ARTCHIVE: Indonesia Journal of Visual Art and Design
Vol 6, No 2 (2025): ARTCHIVE: Indonesia Journal of Visual Art and Design

Humor, Eroticism, and Identity: Reading Bali's Lolok Craft through the Lens of Camp and Postmodern Aesthetics

Nofrial, Nofrial (Unknown)
Malik, Kendall (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Dec 2025

Abstract

Phallus-shaped craftworks known as lolok, openly sold as souvenirs in Bali, represent a complex cultural phenomenon that blends humor, eroticism, and symbolic local values. This study aims to analyze these objects through the lenses of postmodern aesthetics, relational aesthetics, and camp theory, focusing on how they reflect parody, kitsch, and the commodification of culture. The research employs a literature review and online observation to examine narratives, production, distribution, and public reactions to these crafts across various media platforms. The findings reveal that lolok crafts function not only as tourist merchandise but also as visual artifacts that mediate interactions between local communities and global tourists. These objects blur the boundaries between the sacred and the profane, as well as between local identity and global consumption. They represent a deconstruction of the traditional Hindu-Balinese lingga-yoni symbols, reinterpreted into popular cultural forms. Through the aesthetics of camp, lolok crafts demonstrate how humor and eccentricity can serve as expressive strategies in shaping an adaptive cultural identity. This study concludes that these erotic crafts exemplify a fluid, relational mode of contemporary craft practice rooted in the sociocultural dynamics of tourism.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

artchive

Publisher

Subject

Arts Humanities Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

Indonesia Journal Of Visual Art And Design welcomes full research articles in the area of Visual Art and Design from the following subject areas: Design History, Art History, Visual Culture, Design Methodology, Design Process, Design Discourse, Design and Culture, Sociology Design, Design ...