In Jakarta, culinary traditions and contemporary art often run on parallel tracks, and no one evokes this in their artwork as best as artist Mulyana, or better known as Mang Moel. In his latest ‘Edible Dreams’ exhibition at ARTOTEL Thamrin Jakarta, Mang Moel brings them together in an installation that transforms food into a language of memory, belonging, and shared humanity.
Opening on 30 September 2025 at 5 PM at ARTSPACE, Mezzanine Level, ARTOTEL Thamrin, the exhibition is a collaboration between the hotel and the acclaimed Indonesian visual artist. Through this body of work, Mulyana explores food as a social symbol, turning plates into canvases and dishes into stories. His round-framed paintings introduce the Food Monster, a recurring character born from his observations on how meals foster togetherness and conversation in everyday life.
A Bandung-born artist celebrated for his modular crochet sculptures and the iconic character The Mogus, Mang Moel’s work has travelled widely. His solo shows include Fragile Ecologies at Sapar Contemporary, New York (2022), Water in Asian Art at Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan (2023), and Modular Utopia at USC Fisher Museum, Los Angeles (2023). He has taken part in international residencies at Cheongju Korean Design and Craft in South Korea and Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan. Notable commissions include Sea Remembers for ARTJOG 11 (2018) and a series of window displays for Hermès across Singapore, Seoul, and Shanghai (2019–2022).
This year, Mang Moel joined the LEGO Playmaker programme for LEGO World Play Day in Shanghai and exhibited at the Aichi Triennale in Nagoya, Japan. His recent projects extend his artistic practice beyond textiles to include the Food Monster Project (2022–present) and collaborations with the Museum of Toys to reimagine The Mogus as collectible art toys.
According to ARTOTEL Thamrin Jakarta’s General Manager, Fuad Muzakki, the partnership marks a meaningful milestone as it introduces Mulyana’s first series of canvas-based artworks. He expressed pride in working with one of Indonesia’s leading contemporary artists and the opportunity to share this new creative experience with the public.
For Mang Moel, food is an invitation. He describes meals as moments that bring people together to exchange stories, and Edible Dreams seeks to serve that intimacy through a shared visual experience.
Part of the ongoing Food Monster Project, the exhibition was previously featured at the Northern Art Alps Festival in Omachi, Nagano, Japan (2024). It comprises 11 works presented in an intimate format, offering viewers a participatory and modular experience that feels at once familiar and surprising.
Edible Dreams runs from 1 October to 25 December 2025 at ARTSPACE, ARTOTEL Thamrin Jakarta. The exhibition is open to the public and free of charge, reflecting both the accessibility and collaborative spirit central to Mang Moel’s practice.
ARTOTEL Thamrin
Jl. Sunda No.3 Gondangdia, Kec. Menteng, Kota Jakarta Pusat
+62 21 3192 5888 | @artotelthamrin
