculiar sound, or a sudden cool subject walking into the frame on the left or right side. I pick the path of the hint that is given to me.

Whatever it is, God, The Universe, Life, it is constantly giving me subtle hints. I think God, The Universe, and Life are all the same thing, by the way! :)

The hint that brought me Ibu

So, I was driving around Bali with no clue where to go. I was looking for rituals and festivities in the region of Kedungu, Tanah Lot, and Seseh, but there was just nothing going on anywhere when they said there should be. I drove for 4 hours straight, losing hope by the minute to find anything interesting to photograph…

I stopped in the middle of the road, which was surrounded by ricefields, took a deep breath, and decided to talk with myself about ending this unfruitful day and take my loss. It was a quiet field with not a soul in sight. I decided to wait for a little hint from above if I should continue…

And then I saw her!!!! 😳

I saw a tiny old lady with a straw hat in the far distance, walking very slowly. I instantly jumped back in the saddle, thanked the Lord for this hint, and made my way to this potential photograph.

Selemat paggiiiiii, apa kabar?

‘Goodmorninggggg, how are you?’, is what I asked this charming old lady in Indonesian who was walking home with the use of her stick. I was immediately amazed by her colorful outfit, the beautiful unique straw hat with the pink details, and her amazing expressions. It felt like I met Mother Earth herself!

Ibu is an endearing word for 'mother' in Indonesian. And this sweet old lady is the embodiment of being a mother: wise, loving, caring, funny, smart, and kind.

With my broken Indonesian and Balinese, and her broken English, we tried to communicate as much as we could. Most of what we tried to say, we did with our body language and with lots of laughter. Ibu was truly adorable, and the whole interaction just felt magical.

She understood the assignment exactly and posed like it was her moment to cement her legacy. I did my absolute best to capture her portrait in the best way possible: colorful, charismatic, and surrounded by Bali’s beauty.

Her eyes, full of hope, her lush grey hair, and her subtle, cheeky smile reveal that she has had the most amazing life. I would love to hear all her stories about the good old days in Bali...

“IBU” - 1/1.

IBU, the iconic portrait as a 1/1 fine art piece

This unique photograph has been turned into a 1/1 exclusive ultra-rare limited-edition fine art piece. This means that there will only be ONE ever made. Just one. One and done. It’s truly rare: an art collector’s dream!

It’s a physical, tangible, museum-quality fine art piece, plus the NFT!

The addition of the NFT means you can verify your art piece as the real deal. You can also easily buy, hold, and resell this combo to other art collectors. There is even an option to buy this art piece with over 300 different kinds of crypto coins (BTC, ETH, XRP, etc.).

About the premium quality

The price of $100.000,- might seem like a lot to some, but this unique and powerful art piece is a one of a kind. It’s no cheap IKEA print for 40 bucks that has endless supply and also hangs in your aunt’s house.

This is one for the true art collectors among us.

If you prefer craftsmanship, the best high-quality materials, and true rarity, then you are in the right place. We carefully curated and found the most premium frame, paper, and glass for this exclusive fine art:

+ The most expensive and beautiful paper: FujiFlex Crystal Archive!
+ Museum-quality glass with no reflections
+ Gallery-quality frames (black oak 40mm Hamburg)
+ Framed by German master framers
+ One epic size: 105x70cm / 41x28 inches
(total size with frame is 118.7x83,7cm / 46.7 x 32.9 inches)
+ With black frame and white Passe-Partout: The classic and worthy look
+ You receive the complete package: ready to hang right away

You, your space, and this unique and rare fine art deserve the very best.

“IBU” - 1/1 - $100.000,-

The One and ONLY.

This is your chance to collect this unique Super-Exclusive 1/1 art piece and have Ibu in your space so that she may watch over you.

IMPORTANT: There is only one fine art print of Ibu. There will never be another Ibu ever made. This is it. One and done. 1 of 1. Sold is sold.

Including the unique Award-Winning Green Frame: To make this 1/1 edition extra special, I carefully curated and found an amazing award-winning frame. It's the green Hamburg Design Edition from Studio Besau-Marguerre. A very fitting green frame that makes this fine art even more special.

10% goes to Charity: the elderly and poor kids of Bali!

Last but not least; I pledged to take 10% and donate it to the people who absolutely need it. I’ve lived in Bali for more than a year and have met some shockingly poor kids and elderly people, like Ibu, who could really use our help.

With your purchase, you would truly change multiple lives for the better. We could buy a bed for Ibu, schoolbooks and shoes for Putri, and so on!

(for assurance: I know where Ibu lives and have close contacts with her granddaughter, as well with Putri and the Bali Children’s Project)

The Marcus Musashi Fine Art Shop > >