Wood-carving evolved in Bali as a form of spiritual devotion and until the 20th century, carvings were exclusively used in temples and palaces. Decorative panels, ornate doors, figures of the deities and masks were created for ceremonial use and often had the function of warding off malevolent spirits.

The European artists who came to Ubud in the 1920s and 30s had a profound effect on the practice of wood-carving, as they did on painting techniques. For the first time, the Balinese started to create carvings for artistic or commercial purposes rather than religious ones.