Speaking Batik: A Language with Many Accents
Every Friday in Java, the streets fill with people dressed in batik. Office workers, teachers, students, and civil servants wear shirts, dresses, skirts, and blouses alive with lines, dots, and intricate motifs. Today, the phrase pakai batik—or in Javanese, batikan—simply means putting on clothing adorned with batik patterns. But look closely at any two pieces
Art Jakarta Returns with a Fresh Contemporary Beat
Art takes over Jakarta once again as Art Jakarta returns for its 2026 edition from 2 to 4 October at JIExpo Kemayoran. With galleries and artists from Indonesia and across Southeast Asia, this year’s fair brings together a diverse mix of contemporary works, creative collaborations and fresh perspectives. Following Art Jakarta Papers and Art Jakarta
Paper Menagerie #3: On Equal Grounds Finds Many Stories in One Material
Paper can be surprisingly versatile. One sheet can hold a drawing, preserve an old photograph, become part of an archive or be folded, layered and reworked into something completely new. At ISA Art Gallery at Wisma 46, that versatility is the starting point for Paper Menagerie #3: On Equal Grounds, an exhibition featuring works by
HANDEP and Wilsen Willim Weave a Future Worth Wearing
No one can deny that batik, songket and other forms of wastra – traditional Indonesian textiles – hold a particular place in how Indonesians dress for important occasions. We keep them carefully, bring them out for weddings, formal galas and other important occasions, then fold them away again until the next one comes along. Some
A 150-Year-Old Journey Inspires a New France–Indonesia Literary Exchange
A 150-year-old French literary connection to Central Java is being put back to work. France and Indonesia have launched the Rimbaud Residency, their first bilateral and reciprocal literary residency programme, beginning with a three-month stay in Semarang by French-language writer Louis-Philippe Dalembert before an Indonesian writer heads to France in early 2027. The programme was
Kebaya: The Very Untraditional Traditional Dress
It is surprisingly difficult to answer a seemingly simple question: ‘What is a kebaya?‘ Every few years, the internet erupts with familiar debates: “The kebaya has changed too much.” “That’s not a real kebaya.” “This isn’t pakem (according to custom).” Behind these arguments lies an assumption that somewhere in history there existed a single, original
ARTJOG 2026 Polemic Opens the Door to Transparency & Positive Structural & Ideological Reform
The opening of ARTJOG 2026, Indonesia’s premiere contemporary art festival at the Jogja National Museum (JNM), Yogyakarta, June 19, 2026 was marred by spectacle and controversy. An activist from the ArtJokes collective threw red paint at the JMN entrance art installation, proclaiming, “Literature is dead, art is dead. Intellectuals without a sense of rebellion are
Balinese Artist Agus Putu Suyadnya’s Monumental Universal I
Memori Kosmik (Cosmic Memory), forged from the stone of Indonesia’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi, is an imposing, figurative sculpture standing over two metres high. It depicts an astronaut designed as a mythic Hindu god: one hand clutches a globe of the earth, the other raised in a sacred mudra. Its golden, luminescent visor, reflecting
Terlihat / Terasa Exhibition by Rajata Hakim Asks How Much a Face Can Really Tell Us
There are 150 faces in Rajata Hakim’s Terlihat / Terasa, and almost as many reasons to distrust what a face seems to reveal. Now showing at The Darmawangsa Square, Second Floor, Unit 66, Kebayoran Baru, the multidisciplinary artist’s exhibition pairs portraits with anonymous recorded voices and historical figures, letting recognition repeatedly slip into uncertainty. Opened
Power, Memory and Regret Meet in Tadashi Suzuki’s King Lear
William Shakespeare’s King Lear, directed by Japanese theatre director Tadashi Suzuki, will make its first Jakarta appearance at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta on 16 and 17 September 2026 at 8pm. Led by Indonesian actor Jamaluddin Latif in the title role, the production brings performers from eight countries into Suzuki’s stark reworking of Shakespeare’s ageing king, placing
Inside Indonesia Design Week 2026’s Biggest Edition Yet
Opening on 18 September, Indonesia Design Week (IDW) 2026 is set to be the event’s biggest iteration yet. Previously set within the grounds of Indonesia Design District PIK2, this year’s expo will spread beyond these borders, with exhibitions, installations, fashion, craft and community programmes taking place across several destinations in PIK and PIK2 until 27
From East Indies to Indonesia: The Evolution of Architecture in the Archipelago
From vernacular houses and ancient temples to colonial landmarks and contemporary structures, Indonesia’s architecture reflects centuries of cultural exchange, adaptation and innovation. Shaped by traditions, environment, climate and, of course, social aspirations through the centuries, the nation’s built environment tells a story not only of architectural transformation, but also of Indonesia’s continuing search for identity
A Weekend in Tune at The Gaia Hotel Bandung
The Gaia Music Festival (GMF) returned for its fifth edition on 14–15 August 2026. Bearing the theme Music for All, the festival reflected the belief that music is a shared space for everyone, transcending genres and backgrounds through a stellar line-up of musical acts. Against the cool, serene backdrop of the Bandung valley, expertly crafted
