Stunning entrance: Protector of your light by Arya Pandjalu welcomes visitors to Edwin's Gallery.

Upon entering the Contemporary Art and Social Turbulence exhibition’s hall, a piece by Arya Pandjalu, called Protector of your light, immediately captures the audience’s attention – It is a figure of a man with a hand in front of his face while glowing spears impale him.

The theme of “urban minorities marginalized” was explored at the exhibition, held at Edwin’s Gallery in Kemang, South Jakarta, until Feb. 19, through the sculptural works Not Catfish by Abdi Setiawan and The Dreams by Adi Gunawan, among others.

Walking further through, the audience is presented with many social issues, bringing the nitty gritty to the surface and exploring societal problems through varying techniques and mediums.

Singularly, the pieces enforce consideration, and together they are an explanation of the complexity and brevity of Indonesia’s social situation.

Seventeen contemporary artists from Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta take part in the exhibition, showcasing sculptures, paintings and videos.

The artists include Abdi Setiawan, Aliansyah Caniago, Arya Pandjalu, Ayu Rista, Murti, Mujahideen Nurrahman, Rega Ayundya, Rudi Atjeh, Septian Hariyoga, Tara Astari Kasenda, Yosefa Aulia and Yogie A. Gina.

The gallery partnered up with Martell Cognac for the exhibition.

Martell’s Heritage Director, Jacques Menier, explained how contemporary art has pushed the brand to keep their eyes on the future. “We believe all of our consumers at Martell are being curious and the most important thing about art is that it makes you think,” he said.

The gallery’s director, Edwin Rahardjo, said it partnered up with Martell because he believed that art was everywhere.

“[Art] is in every aspect of our lives,” he said. “There is culinary art, multimedia art and I think that is all evident in this exhibition.”

By exploring many different kinds of art in the exhibition, he found that through Martell he can have a rounded collection.

The exhibition also seeks to expose global challenges and the turning point that globalization has come to.

“For instance, the tendency for people to become religiously or racially intolerant, or the changes in a superpower’s leadership in an antithesis of global politics,” said the exhibition’s curator, Rifky Effendy.

Edwin’s favorite installation was Flow Landscape number one and number two by Kara Andarini, showcasing a layered plastic set up with sketched architectural drawings and a canvas piece to accompany it.

He said he liked the way he could connect with the piece. “The lines are structured but still not perfect so you are able to feel the humanity of the piece. I feel a great connection to the artist,” Edwin explained.

The layered detail of the piece characterizes the bustling, vibrant life of living in the city. As an artist who has spent the majority of her life living in Jakarta, Kara has captured this feeling.

In contrast, the installation by Rudi Atjeh called The Next Unknown/Follower Generation gives off a more anxious feel, but the piece is thought-provoking. The dimensional piece investigates Indonesia’s reality of a separating society.

Overall, the exhibition is well-rounded and reflects the harmony of juxtapositions that is modern Indonesia, with each piece complementing each other in their differences — just like contemporary art and cognac.

— Photos by Tessa Randello

— The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post

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