After being confined in the Jakarta area for over 2 years, last week Agung and I finally left the city to visit Surakarta and Yogyakarta and took full advantage of the last holiday we’d have until the end of the year. Yaay! We both had never been to Surakarta before—or better known as Solo—and since we found out that Artjog will also be held during our trip, we decided to stop by its neighbouring town Yogyakarta as well—you may remember we’ve been here before. In total, we spent 4 days 3 nights in both these cities, and it was truly magical—filled with art, history and food galore.
We took a train from Jakarta in the early morning of 17 August—our Independence Day!—and arrived in Solo 7 hours later. On the first day, having been pretty spent on the trip, we were focused on checking into our hotel and tasting a local cuisine—we really didn’t do much else. The next day, however, we got up and at ’em early to make our trip to Yogyakarta and head to Artjog. It was so satisfying, I wish I could tell you about it in its entirety on this post.
After being confined in the Jakarta area for over 2 years, last week Agung and I finally left the city to visit Surakarta and Yogyakarta and took full advantage of the last holiday we’d have until the end of the year. Yaay! We both had never been to Surakarta before—or better known as Solo—and since we found out that Artjog will also be held during our trip, we decided to stop by its neighbouring town Yogyakarta as well—you may remember we’ve been here before. In total, we spent 4 days 3 nights in both these cities, and it was truly magical—filled with art, history and food galore.
We took a train from Jakarta in the early morning of 17 August—our Independence Day!—and arrived in Solo 7 hours later. On the first day, having been pretty spent on the trip, we were focused on checking into our hotel and tasting a local cuisine—we really didn’t do much else. The next day, however, we got up and at ’em early to make our trip to Yogyakarta and head to Artjog. It was so satisfying, I wish I could tell you about it in its entirety on this post.
A little background before we jump into the actual exhibition itself. Agung and I had dreamed of going to visit Artjog since 2019. We had intended, at first, to go with our office when we used to work together. It had since stayed a dream though, largely due to the pandemic. The exhibition was mostly available online for the past two years—which broke our hearts.
It was a no-brainer that we jumped on the chance to visit the exhibition when we found out it was to be held offline this year and coincided beautifully with our already-planned-out trip. We squeezed in the time to make a detour to Yogyakarta—also known casually as Jogja—and, come hell or high water we would be there.
Geographically, Solo and Jogja are located not too far away from each other—only around 65 km or less in distance. By train, it would take less than an hour to go from one city to the next. We bought a long-haul train ticket one month in advance, for fear of running out on the day. It didn’t seem to cost too much at the time…until we found out when we arrived that we could take the commuter line and cut down the fee by 90%. Oh well, a good tip to know for next time.
We took the 12.15 train from Solo Balapan Train Station to arrive in Jogja Tugu Station at around 13.05—pretty quick, don’t you think? Without further ado, we made a beeline for Jogja National Museum, bought 2 tickets (IDR 75k each) and stepped into Artjog.
A little background before we jump into the actual exhibition itself. Agung and I had dreamed of going to visit Artjog since 2019. We had intended, at first, to go with our office when we used to work together. It had since stayed a dream though, largely due to the pandemic. The exhibition was mostly available online for the past two years—which broke our hearts.
It was a no-brainer that we jumped on the chance to visit the exhibition when we found out it was to be held offline this year and coincided beautifully with our already-planned-out trip. We squeezed in the time to make a detour to Yogyakarta—also known casually as Jogja—and, come hell or high water we would be there.
Geographically, Solo and Jogja are located not too far away from each other—only around 65 km or less in distance. By train, it would take less than an hour to go from one city to the next. We bought a long-haul train ticket one month in advance, for fear of running out on the day. It didn’t seem to cost too much at the time…until we found out when we arrived that we could take the commuter line and cut down the fee by 90%. Oh well, a good tip to know for next time.
We took the 12.15 train from Solo Balapan Train Station to arrive in Jogja Tugu Station at around 13.05—pretty quick, don’t you think? Without further ado, we made a beeline for Jogja National Museum, bought 2 tickets (IDR 75k each) and stepped into Artjog.
Our Favourites in a Nutshell
Artjog 2022: Expanding Awareness is actually part of a trilogy of exhibitions that Artjog has held since 2019—with the triple themes of ‘space,’ ‘time’ and ‘awareness.’ It showcases the works from 61 participating artists—which is undoubtedly a lot. All these pieces deal with awareness in various ways. Some take on the awareness of global and local issues, including sociopolitical, environmental and cultural aspects. Some take on the awareness of the self, whether through one’s psychological tendencies, behavioural patterns or the forming of preconceptions based on one’s mindset. A lot of the artists, artworks and even visitors deal with disability—putting the ableism issues and cultural bias towards disability on display to be addressed by the audience.
We took a look at each and every one of them and most of them invited discussions, but since we obviously cannot go on and on about all of them, we decided to pick a few of our favourites to talk about here. Of course, with the quality of work being exhibited, it was close to impossible to narrow down. Nevertheless, we shall try.
Thrifted shirt + dress + jacket // rattan purse from the antique market // Dr. Martens boots // photos of me by Agung
Our Favourites in a Nutshell
Artjog 2022: Expanding Awareness is actually part of a trilogy of exhibitions that Artjog has held since 2019—with the triple themes of ‘space,’ ‘time’ and ‘awareness.’ It showcases the works from 61 participating artists—which is undoubtedly a lot. All these pieces deal with awareness in various ways. Some take on the awareness of global and local issues, including sociopolitical, environmental and cultural aspects. Some take on the awareness of the self, whether through one’s psychological tendencies, behavioural patterns or the forming of preconceptions based on one’s mindset. A lot of the artists, artworks and even visitors deal with disability—putting the ableism issues and cultural bias towards disability on display to be addressed by the audience.
We took a look at each and every one of them and most of them invited discussions, but since we obviously cannot go on and on about all of them, we decided to pick a few of our favourites to talk about here. Of course, with the quality of work being exhibited, it was close to impossible to narrow down. Nevertheless, we shall try.
Thrifted shirt + dress + jacket // rattan purse from the antique market // Dr. Martens boots // photos of me by Agung
The second room was a hallway made out of wood, with one wall entirely covered with written-on fabric hung on nails. It is actually an interactive experience that asks visitors to write down their message to other visitors in order to protect the earth. We didn’t get a chance to do the same, since there was no fabric left. At the end of the hall, there is a screen playing a video of Mbak Wiza talking about what we can do to conserve our flora and fauna.
The third and last room was—you guessed it—the room behind the glass-case display from the first room. From the inside, oblivious to how we look to the following visitors, the room was really beautiful. It was decked floor-to-ceiling in Sejauh Mata Memandang’s own batik fabric. There are bits of bottle bottoms cut up into flowers here and there, to make the illusion of the wilderness even more alive. The one-way mirror that makes up the glass-case panel is actually very helpful for selfies from the inside. No wonder everyone was oblivious of the irony (lol).
Fave#1: Kisah Punah Kita
Sejauh Mata Memandang
One of the first installations at the entrance is this elaborate set up by Sejauh Mata Memandang. You may know them as a local ethical fashion brand that often exhibits installations—I have even visited them here, here and here before. It is divided into three rooms, all of which are very cleverly set up.
The first room is a dark room with a huge glass-case panel and the words ‘Extinction Causing Species‘ on top—as you can see above. Behind the glass-case panel, you can see fake plants made out of plastic and textile waste to resemble a ‘natural habitat,’ so to speak. At first, I didn’t understand it because the glass-case display was devoid of any species…until a couple visitors walked in, cementing their role. It was frankly genius! The best part is they cannot see us from inside the glass.
The second room was a hallway made out of wood, with one wall entirely covered with written-on fabric hung on nails. It is actually an interactive experience that asks visitors to write down their message to other visitors in order to protect the earth. We didn’t get a chance to do the same, since there was no fabric left. At the end of the hall, there is a screen playing a video of Mbak Wiza talking about what we can do to conserve our flora and fauna.
The third and last room was—you guessed it—the room behind the glass-case display from the first room. From the inside, oblivious to how we look to the following visitors, the room was really beautiful. It was decked floor-to-ceiling in Sejauh Mata Memandang’s own batik fabric. There are bits of bottle bottoms cut up into flowers here and there, to make the illusion of the wilderness even more alive. The one-way mirror that makes up the glass-case panel is actually very helpful for selfies from the inside. No wonder everyone was oblivious of the irony (lol).
Fave#1: Kisah Punah Kita
Sejauh Mata Memandang
One of the first installations at the entrance is this elaborate set up by Sejauh Mata Memandang. You may know them as a local ethical fashion brand that often exhibits installations—I have even visited them here, here and here before. It is divided into three rooms, all of which are very cleverly set up.
The first room is a dark room with a huge glass-case panel and the words ‘Extinction Causing Species‘ on top—as you can see above. Behind the glass-case panel, you can see fake plants made out of plastic and textile waste to resemble a ‘natural habitat,’ so to speak. At first, I didn’t understand it because the glass-case display was devoid of any species…until a couple visitors walked in, cementing their role. It was frankly genius! The best part is they cannot see us from inside the glass.
Fave#2: Catatan Pinggir Jurang
Alex Abbad
Okay, to be honest, this was the one work that I both admire so much and hate with all my guts. It is a whole-room installation and, honestly, the most mind-blowing one to be sure. To enter its premises, visitors have to take off their shoes. The room really resembles an indoor playground, with only the familiar pink colour and traditional patterns of a typical Indonesian mattress visible from the door—giving you false feelings of comfort and fun.
The installation itself is—you’ve guessed it—a room full of mattresses and pillows. As you enter, you’ll walk up to the very top of the room and, let me tell you, it is HIGH! The path is laid out in mattress, with pillows lining the walls on one side and a metal railing on the other. The path is incredibly steep—I wouldn’t recommend coming in if you have severe acrophobia. By the end of it, I was shaking, unable to look down and just wanted to get it over with. There is actually an incredibly steep slide in the middle of it all, but it was closed down—and looked absolutely dangerous.
Fave#3: Cosmic Patterns
Tempa
Located right next to the installation I just mentioned, this one really contrasts greatly from the mattress nightmare. For this one, visitors also have to take off their shoes though. It is an interactive installation, consisting of a few life-size uniquely-shaped puzzle pieces being connected together. The pieces, however, do not look like your run-of-the-mill puzzles, though. They come in the shape of our everyday objects in a surreal and fun style.
In the corner, there is an area with a cutely designed carped and a few boxes filled with smaller puzzle pieces for visitors to play with. We can try to connect all sorts of puzzle pieces in various shapes—including human beings, cars and plants—in any way that we want.
This installation was made by the artist duo Tempa—native of Yogyakarta—who I instantly fell in love with. If you love their installation as well, don’t fret! We will see their works again on this trip. Watch this space!
Fave#2: Catatan Pinggir Jurang
Alex Abbad
Okay, to be honest, this was the one work that I both admire so much and hate with all my guts. It is a whole-room installation and, honestly, the most mind-blowing one to be sure. To enter its premises, visitors have to take off their shoes. The room really resembles an indoor playground, with only the familiar pink colour and traditional patterns of a typical Indonesian mattress visible from the door—giving you false feelings of comfort and fun.
The installation itself is—you’ve guessed it—a room full of mattresses and pillows. As you enter, you’ll walk up to the very top of the room and, let me tell you, it is HIGH! The path is laid out in mattress, with pillows lining the walls on one side and a metal railing on the other. The path is incredibly steep—I wouldn’t recommend coming in if you have severe acrophobia. By the end of it, I was shaking, unable to look down and just wanted to get it over with. There is actually an incredibly steep slide in the middle of it all, but it was closed down—and looked absolutely dangerous.
Fave#3: Cosmic Patterns
Tempa
Located right next to the installation I just mentioned, this one really contrasts greatly from the mattress nightmare. For this one, visitors also have to take off their shoes though. It is an interactive installation, consisting of a few life-size uniquely-shaped puzzle pieces being connected together. The pieces, however, do not look like your run-of-the-mill puzzles, though. They come in the shape of our everyday objects in a surreal and fun style.
In the corner, there is an area with a cutely designed carped and a few boxes filled with smaller puzzle pieces for visitors to play with. We can try to connect all sorts of puzzle pieces in various shapes—including human beings, cars and plants—in any way that we want.
This installation was made by the artist duo Tempa—native of Yogyakarta—who I instantly fell in love with. If you love their installation as well, don’t fret! We will see their works again on this trip. Watch this space!
Fave#4: Bento please cheers me up!
Mulyana & Parti Gastronomi
Yet another fun installation for your pleasure, but this one is accompanied by music and motion pictures. This installation is located in a yellow room with five long tables in it, each with several plates serving crocheted cuisines on it. How cute is that?! Not only that, on the wall behind all these tables, there are three videos picturing the real, edible version of all the amigurumi dishes on the plates—accompanied by a really fun, children’s foodie song playing on repeat.
Through this work, Mulyana reflects on our food culture and how it relates to us as people. Despite being fake and inedible, most visitors seem to still find this work really appetising.
Fave#5: Cerita tentang Gumuk Sidul dan Sono Rasekso
Ary Indra & Wisnu Ajitama
Last but definitely not least is a really intriguing installation with an interesting back story and a beautiful message. This one centers around a fictional figure Sono Rakseso who the creators based off a construction built by a village—in collaboration with the locals—for any social events, which has since turned into a commercialised tourist spot, igniting a conflict of interest in its place.
Sono Rakseso is made out of teak tree branches to represent the original building, but mixed with cement and red paint to show how it has since been contaminated by humans’ greed and a desperate hunger for power.
Fave#4: Bento please cheers me up!
Mulyana & Parti Gastronomi
Yet another fun installation for your pleasure, but this one is accompanied by music and motion pictures. This installation is located in a yellow room with five long tables in it, each with several plates serving crocheted cuisines on it. How cute is that?! Not only that, on the wall behind all these tables, there are three videos picturing the real, edible version of all the amigurumi dishes on the plates—accompanied by a really fun, children’s foodie song playing on repeat.
Through this work, Mulyana reflects on our food culture and how it relates to us as people. Despite being fake and inedible, most visitors seem to still find this work really appetising.
Fave#5: Cerita tentang Gumuk Sidul dan Sono Rasekso
Ary Indra & Wisnu Ajitama
Last but definitely not least is a really intriguing installation with an interesting back story and a beautiful message. This one centers around a fictional figure Sono Rakseso who the creators based off a construction built by a village—in collaboration with the locals—for any social events, which has since turned into a commercialised tourist spot, igniting a conflict of interest in its place.
Sono Rakseso is made out of teak tree branches to represent the original building, but mixed with cement and red paint to show how it has since been contaminated by humans’ greed and a desperate hunger for power.
Like I said, picking only five artworks out 61 amazing pieces is immensely difficult. And to be able to talk about them briefly too. It was such a trying task. In truth, there are so many more masterpieces by so many talented artists which have captured our hearts. Most of them are not only intriguing visually/audio-wise/experientially, but they also hold such powerful messages about us as individuals as well as us as a society and mankind. It’s crazy and wild to think how many talented people there are in this country and how much they care about the world we live in. I hope they will get as much support from the people in power and those who live alongside them as they rightly deserve.
What left me most in awe is, not only how amazing and aware of the current issues the artworks are, but also how accommodating and inclusive the event itself is. I overheard and caught glimpses of disabled people looking quite happy visiting the exhibition—as they should! Especially since Jogja Disability Arts is showcasing their works there at the moment. It was actually one of our favourites that we didn’t get any good pictures of.
On that note, let us leave you with a few honourable mentions: Babad Disabilitas by Jogja Disability Arts, Rumah dalam Rumah Farida by Iwan Yusuf, No More Babies by Jay Subyakto, Personal Denominator by Christine Ay Tjoe and The Rangda “Weaving the Ocean” by Ari Bayuaji.
Do stop by Artjog 2022, if you have the chance.
It will still be open to visit until 4 September 2022.
Like I said, picking only five artworks out 61 amazing pieces is immensely difficult. And to be able to talk about them briefly too. It was such a trying task. In truth, there are so many more masterpieces by so many talented artists which have captured our hearts. Most of them are not only intriguing visually/audio-wise/experientially, but they also hold such powerful messages about us as individuals as well as us as a society and mankind. It’s crazy and wild to think how many talented people there are in this country and how much they care about the world we live in. I hope they will get as much support from the people in power and those who live alongside them as they rightly deserve.
What left me most in awe is, not only how amazing and aware of the current issues the artworks are, but also how accommodating and inclusive the event itself is. I overheard and caught glimpses of disabled people looking quite happy visiting the exhibition—as they should! Especially since Jogja Disability Arts is showcasing their works there at the moment. It was actually one of our favourites that we didn’t get any good pictures of.
On that note, let us leave you with a few honourable mentions: Babad Disabilitas by Jogja Disability Arts, Rumah dalam Rumah Farida by Iwan Yusuf, No More Babies by Jay Subyakto, Personal Denominator by Christine Ay Tjoe and The Rangda “Weaving the Ocean” by Ari Bayuaji.
Do stop by Artjog 2022, if you have the chance.
It will still be open to visit until 4 September 2022.