At 87, the vibrant Dutch artist Anne van Borselen has returned to Bali with her signature energy, volunteering once again at Coral Triangle Center (CTC). This time, Anne dedicated her talents to completing vivid images of marine animals on CTC’s entrance fence.

Anne, based in Amsterdam, is a frequent visitor to Bali and has roots in both Dutch and Indonesian art. Born in Surabaya in 1937, she comes from a family of artists. Her mother, Emiria Soenassa, was a renowned Indonesian painter, and her great-great-grandfather, J.W. van Borselen, was a celebrated landscape artist for King William III of the Netherlands.

Known for her vibrant, layered combination of colors and motifs, Anne works across various artistic mediums, bringing a distinctive freeform style to her art pieces. We had the pleasure of sitting down with her to discuss the inspirations behind her captivating artworks.

In under four hours, Anne painted captivating depictions of a whale, turtle, and various fish, transforming the fence into a vibrant homage to marine life. Her work celebrates the beauty of Bali’s ocean creatures, with more to come, including stunning renditions of a manta ray, dugong, and mola fish, set to further brighten the CTC’s entrance.

“I hope people will learn from this area, and learn to respect everything and see the beauty of the animals,” says Anne.

Come by to enjoy Anne’s artwork, have a coffee and experience a unique welcome to Coral Triangle Center in Sanur, Bali!

Writer: Kayla Azzahra
Photos: Kayla Azzahra/CTC