Those old enough to remember the heyday of Pasar Seni (Art Market) in Ancol, North Jakarta, would probably say the times are changing, and the market is not as bustling as it once was decades ago.
However, last Saturday afternoon, the usually quiet market was filled with sights and sounds - ranging from the pretty to the quirky - besides the usual painters sitting inside their kiosks.
Youths riding shiny lowrider bicycles, artists painting the bodies of women and teens in thick-rimmed spectacles - these were just some of the colors of the 2009 UrbanFest, a street festival aimed at providing room for "urban" art movements such as music, sports and visual arts.
The event was hosted by the Kompas Gramedia Group, the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ), Jaya Ancol and Prambors Radio.
"Pasar Seni is an example of a place's lag, which is not realized," said Ancol Jaya president director Budi Karya Sumadi.
"The *trend* cycle is getting shorter and shorter . Pasar Seni has to sustain 200 artists, thus it is our responsibility to make sure that they can make a living."
Budi said the event, a melting pot of contemporary, youthful art, would give the market's artists some much-needed stimulation.
One example was the body painting, a new experience for several of the older artists.
The 2009 UrbanFest, held last Saturday and Sunday, was the third of its kind. Nugroho F. Yudho, head of the event's committee, said this year's festival offered a couple of new excitements.
"In the first *UrbanFest*, we created entertainment for the youth, while the second one saw us creating the entertainment with them, and in the third we say *share your *artistic* knowledge with your friends'," Nugroho said.
Sure enough, this year's UrbanFest included various art workshops offering to teach visitors sculpting and animation in several of the stalls.
The event also featured the photo exhibition "Urbantopia", which runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 15, in the market's North Art Space Gallery.
Twelve photographers, including Davy Linggar, Agan Harahap and Jay Subijakto, are taking part.
Antara's Oscar Motuloh, whose edgy works captured the attention of many visitors, explained one of his works, a negative of a scarecrow clad in modern attire and a beret.
"*This photograph* depicts the mutual influence between the city and the country," he said.
"There seems to have always been a view that the urban is superior, and that there are borders *between urban and rural*."
Budi said the photo exhibition was a representation of urban society's face in the global era, encompassing reality, imagination and even utopia.
Seasoned photojournalist and co-curator Julian Sihombing said the photo exhibition would help open the minds of aspiring photographers still in the conservative frame.
"Most of the youths were surprised when they saw the photographs, and asked things like, *So you are allowed to do that?'" Julian said, smiling.
Most photography enthusiasts are still bound to the old artistic rules, despite the fact the digital age has made it possible for almost everyone to participate in the art, he said.
Inside the gallery, viewers, most of them young ones, were busy taking pictures of the pictures, of their friends with the pictures, or of themselves with the pictures.
One of them was Oki, a university student carrying a long-lensed digital camera and seemingly excited about everything going on inside and outside the gallery.
"I think this event is cool," he said.
"There should be more events like this, I'm interested in all the arts displayed." (dis)
Urbantopia
Photography Exhibition
Oct. 24 to Nov. 15
North Art Space Gallery
Ancol Art Market, North Jakarta
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