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Biennale 2015 comes to end with Pasar Loak
Bric-a-brac: Visitors examine goods on offer at the Pasar Loak bazaar at the 2015 Jakarta Biennale in Gudang Sarinah, South Jakarta, on Saturday
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Bric-a-brac: Visitors examine goods on offer at the Pasar Loak bazaar at the 2015 Jakarta Biennale in Gudang Sarinah, South Jakarta, on Saturday. The flea market will run until Sunday to mark the end of the biennale.(JP/Seto Wardhana) (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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span class="inline inline-center">Bric-a-brac: Visitors examine goods on offer at the Pasar Loak bazaar at the 2015 Jakarta Biennale in Gudang Sarinah, South Jakarta, on Saturday. The flea market will run until Sunday to mark the end of the biennale.(JP/Seto Wardhana)
As the two-month event approaches its end, Jakarta Biennale is welcoming visitors not only with contemporary art installations, but also a bazaar offering various secondhand goods ' from clothes to vinyl records.
The Pasar Loak (flea market) is situated in the first building of the Gudang Sarinah compound in Pancoran, South Jakarta ' where this year's biennale has been open to the public since November last year.
Featuring at least seven vendors, Pasar Loak attracted dozens of young vintage enthusiasts from all around the capital on Saturday.
'Although the vendors are few, the goods sold here are very attractive and unique,' a visitor from Kemang, South Jakarta, Myranty Ramadhan Fitria, 19, told The Jakarta Post.
'Aside from the vintage clothing, I also spotted old calendars and advertisements sold as souvenirs or birthday gifts. That's interesting.'
Myranty then indicated at the booth in a corner of the room where Muchlis Amir, 64, and his female colleague offered framed old calendars and printed advertisements.
Muchlis, who is also a member of vintage-lover community, Djadoel, said he had calendars and printed advertisements from many eras. The collection of printed advertisements he offered at Saturday's event, for example, comprised items from the 1930s Dutch-colonial era right up to the 1980s.
Muchlis explained that he had been collecting calendars and printed advertisements since the 1980s, when he first realized that such goods might have a value in the future.
He said most people bought his products for souvenirs, decorations and gifts, adding that many customers asked for framed calendar months as birthday gifts for relatives.
'I initially collected such things to value my own memories. Lately, I think I want to help people recall their memories as well,' said Muchlis, who also collects old automotive-related goods.
While Muchlis chose to sell specific items, another vendor in Pasar Loak, Ira Hestiati Krisantini, 53, attracted visitors with miscellaneous secondhand goods, like Indonesia-themed flight souvenirs, old tiered food containers, cassettes, vinyl records and vintage cameras. Those items were on sale at prices ranging from Rp 1,000 (7 US cents) to Rp 450,000.
With such affordable goods, Ira had a 7-year old boy as her first customer of the day.
'I cannot sell high-priced items in bazaars like this. Most of my customers are young people. Moreover, I mostly sell unrepaired goods,' Ira said.
She added that aside from earning some money, she and her husband decided to join bazaars, like Pasar Loak to expand their social circle as they could interact with vendors and customers of all ages.
Meanwhile, a short distance from Ira's booth, university student Vindy and her friend Mimin sold second-hand ladies' clothes and shoes at prices ranging from Rp 10,000 to Rp 250,000. Despite the affordable prices, the clothes and shoes were both wearable and fashionable.
Vindy explained that she and Mimin got the clothes from Senen Market in Central Jakarta, which is well-known as the largest second-hand clothes market in the capital. Meanwhile, the shoes used to belong to her.
The flea market is set to last until Sunday, the last day of Jakarta Biennale 2015, which has taken the theme of 'Maju Kena Mundur Kena: Bertindak Sekarang' (Neither Back nor Forward: Acting in the Present'), and has exhibited the art works of 42 Indonesian and 28 overseas artists.
