Gosh, can you believe we’re already at the end of July? How did 2022 just fly by? It’s insane! It felt like nothing and everything happened this year—I don’t really know how to explain it. As you know, Agung and I have been on a kick to explore places and, lately, we’ve been into visiting art exhibitions. Just last week—if you remember—we visited 2 exhibitions, both of which were pretty great and interesting. They were more on the grand side, though, so it’s a no-brainer that we both loved it and enjoyed the experience thoroughly.
There are, however, also exhibitions held by independent galleries that may only include a limited number of works—just like the one we visited last Saturday: Agung and I decided to drop by RUCI Art Space to check out the Kebun Memori exhibition. We didn’t have anything to expect, it’s just that the title sounds quite interesting and the space is quite well-known, so we figured why not. And this is the brief story of our brief time there.
Colour Me Nostalgic
Gosh, can you believe we’re already at the end of July? How did 2022 just fly by? It’s insane! It felt like nothing and everything happened this year—I don’t really know how to explain it. As you know, Agung and I have been on a kick to explore places and, lately, we’ve been into visiting art exhibitions. Just last week—if you remember—we visited 2 exhibitions, both of which were pretty great and interesting. They were more on the grand side, though, so it’s a no-brainer that we both loved it and enjoyed the experience thoroughly.
There are, however, also exhibitions held by independent galleries that may only include a limited number of works—just like the one we visited last Saturday: Agung and I decided to drop by RUCI Art Space to check out the Kebun Memori exhibition. We didn’t have anything to expect, it’s just that the title sounds quite interesting and the space is quite well-known, so we figured why not. And this is the brief story of our brief time there.
Colour Me Nostalgic
Kebun Memori—literally translates into “Garden of Memories“—is actually the collaborative project between Ace House Collective and RUCI Art Space that is an expansion of the Broken White Project started in 2021. The exhibition takes on the theme of memories, both from the participating artists’ personal history or from the collective recollection of society as a whole—mixed with a contemporary approach in the production of the displayed artworks.
There are a total of six participating artists, who mostly choose canvas and paint as their tools of trade—while a couple of them mix the media a little bit with actual objects as well. The artists are all relatively new names to me, but a few of the comments on the organisers’ page assure me that these are well-known names in the contemporary art scene in the capital. Unfortunately, at the time of our visit somehow one of the works wasn’t on display with zero explanation. It was a little bit of a shame, since it was the only one that wasn’t a painting.
Kebun Memori—literally translates into “Garden of Memories“—is actually the collaborative project between Ace House Collective and RUCI Art Space that is an expansion of the Broken White Project started in 2021. The exhibition takes on the theme of memories, both from the participating artists’ personal history or from the collective recollection of society as a whole—mixed with a contemporary approach in the production of the displayed artworks.
There are a total of six participating artists, who mostly choose canvas and paint as their tools of trade—while a couple of them mix the media a little bit with actual objects as well. The artists are all relatively new names to me, but a few of the comments on the organisers’ page assure me that these are well-known names in the contemporary art scene in the capital. Unfortunately, at the time of our visit somehow one of the works wasn’t on display with zero explanation. It was a little bit of a shame, since it was the only one that wasn’t a painting.
Not to diminish the artists’ efforts, but I honestly find most of exhibited works quite underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, they’re very good in execution, but some of them lack meaning and that leaves the work feeling hollow and unimpressive. It was such a shame too, because one of the works that didn’t come with a back story is actually visually magnificent. It would’ve been ten times more incredible, I bet, if it had been backed with a personal experience or philosophical insight. But alas. Otherwise, they either feel subpar—so surface level it’s way too obvious—or so intricately made up that people find it hard to connect with them.
From the whole bunch, my favourite would have to be Hello through Goodbye by Hendra HeHe. Its 1920s-cartoon styled character designs, paired with the surrealistic composition of objects makes it both pleasing and intriguing to look at. The colour palette also pops in a way that is definitely hard to miss, yet somehow still manages to be gentle on the eyes. Don’t even get me started on the story behind it—which is incredibly thoughtful and worth pondering on. With so many intricate details—each with its own characteristics—this painting offers an unending experience of appreciating its appeal.
Old hat + top + boots // thrifted dress // Riverdean watch // Roti Eneng tote bag // photos by Agung
Not to diminish the artists’ efforts, but I honestly find most of exhibited works quite underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, they’re very good in execution, but some of them lack meaning and that leaves the work feeling hollow and unimpressive. It was such a shame too, because one of the works that didn’t come with a back story is actually visually magnificent. It would’ve been ten times more incredible, I bet, if it had been backed with a personal experience or philosophical insight. But alas. Otherwise, they either feel subpar—so surface level it’s way too obvious—or so intricately made up that people find it hard to connect with them.
From the whole bunch, my favourite would have to be Hello through Goodbye by Hendra HeHe. Its 1920s-cartoon styled character designs, paired with the surrealistic composition of objects makes it both pleasing and intriguing to look at. The colour palette also pops in a way that is definitely hard to miss, yet somehow still manages to be gentle on the eyes. Don’t even get me started on the story behind it—which is incredibly thoughtful and worth pondering on. With so many intricate details—each with its own characteristics—this painting offers an unending experience of appreciating its appeal.
Old hat + top + boots // thrifted dress // Riverdean watch // Roti Eneng tote bag // photos by Agung
About the Gallery
In comparison to the previous week’s exhibition, this one is a lot more intimate. RUCI Art Space actually just moved to this new location as well, and it’s much smaller than the previous one—much smaller than we expected as well. It was really just one small room that is left spacious. We really thought there’d be more artworks being displayed. But, apparently, six artworks were enough to take up all the wall space in the room.
We also braced ourselves for the gallery to be packed with visitors, but it was really very empty. RUCI Art Space has been a pretty well-known independent gallery for years—I visited its previous site in 2017 and it was a lot more alive with hubbub than this one was. When we arrived, there were a total of 6 other people—including the gallery guard. Since the exhibition—and the space—is small, we didn’t stay there for too long. Perhaps 15-20 minutes, with the last 5 minutes having the space all to ourselves.
What I Wear
Okay, let me dedicate a couple paragraphs to the outfit at hand. This was actually a re-wearing of the clothes I wore to work that previous Thursday. It’s a habit of mine now—much influenced by Agung—to re-wear clothes at least once before tossing them into the laundry basket. It helps reduce the amount of microplastic particles being sent into the ocean, you know.
Most of the items in this outfit are a long-time resident of my wardrobe. The dress, being the most recent purchase, was thrifted—as you know. I love how casually 70s this whole outfit feels. When Agung saw it, he said it looks perfect to be worn to a music festival—which we will hopefully attend sometime this year. Personally, I love the whole red-white-blue theme—although I’m not trying to be American, English or French by any means. The watch is a gifted item from Riverdean watch—whose website, apparently, is no longer active. I’d recommend it to you, but I guess that ship has sailed.
About the Gallery
In comparison to the previous week’s exhibition, this one is a lot more intimate. RUCI Art Space actually just moved to this new location as well, and it’s much smaller than the previous one—much smaller than we expected as well. It was really just one small room that is left spacious. We really thought there’d be more artworks being displayed. But, apparently, six artworks were enough to take up all the wall space in the room.
We also braced ourselves for the gallery to be packed with visitors, but it was really very empty. RUCI Art Space has been a pretty well-known independent gallery for years—I visited its previous site in 2017 and it was a lot more alive with hubbub than this one was. When we arrived, there were a total of 6 other people—including the gallery guard. Since the exhibition—and the space—is small, we didn’t stay there for too long. Perhaps 15-20 minutes, with the last 5 minutes having the space all to ourselves.
What I Wear
Okay, let me dedicate a couple paragraphs to the outfit at hand. This was actually a re-wearing of the clothes I wore to work that previous Thursday. It’s a habit of mine now—much influenced by Agung—to re-wear clothes at least once before tossing them into the laundry basket. It helps reduce the amount of microplastic particles being sent into the ocean, you know.
Most of the items in this outfit are a long-time resident of my wardrobe. The dress, being the most recent purchase, was thrifted—as you know. I love how casually 70s this whole outfit feels. When Agung saw it, he said it looks perfect to be worn to a music festival—which we will hopefully attend sometime this year. Personally, I love the whole red-white-blue theme—although I’m not trying to be American, English or French by any means. The watch is a gifted item from Riverdean watch—whose website, apparently, is no longer active. I’d recommend it to you, but I guess that ship has sailed.
What I Read
You may remember that I have a mountain pile of TBR books, but somehow today I show up with a book that wasn’t part of that mountain. Well, last week I returned the books I borrowed from Goethe Institute a while back and decided to borrow a couple more titles. One I borrowed because of the author—I’ve heard the name before, but never read any works of his—while this one intrigued me from the title and the cover alone. I mean seriously, look at that cover!
The title Büroroman literally translates to “Office Novel,” so I assume the story is going to be like the book and German version of The Office. As I started reading it, I discovered that it’s not quite as comedic and unbelievable. In fact, the book really exaggerates the little details of our day-to-day at the office through the experiences of the employees at the company DRAMAG—can you already guess how much chaos these stories will entail? Perfect for me who reads to and from work.
Life Update
Lastly, let’s update you on what’s been going on in my life. First and foremost—in case you didn’t know—our family adopted a cat around Eid al-Fitr holiday. We named her Bonito Brilia—nicknamed Bobon, for short. She is the kind of cat who won’t let you touch her, not the one who’d ask for cuddles—ever. She is such a troublemaker and a riot, sometimes in an entertaining way but mostly really frustrating. Usually, she will spend the night with my sister, since she is officially her primary human—she takes care of her vet visits, buys her food and cleans her litter box. However, recently my sister tested positive for covid-19, so Bobon’s been sleeping in my room. To top it all of, my brother also came down with some digestive situation and all this is happening while my Stepmom has been away for effectively a month—needless to say I was the only one left to take care of her.
While I love having her around, I feel like I’ve got my unexpected introduction to motherhood in a way that I had never thought about, let alone prepare for. First of all, she has ruined my sleep schedule—she often refuses to sleep when I’m ready to and wakes me up at early hours. Second of all, with barely anyone who has the capacity to take care of her, I am expected to be home in time to take her into my room—while I tend to like staying out late during the weekends. Lastly, she really drives me crazy sometimes because I was always running after her, trying to get her to eat or get her in my room. All my respect for every existing mother out there—you guys are doing so good!
Do you have pets? Do you feel like a parent to them?
What I Read
You may remember that I have a mountain pile of TBR books, but somehow today I show up with a book that wasn’t part of that mountain. Well, last week I returned the books I borrowed from Goethe Institute a while back and decided to borrow a couple more titles. One I borrowed because of the author—I’ve heard the name before, but never read any works of his—while this one intrigued me from the title and the cover alone. I mean seriously, look at that cover!
The title Büroroman literally translates to “Office Novel,” so I assume the story is going to be like the book and German version of The Office. As I started reading it, I discovered that it’s not quite as comedic and unbelievable. In fact, the book really exaggerates the little details of our day-to-day at the office through the experiences of the employees at the company DRAMAG—can you already guess how much chaos these stories will entail? Perfect for me who reads to and from work.
Life Update
Lastly, let’s update you on what’s been going on in my life. First and foremost—in case you didn’t know—our family adopted a cat around Eid al-Fitr holiday. We named her Bonito Brilia—nicknamed Bobon, for short. She is the kind of cat who won’t let you touch her, not the one who’d ask for cuddles—ever. She is such a troublemaker and a riot, sometimes in an entertaining way but mostly really frustrating. Usually, she will spend the night with my sister, since she is officially her primary human—she takes care of her vet visits, buys her food and cleans her litter box. However, recently my sister tested positive for covid-19, so Bobon’s been sleeping in my room. To top it all of, my brother also came down with some digestive situation and all this is happening while my Stepmom has been away for effectively a month—needless to say I was the only one left to take care of her.
While I love having her around, I feel like I’ve got my unexpected introduction to motherhood in a way that I had never thought about, let alone prepare for. First of all, she has ruined my sleep schedule—she often refuses to sleep when I’m ready to and wakes me up at early hours. Second of all, with barely anyone who has the capacity to take care of her, I am expected to be home in time to take her into my room—while I tend to like staying out late during the weekends. Lastly, she really drives me crazy sometimes because I was always running after her, trying to get her to eat or get her in my room. All my respect for every existing mother out there—you guys are doing so good!
Do you have pets? Do you feel like a parent to them?