I Dewa Ngakan Made Ardana was born in 1980 in Bali, Indonesia. He graduated from the Indonesian Institute of Art Denpasar, where he studied from 1999 to  2006.
Ardana’s artistic exploration is shaped by his critical engagement with Balinese artistic traditions and broader historical narratives. A founding member of Klinik Seni Taxu in 2001, Ardana and his peers challenged conventional themes in Balinese painting. His early Garlic series (2003) marked a shift toward abstraction through realist techniques. Moving to Yogyakarta in 2009, Ardana began exploring object-based representations inspired by museum collections, particularly from the Yogyakarta Palace. Between 2013 and 2014, he created a series of family portrait-like paintings, reflecting on the concept of “home.” In recent years, Ardana has delved into the historical trauma of the 1965 conflict in Bali, using visual language to examine how history is absorbed, remembered, and retold—balancing between official narratives and hidden or illogical truths.

Ardana has participated in numerous exhibitions, including his solo exhibition “Hana Tan Hana: Death and Life of the Unknown" at Redbase Foundation Indonesia. He has also been featured in group exhibitions such as “Forms of Diversity’”,at Redbase Foundation Indonesia, and taken part in major art fairs including Jakarta Art Stage at Jakarta-Redbase Foundation Booth and Art Expo at Malaysia-Redbase Foundation Booth. 

Other notable exhibitions include ARTJOG MMXXI, Biennale Jateng #2, and ARTJOG X.