Indie-pop band The White Shoes and The Couples Company vocalist and illustrator Aprilia Sari has a soft spot for good ol' time memories that every person who grew up in Indonesia in the 1980s will relate to.

She feels nostalgic for Ismail Marzuki's songs that marked the end of the day's TV show on the then only television station TVRI and for the simple illustrations of main characters Budi, Wati, and Iwan in Bahasa Indonesia text books by artist Suyadi aka Pak Raden. Suyadi is the voice of the character Pak Raden, an old mustachioed grumpy Javanese man in the popular 1980s children's puppet show Unyil aired on TVRI.

These objets d'art along with aged pictures of her parents in the 1960s and 1970s made her develop a love of nostalgia, which has a big influence on her art and music.

APRILIA SARI: (JP/Prodita Sabarini)

Just back from a U.S. tour with the band in November, the 27-year-old, popularly called Sari, is holding her first solo exhibition in Ruru Gallery in Tebet, South Jakarta, displaying art installation, illustration and oil paintings in her retro style.

Sitting in a white art deco cup chair with red cushions in the exhibition hall of the gallery, Sari talked to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday about her solo exhibition titled "Rayuan Pulau Kelapa" from Ismail Marzuki's popular song. She also talked about the band, her fondest memories and her love of old-time Indonesian pop culture.

Staying true to her style, that day she was wearing a 1960s puffed- and long-sleeved floral print blouse with a bow and jeans. Her make up was only black cat-eye liner.

People who follow the indie music scene know Sari from her involvement with the band, comprised of her longtime boyfriend Yusmario Farabi (acoustic guitar), Saleh bin Husein (electric guitar), young married couple Apri Mela Prawidiyanti (piano, keyboard, violin), Ricky Surya Virgana (bass, cello) and John David (drums). All of them are alumni of the Jakarta Institute of Arts.

A perky retro-pop indie band, The White Shoes and The Couples Company plays tunes influenced by the 1930s acoustic jazz, with a touch of classic string arrangements, retro disco and a 1970s keyboard.

Their unique music and style -- the band members prefer to 1960s hairdos and clothing to go along with their retro sounding music -- has made Rollingstone.com list them as one of the 25 best bands on Myspace in 2007, the previous year Hai magazine declared them as Indonesia's best indie band while Allmusic.com listed them in the 25 most crushworthy bands.

Just like her retro music, her art bears the same spirit. She had turned back time in the exhibition hall, with old cupboards filled with books from circa 1970s, such as Ali Topan Anak Jalanan (Ali Topan, street boy) a popular novel that has been adapted into a popular film.

An art installation made of vintage dresses was spread on the right side of the wall all the way down to the floor. In the middle of the hall was an old, fake stuffed tiger she had brought from home. An old green carpet her mother had made was also present, while a big portrait of her parents hung on the wall.

Oil paintings of songwriter Ismail Marzuki, singer-comedian Benyamin Suaeb, pop-singer Chrisye and Koes Ploes band that she had produced for Rolling Stones Indonesia magazine were displayed.

Additional oils included mock advertisements with herself and members of the band as models. Interesting paintings on metal with Indonesian catch phrases such as Apa gunanya malu-malu kucing? (What's the use of being shy like a cat?)

Sari said that she took Rayuan Pulau Kelapa (Solace on Coconut Island) as the title because Ismail Marzuki's song speaks of beautiful memories of Indonesia.

"I took the spirit of the song (for my exhibition) and tried to depict the beautiful memories of me growing up and living here," she said.

She did not create -- either her music with the band or her art -- just to be retro per se, she said.

"It's not about (whether something is) retro or not; vintage or not. My friends and I, we have the same fondness for memories."

For her, what conjures good-time memories were old pictures of her parents in their 1960s wardrobe, Ismail Marzuki's songs as well as songs from Benyamin Sueb and that type of illustration in Bahasa Indonesia text books.

This leads her to be interested in everything from that era, especially posters, movies and soundtracks.

"I think that is really Indonesian pop culture. Indonesia looked very modern at that time. There were influences from Western culture but the artists could still give an Indonesian touch. They were able to draw pictures of very beautiful Indonesian men and women."

She also tries to put an Indonesian touch in her creations, either in catch phrases or just in the physical features in her drawings, she said.

Curator for Sari's exhibition Farah Wardani said that Sari's uniqueness was that she produces retro-art with a very Indonesian feel.

"She also uses that style to express her own experiences," Farah said. This can be seen in her giant illustration of her parents.

"They are the one who have given me inspiration. From them I saw the first images that I knew in life, from photo albums and so much more -- how a girl who was born in the 1880s saw the image of Indonesia through her parents," Sari said.

Sari said her art has a big influence on her music and vice versa.

"What I like influences my music. The good thing is all of us (in the band) have similar likings," she said.

What started as mere fun has grown into something big, as the band has record deals with local Aksara records and U.S. indie label Minty Fresh. From there, they received international acclaim and became the first Indonesian band to take part in SXSW, the biggest annual indie gig in the United States.

She said when they first heard that they had been listed as one of the 25 most crushworthy bands by Allmusic.com back in 2006 they did not feel that it was real. "The award was on the Internet so it just did not feel real for us. It didn't impact our lives much," she said.

However, after playing live in the United States they are now certain that their music is accepted there."We're now more assured as musicians. That language is no barrier. That they like the music. That music is universal," she said.

"What I hope for is that the world will see Indonesia as a center for a potential music industry -- in terms of indie music -- because Indonesian indie musicians are very special.

"We have talents that can't be found any place else in the world."

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