R

esidents of Greater Jakarta are in awe of some wax statues of global figures showcased at Alive Museum Ancol in North Jakarta, the first of its kind in Indonesia.

One of the visitors, Rinaldo Kurnia, could not take his eyes off a statue of Indian independence movement leader Mahatma Gandhi that sits in one corner of the museum beside the man'€™s iconic charkha.

Having read the history of India'€™s struggle to free itself from British rule since he was in junior high school, the 25-year-old man is aware of how fundamental Gandhi'€™s role was during that era. He said out of all of Gandhi'€™s waxwork figures, he was jubilant the museum owner decided to show the one with the spinning wheel.

'€œThis wheel is more than a loom. It symbolizes India'€™s movement during the colonial era. I am very happy that now I can see it in its actual size,'€ he told The Jakarta Post recently.

In the 1940s, Gandhi used the charkha to send a message to the British authorities that India is an independent country that could make its own cloth and did not need to rely on the British to make it for them.

On another side of the museum a wax statue of legendary Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh poses in front of his famous Starry Night oil painting. A man took the paint brush from Van Gogh'€™s hand and stood just beside the statue while his friend took a picture of them.

Sheila Nisa Maulina and her friend came all the way from Tangerang just to visit the museum that is located in the Ancol Beach Mall. She said the visit to the museum was worth all the kilometers and time, as she could see many human-sized statues of global figures.

'€œIt was my first time seeing waxworks and I cannot say I am disappointed. The wax statues seem so real,'€ she said.

Having launched in December, Alive Museum Ancol is a branch of Alive Museum South Korea, which does not only offer a wax statues attraction, but also trick art or three-dimensional artworks. Aside from in Korea and Jakarta, the museum has opened branches in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Turkey.

The newest attraction in Ancol features more than 50 wax statues, including of world-famous revolutionary leader Che Guevara, Spanish painter Salvador Dali and Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie.

For the Rp 100,000 (US$7.34) entrance fee, visitors can also see superhero characters like Spider-Man and Batman, as well as original movie posters of Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of the Rings complete with autographs from the actors and actresses.

Ardian, another visitor who came with his wife and son, said they visited the museum by accident as they previously planned to play at the Ancol Beach.

He added that seeing Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who were considered to be the biggest technology innovation rivals, in one room would never fail to amuse him. '€œI have to say this is amazing. Even the wrinkles on this hand feel so real,'€ he said, posing for a selfie with Steve Jobs.

'€œUnfortunately, not every statue looks like the real person: Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, for example. Their hair is so weird,'€ he said.

Mulya Ardi, who came from Bogor, West Java with his eight family members, said all of them enjoyed their first experience at the wax museum.

However, as a fan of Van Gogh, he said the museum management could do better by posting the name of the artwork that was displayed beside the painter. '€œI doubt everyone would know which one is Starry Night or Irises,'€ he said.