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Kids get arty at Jakarta Biennale
Play and create: Children play around an installation dubbed The Syntax System, a work of New Zealand artist Peter Robinson, at the Gudang Sarinah in Pancoran, South Jakarta, the venue of the Jakarta Biennale, on Saturday
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Play and create: Children play around an installation dubbed The Syntax System, a work of New Zealand artist Peter Robinson, at the Gudang Sarinah in Pancoran, South Jakarta, the venue of the Jakarta Biennale, on Saturday.(JP/Don) (JP/Don)
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span class="caption">Play and create: Children play around an installation dubbed The Syntax System, a work of New Zealand artist Peter Robinson, at the Gudang Sarinah in Pancoran, South Jakarta, the venue of the Jakarta Biennale, on Saturday.(JP/Don)
On Saturday afternoon, 7-year-old Gandis proudly showed off her felt artwork at an installation dubbed The Syntax System at the Gudang Sarinah in Pancoran, East Jakarta, venue of the Jakarta Biennale.
'Mom, take a picture of my work please,' Gandis begged her mother, pointing to her work, entitled A Person Wearing a Hat Smiles.
Gandis said that of all the installations at the biennale, she most enjoyed The Syntax System, as it allowed her to play and create. 'It's fun,' she said, zooming around the installation.
The Syntax System, a work of New Zealand artist Peter Robinson, invites the public and visitors to be involved in the creation process, providing hundreds of lines, squares and circles of felt to allow everyone to create their own work of art.
Gandis' mother Andina Septia, 31, said that she had decided to come to the venue after learning that the biennale had a special tour for children and parents.
'My daughter keeps asking to go to the mall, because there's lots of things she likes there. I want her to be able to enjoy other things as well, especially art,' she said.
It had been difficult, however, to involve Gandis in art, Andina said. 'She loves dancing and drawing but when I take her to a museum, for example, she is afraid of the statues,' she said, adding that Gandis also showed little interest in children's puppets.
She said she had been pleased with her daughter's excited reaction to the installation. 'I decided to participate in the tour as it is hard for me to explain the meaning of art myself,' she said.
She cited as an example a picture of a kuntilanak (a female ghost). 'It is hard for me to explain to her that it is related to the oppression of women,' she said.
Accompanied by their parents, groups of children aged from 4 to 12 years old are introduced to art at the installations, part of the Jakarta Biennale, which runs from Nov. 15 to Jan. 17. Besides experiencing various installations, the children can also engage in interactive activities like arranging felt fabric, planting seeds and drawing.
Glen Delhaye, a 36-year-old father who took his 4-year-old son Gana to the tour, said that he wanted to introduce art to his son, adding, however, that the installations were not easily understood by children.
'The tour is quite fun. Activities like planting seeds and creating your own artwork excite the children, so they are not bored,' he said.
Glen said he was also impressed with the choice of venue. 'This is cool. I thought warehouses like this only exist in Tanjung Priok [in North Jakarta],' said the father of three.
Daniella, a tour guide from artist organization Ruang Rupa (Ruru), said that introducing art to children was tricky, as it often touched on complex and serious political issues such as poverty, crime and the environment. 'We selected 10 out of 70 art works that are suitable for children,' she said.
Daniella, who often holds art workshops for students at Ruru headquarters in Tebet, South Jakarta, dubbed Rudu Kids, added that art should be easy to understand and interesting for children.
Daniella said the biggest challenge to introducing art to children was the age range. 'If the age is the same, it is easier to explain,' she said.
The biennale's coordinator for public education, Mia Maria, said that the event aimed to introduce art to the wider public. 'Art nowadays is more of a reflection and response to our daily life, so it's about things close to us. People often don't realize that,' she said, adding that the biennale wanted to increase awareness of art's proximity to everyday life.
Mia said that the tour for children and teens would be held every weekend during the exhibition. 'The schedule and the information can be accessed through our website jakartabiennale.net,' she said.
