The program is part of the upcoming International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank Annual Summit, scheduled to take place in Bali in October, and will consist of a series of pre-events to promote Indonesia.

One of the pre-events is an art exhibition that is currently taking place in the Jusuf Anwar building in the Finance Ministry complex in Lapangan Banteng, Central Jakarta, until March 14. 

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said at the opening of the exhibition on Tuesday that she was seeking to not only showcase Indonesia’s natural wonders, but also the creative energy of its people, as shown through the diverse artworks.

“This exhibition will help promote the idea that Indonesia is a wholly multidimensional country, fixed on one grand idea, but also part of the world. Every artist involved has their own ideas and every form of art compliments one another. Difference, is therefore a beauty, that is why we create art that is diverse,” 

Sri Mulyani said.

The artworks displayed convey distinctly Indonesian themes and ideas. Most of them, which will all be displayed in Washington D.C in April, are murals, a common form of art that is ubiquitous on urban walls in Indonesia’s biggest cities.

The central piece of the exhibition is a large mural titled the Wall of Connection. It is a collage-like work of modular-sized canvases each bearing differently styled works, but also displaying the distinctive characteristics of each artist involved. 

The works, and the differences that it presents, offer a take on celebrating diversity as well as teamwork, community, communication and tolerance, which are basically the best values that Indonesia has to offer.

The Wall of Connection will also be the centerpiece of the upcoming “Voyage To Indonesia” exhibition in Washington, D.C. The mural will be housed in the main atrium of the IMF building and the rest of the artworks, including individual works by the eight mural artists plus several others, will be showcased in the 

building as well.

Eight artists were involved in the creation of the mural: Rizky Aditya Nugroho, A.A.G Airlangga, Marishka Soekarna, Muchlis Fahri, Mika, Oldy Jurakli, Yuri Andhika and Adi Dharma. All of them are esteemed and seasoned graffiti artists who have practiced their craft for years.

Speaking of his role in creating the mural, Jakarta-based artist Airlangga commented that the work was a way of having a visual and artistic conversation with the other seven artists involved. The mural itself is an amalgam of imagery, with each artist bringing their own corner to life. Airlangga’s part shows a geometrically built image of a Balinese dancer.

The process took 12 hours and brought together eight different personalities, which Airlangga described as a wonderful exercise in patience and tolerance.

“With eight artists, there is bound to be eight egos. The challenge is to tolerate each other’s ideas while also trying to get your own across as well. It turned out to be fun, we learned a lot about each other and art during the process,” Airlangga said.