The Origins, History, and Significance of Keris in Indonesia
Few objects capture Indonesia’s rich heritage like the keris. Distinctive to Java and Bali, this dagger is more than a weapon — it is a ceremonial cultural symbol. Keris are used in many different respects: as weapons, as talismans with magical powers, as sanctified heirlooms, as equipment for court soldiers, as an accessory for ceremonial
Walking Through the Scenic Landscape of Art Jakarta Gardens 2026
If you have been looking for a way to experience the city’s creative pulse without the stiff atmosphere of a traditional gallery, Art Jakarta Gardens 2026 is exactly where you need to be. Now entering its fifth edition, this event has transformed Hutan Kota by Plataran into a sprawling, open-air gallery, running from May 5
Fragments from Below: The Art of Alessio Ceruti
Light is an omnipresent magician, illuminating our visual perceptions and revealing a wonderful array of physical forms, textures, and colours. Reflection is light’s dynamic counterpart, changing direction, bouncing, and refracting off surfaces, creating a myriad of abstract configurations. Light, reflection, and movement are exciting media in the hands of Bali-based Italian artist Alessio Ceruti, who
Witnessing The Evolution of Waste through ARTCYCLE: EARTHFORM
ASHTA District 8 reimagines the lifecycle of discarded objects through ARTCYCLE: EARTHFORM. Running from April 20 to May 17, 2026, at the Melting Pot, this Earth Month initiative creates a sophisticated dialogue between industrial design, fine art, and environmental advocacy. The curated exploration centers on “meaningful evolution,” where the focus shifts from consumption to the
In ‘Daly City’, an Indonesian American Family Learns to Fit In
Filmmaker Nick Hartanto examines assimilation, identity, and the quiet cost of being the “model minority” in this autobiographical, Oscar-eligible short film about an Indonesian American family. Bastian is a young Indonesian boy who grows up in the United States; cheerful, curious and quietly attentive to the social cues around him. One evening, he watches his
Living Galleries Land at 25hours Hotel Jakarta The Oddbird for Room Art Fair 2026
This April, 25hours Hotel Jakarta The Oddbird flips the script on how art is shown. Turning its 10th floor into a corridor of galleries, the hotel debuts Room Art Fair 2026, timed with World Art Day. For four days, from 16–19 April, hotel rooms shed their everyday function, becoming portals into different artistic worlds. Each
The Indonesian Vegetarian Table: Petty Pandean-Elliott Celebrates Indonesia’s Plant-Led Heritage
At a time when plant-led cooking is reshaping the global table, Indonesia’s long-standing vegetarian traditions feel both prescient and profoundly relevant. In ‘The Indonesian Vegetarian Table’, published by Phaidon in April 2026, acclaimed Indonesian chef Petty Pandean-Elliott presents a refined and deeply personal exploration of her homeland’s diverse, vegetable-forward cuisine. Stretching from Sumatra to Papua,
Turning Animals into Mirrors: HOARSE HORSE by Ida Lawrence at ISA Art Gallery
The paintings displayed at the HOARSE HORSE exhibition by Berlin-based artist Ida Lawrence do not behave like paintings. They hang, slack-backed and unstretched, as if they have shrugged off the polite posture of the gallery wall. Some are tethered with straps and rope; others carry hardware in the form of collars, leashes, and fastenings. The
Juliana Tan Remembers Through ‘A Kind of Magic’
Text by Cindy Julia Tobing, Images courtesy of Juliana Tan Juliana Tan’s award-nominated photobook, ‘A Kind of Magic’, revisits her childhood in Bandung before her displacement to Singapore, situating personal memory within the lasting impact of Indonesia’s 1998 unrest. The children who grew up in the shadow of May 1998—a dark chapter of violence and
Designing for Literacy: SHAU’s Vision to Create 100 Microlibraries in Indonesia
This article is part of a long-form feature ‘Spaces to Sink Into’, on how design contributes to comfort and wellbeing, in our January-February 2026 Edition ‘Living Slow in a Fast City’. Download the edition free here. Rumour has it that fast food chains in the past used uncomfortable furniture and clashing colours to encourage diners
Function Before Form: Designer Lianggono on Creating Comforting Spaces
This article is part of a long-form feature ‘Spaces to Sink Into’, on how design contributes to comfort and wellbeing, in our January-February 2026 Edition ‘Living Slow in a Fast City’. Download the edition free here. Interior designer and multidiscplinary artist, Lianggono, has a unique approach to designing homes. He discourages clients from sharing their
Crimson Gilt: Re-reading Maritime History through Art at Museum Kebaharian Jakarta
An exhibition at the Museum Kebaharian Jakarta (Jakarta’s Maritime Museum) invites visitors to confront a layered, uncomfortable, and deeply relevant past. Crimson Gilt, a site-specific installation by Amsterdam-based artist Vincent Ruijters, runs from 7 February to 7 April 2026, offering a transnational re-reading of maritime and colonial history through art, space, and collective memory. Ruijters,
Art Jakarta Papers 2026: A New Fair Dedicated to the Power of Paper
There’s a new and exciting event unfolding in Indonesia’s contemporary art scene. Art Jakarta Papers, an inaugural fair dedicated entirely to paper-based art, is coming to City Hall at Pondok Indah Mall 3 from 5–8 February 2026, bringing together 28 galleries from Indonesia and across Asia in a four-day long exhibitions, installations, and public programmes.
