Indonesia’s first museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art will open its doors in Jakarta early next year — aiming to be more than just a public space for interaction, but also one of learning and experience.

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Nusantara (Museum MACAN), built and financed by businessman and collector Haryanto Adikoesoemo, has opted for a clean and modern architectural concept that in some way reflects the spirit of Jakarta and its people.

The museum — which will be situated in the fifth floor of a multipurpose landmark building in Kebon Jeruk area, West Jakarta — may look humble from its exterior, which features a glass façade through which a sculpture garden will be visible.

But the interior of the 4,000-square-meter space is a different story.

Designed by London-based MET Studio Design, the museum boasts a modern and interactive environment.  It cleverly transports visitors from a spacious atrium with copious natural light to a more intimate space — a gallery with a lower ceiling and artificial light.

The design accommodates the museum’s various activities, from holding exhibitions to educational and public programs.

MET Studio Design, which has worked on a number of museum projects including the Natural History Museum in London, took inspiration for Museum MACAN from Jakarta’s dynamic environment in creating an engaging, open experience.

“When we first arrived in Jakarta, we immediately noticed that creativity resides everywhere in the city, and we decided then and there the museum should reflect the public space,” MET Studio Design Chairman Alex McCuaig said in a release.

Based on the museum’s design, upon arrival, visitors will encounter an open public atrium, marked by a café/restaurant, indoor sculpture garden and a panorama over Jakarta’s skyline — allowing them to interact and enjoy the surroundings before enjoying the artworks inside.

“A lot of data about museum and cultural space in general says that about 70 to 75 percent people visit cultural spaces, including museum, to have social contact, social interaction,” Museum MACAN director and lead curator Thomas J. Berghuis told The Jakarta Post.

The museum, he said, was designed not only as a public space and a space for interaction, but also a space of learning and experience.

The museum entrance will be marked by a gateway arch that features a backlit sign reading MACAN.

From the public area, visitors move through a waist-high glass-partition entrance into the first gallery, which will have a strong focus on educational programs and others, such as large-scale commissioned artworks and special exhibits.

The first gallery will feature custom-built interactive education units and media.

One of its most prominent features will be a collaborative digital “art totem” with programmable screens wrapped around a central column.

“[Through the totem’s screen], we can highlight exhibitions in the museum,” said Berghuis, a former curator of Chinese art at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, US.

“[The other idea is that] we could have a school group in there and they could draw things on their iPads and then it could be projected on the screens. People could leave their comments as well and they could be projected on the screen.”

The wrapped structure theme is interwoven into many aspects of the museum’s design. The sculpture garden is embellished with two massive plinths with a wrap design, making it appear as though the floor is peeling open to reveal the sculptures on top of the surface.

The wrap design is also visible on the gallery walls, which flow seamlessly from the concrete floor up to the ceiling.

He said the concept was to deliver the museum and space as a layered experience.

“And instead of seeing only the surface, MET Studio has thought about peeling the surface away and revealing something else. In this case, revealing the museum, the artwork and the experience,” Berghuis said.

Feature exhibitions will be programmed in two main sections: the first section is a 1,175-square-meter open-plan area that will allow for rotating exhibitions focused mainly on contemporary art and special project exhibitions.

The 745-square-meter second section can host more art historical exhibitions and key works of 20th century modern art.

“The further you move into the museum, these wraps actually come down quite substantially. In the main gallery, the wall height is 5 and a half meters, while in the back space, it is 4 meters.”

With walls protecting it from daylight, the second section will mainly be supported by a lighting system.

“[The light will be adjusted so that] your eyes have the best experience of color, saturation. So that when you see a painting or object, it actually comes to life.”

Curator and Sidharta Auctioneer auction house owner Amir Sidharta says that every museum that is properly run, carries out proper due diligence regarding the authenticity of the collection it presents and conducts thorough research with an insightful approach that results in wonderful and interesting exhibitions would contribute to the enhancement of knowledge about art in Indonesia.

“I trust that Museum MACAN will become a museum that contributes greatly to Indonesia as well as the art world,” Amir said.

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