Ark Galerie Puts the Focus Back on Art

Contemporary art tends to shine brightest when shown in a clean setting that puts the art at center stage. Jason Gunawan, the owner of Ark Galerie in South Jakarta, knows this and has made a point of stressing the ambience and look of the showplace in the gallery’s recent revamp. Jason decided...

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Is it the End of the Reel for the Jakarta International Film Festival?

For 11 years the annual Jakarta International Film Festival, or JiFFest, has played an important role in rekindling Indonesia’s interest in quality cinema. The event’s discussions and workshops have also provided a platform for young Indonesian filmmakers to explore new horizons and meet big names...

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Solo’s Operatic Soul

The city of Solo in Central Java, Indonesia, was once known as a center of culture, religion and royalty. More recently, however, it has been associated with something much more menacing. “I was sad and angry that people started labeling Solo a ‘haven for radicals,’”...

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Angki Purbandono: The art of scanography

One may at first think the exhibition of noodle art at the Garis Artspace here is some kind of food promotion. But the opposite holds true. Angki Purbandono, Indonesia’s most prominent artist specializing in scanography – the process of producing artistic digital images by means of an ordinary...

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Balinese: Between decline and transformation

Am I prejudiced? This is the question I asked myself a few days ago while arguing with noted Balinese scholar Nyoman Darma Putra. I had missed the launch of his new book: Tonggak Baru Sastra Bali Modern (New Facts about Modern Balinese Literature), but I now found myself, two days later, sitting...

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Ababi’s ritual of warriors

The sun had almost disappeared into the horizon when the usually peaceful village of Ababi, Karangasem, was taken over by a bastion of proud warriors. Dozens of men swarmed the village main street with krisses drawn on their hands. Bare-chested, they wore sarongs draped with poleng (checkered black...

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Fab Cafe: A perfect rendezvous

If it stands alone, Fab Cafe may remain a stranger. But when you says Fab Cafe, Gramedia, Grand Indonesia East Mall, it will no longer be anonymous.  Instead, located just across the road from the iconic Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, the cafe is a perfect rendezvous. Upcoming author Ahmad...

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Long live the King

Last Sunday, the people of Klungkung hailed their new king.  Photos by Agung Parameswara Hundreds of people dressed in traditional costume flocked the courtyard of Klungkung palace as the court’s high priest Ida Pedanda Gede Putra Tembau of Aan crowned Tjokorda Gde Agung Semaraputra as the...

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A Year of Artful Delights in Yogya

When German national Claudia Seise studied at the Yogyakarta fine arts school Institut Seni Indonesia in 2005, she experienced the dynamic contemporary art scene there firsthand. She was so fascinated by it that she returned to Indonesia from her homeland in...

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Batik represents RI in London Festival of Architecture

A swirl of giant batik with the theme “Landscape of Diversity” flows through South Molton Lane in central London’s exclusive Mayfair district. The sight is rare, not only because batik is hard to come by in London, but also because instead of fabric, the creation is made of plywood. The installation...

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Tintin Wulia: ‘Attacking’ a wall

Visitors attending the opening of Tintin Wulia’s solo exhibition at Ark Gallery tonight are likely to be shocked when asked to partake in what may seem as an act of pure vandalism. But to do so, they have to pay first: a colored grid a la Mondriaan will be projected on the wall, with one of its...

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Bringing the World to Jakarta

The list of complaints about living in Jakarta seems endless, with traffic and pollution easily taking the top spots. There are also others who criticize the capital for its lack of community-based evening activities. The people who complain about the latter have probably never set foot in the...

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