A Festive Ending
The year 2016 has been, well, interesting – to put it mildly. But no matter which end of the “interesting” spectrum you are standing on – the good or the bad one – you can always turn to the movies to close the year on a happy note. So, here are some of the movie
Street Art Goes Mainstream
Since the 1970s, street artists have been turning vandalistic cacography that appeared on many wall surfaces in around the big cities into more acceptable forms of expression. Gradually, what was initially known as graffiti became accepted as street art. For the past 10 years, street art has continued to gain popularity, not only in the
Balik Jakarta: The Search of Home
In a world where living in and travelling to foreign countries and cities has long become a normality, fostering cultural understanding remains an important issue. How can we avoid cultural clashes and encourage mutual interest in one another? And if we manage to do so, will we be able to take roots and eventually call
What U See is Not What U Get
How does fashion relate to wider culture, including art, design, architecture, science and history? The experimental fashion exhibition WUSINWUG – What U See Is Not What U Get, a side programme of the Contemporary Art and Design (ICAD) exhibition at Grandkemang Hotel, attempted to explore and present possible answers to this question. Photos By ICAD 2016
Program notes: Beethoven
“As the autumn leaves fall and wither, so have my hopes withered… With joy I hasten to meet death face to face”. Beethoven wrote these words in a letter bewailing six years of increased loss of hearing to his brothers around the time he was finishing his 2nd symphony in October 1802. If Beethoven had the
In Conversation with Engelbert Humperdink
The legendary pop star will perform at the DoubleTree by Hilton Jakarta Diponegoro in March. Ranjit Jose spoke to him about trends in pop music and some of his inspirations. The legendary pop star Engelbert Humperdink will be performing in Jakarta this March. Photo courtesy of DoubleTree by Hilton Jakarta Diponegoro/NOW!JAKARTA As with everything else in
For These Siblings, Family Support is Their pas de deux
From the Rockies to the great dance spaces across Europe, the Khan-MacKay siblings have impressed audiences. The oldest, Maria Sascha Khan and the youngest, Nicholas MacKay spoke to NOW! Jakarta during their brief stop over in Jakarta where they conducted a set of masterclasses. From the Rockies to the great dance spaces across Europe, the Khan-MacKay siblings
Surviving Jakarta: Balai Budaya, the City’s Oldest Art Centre
In 2019 Jakarta’s art community will enjoy the luxuries of art fairs like the new Art Moments, which is scheduled to be held in May and the revamped Art Jakarta in August, as well as the Jakarta Biennale. With the rise of art fairs and art biennales in Indonesia, echoing the global trend, will there
A Colourful Tribute To Federico Fellini
Artemis Danza, one of the most prominent contemporary dance companies in Italy, came to Jakarta in late October to present “I Bislacchi–A Tribute to Fellini” at Ciputra Artpreneur Theater. The one-night-only show, dedicated to renowned Italian film director and screenwriter Federico Fellini, involved six Italian dancers and was inspired by Fellini’s movies “La Strada” (1954),
Interpreting Ceramics
The biggest contemporary ceramics biennale in Southeast Asia, also known as the Jakarta Contemporary Ceramics Biennale, is back for the fourth time. The event was officially opened at Galeri Nasional in early December and will last until January 2017, taking on the theme “Ways of Clay: Perspectives towards the Future”. “Ceramics are not only meant
Senyawa’s Tribute to Indonesia
Yogyakarta-based experimental duo Senyawa held its much anticipated concert Tanah + Air at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (GKJ) at the end of December, mesmerising hundreds of fans, thanks to vocalist Rully Shabara’s intense voice and unique sounds produced by Wukir Suryadi’s self-made music instrument bambuwukir. In Indonesian, tanah and air separately mean earth and water. But
Italian Film Screenings at Istituto Italiano di Cultura Jakarta
Istituto Italiano di Cultura (IIC) Jakarta brings back its popular film screenings as regular programme. Each month, film buffs can enjoy a selection of Italian movies with English subtitles. This January, the cultural institute will screen four Italian films, each Friday from January 6 to 20, at 7 p.m. in the IIC Jakarta auditorium. January
A Tech Savvy Year Ahead
Technology has certainly changed the way we see films or TV shows nowadays. It is indeed an exciting era. However, technology also makes for some truly fascinating stories on screen, as recent gems have shown, like Ex Machina, Eye in the Sky, or even Snowden; not to mention the classics, like 2001: A Space Odyssey,
