Jakarta: Day One

Jakarta is our final destination along our journey in Indonesia. In a city as diverse and dynamic as Jakarta, it’s no wonder that the art scene in the capital of Indonesia is lively and rapidly evolving. Artworks may only be enjoyed by a few people. However, with the rapid progress and technology development in Jakarta, art is evolving into various concepts and forms.

Galeri Nasional

The National Gallery is our first visit to Jakarta. The gallery was established in 1999 and houses more than 1500 works by Indonesian and international artists. Some of the most famous Indonesian artists include Raden Saleh, Affandi, and Basuki Abdullah.

The main building of the National Gallery was built in 1817 in the Dutch Indies Colonial architectural style. Before becoming an art gallery, the building served various purposes including a Dutch technical school, a women’s dormitory, and later, after Independence, it was converted into a primary and secondary school.

In the mid to late 1960s, the main building was used as a military headquarters. Then in 1981, it was returned to the Department of Education and Culture and used as an exhibition space until 1999 when it became the central structure for the Indonesian National Gallery up to the present day.

Lim Tong Xim is the Top 13 MEAA of our group members who participated in the exhibition at this Gallery. He was a representative from Malaysia who had participated in an exhibition at the National Gallery that was going on at that time.

The original color of this painting can be seen through the inverted color (Invert Color Filter).

Jagad Fine Art Gallery

We then headed to Jagat Fine Art Gallery, located not far from the National Gallery. This gallery was established in 2015 in Seminyak, Bali, and has now opened a new branch in Jakarta. Jagat operates by showcasing artists who are “marginalized” and not widely recognized in the mainstream art world. This commitment is supported by the principle of building strong relationships between the gallery, artists, and prospective buyers or collectors of the artworks.

Dadi Setiyadi also participated in this exhibition. He is a full-time painter and has a special interest in fantasy, science fiction and art culture.

ROH Projects

The final destination on our first day in Jakarta was visiting ROH Projects. ROH is a gallery established in 2014 with the aim of serving the Indonesian art ecosystem by building consistent local programs while fostering broader, borderless dialogue.

ROH is holding a solo exhibition 𝘈𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 and 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 (𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴), by Davy Linggar who comes from Jakarta and Heman Chong born in Malaysia and raised in Singapore.