After more than two years of postponed events, art aficionados can again visit exhibitions and meet artists, fellow collectors and gallery owners in person. This year, Art Moments Jakarta, one of the most popular art fairs in the country, will return, holding the event offline as well as online.

The art fair, founded by Indonesian art lovers Leo Silitonga and Sendy Widjaja, has been held annually in Jakarta since 2019. In 2020 and 2021, the event was held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2022, Art Moments Jakarta endured a loss with the passing of Leo.

“My main duty now is to continue our vision, which is to make Art Moments Jakarta a platform to elevate Indonesian artists and art galleries to the world, and also to make international artists and galleries known in this country,” Sendy, who is also the fair director, said during the press conference at The Hermitage Jakarta, Central Jakarta, on May 31. 

“Art continues to grow and expand,” he continued. “Today, contemporary art generates new modern artworks, including photography, video art, installation works as well as digital and virtual assets.” 

Running with the theme Continuance Wave, this year’s event will showcase over 1,200 works of art from 52 galleries around Indonesia, Asia and Europe from June 9 to August 31. The offline art fair will be held at the Art:1 New Museum in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, between June 9 and 12. 

“Art:1 New Museum is among the pioneering art galleries in Indonesia,” Sendy said. “And it has quite a large exhibition area of around 4,000 square meters.”

The opening night on June 9 will be reserved for special guests with the theme Party at the Museum. Guests are suggested to don their best street fashion in order to win special prizes. 

“There will also be a DJ booth and a pop-up cafe [on the opening night], so guests can really enjoy themselves and savor the good food and drink,” Sendy added. 

Art enthusiasts can also log in to the online exhibition at www.artmomentsjakarta.com from June 10 to August 31.

Artworks to exhibit

In line with the theme, non-fungible token (NFT) art will be among the highlights of the art fair. 

“In the event, we’ll present NFT art projects by some of the best Indonesian NFT artists,” Rizki Zaelani, curator of the event, said during the press conference. 

Among these Indonesian NFT artists is Kong Andri. Last year, the former graphic designer sold one of his NFT characters for US$3,000. 

“At this year’s art fair, for the first time in Indonesia, and even in Asia, we’ll transform Kong Andri’s virtual art into reality,” Sendy said, referring to the artist’s NFT project, titled Living in the Moment. 

“My work, made in collaboration with the Museum of Toys, will be transformed into a sculpture with massive dimensions,” Kong Andri said. “It will remind us all to step back from our busy days, enjoy the present and forget the problems that might be looming in the future.” 

Another highlight at the art fair will be a series of sculptures by Indonesian multi-talented artist Nus Salomo. With the theme of Indonesia’s endemic flora and fauna, the sculptures depict Indonesia’s native plants and animals. 

“These sculptures are quite big, about two meters in height,” Nus said. “And I hope they’ll encourage young Indonesian people to learn more about and love Indonesia’s endemic flora and fauna.”

Nus is also planning to transform the sculptures into an animated movie. 

During the art fair, the visual artist will also feature one of his paintings, titled Anjing dan Film (Dog and Films). 

“The painting is based on my family’s activities at home during the pandemic,” Nus said. “We spent most of our time indoors watching Netflix, and my son really enjoyed playing with the dog that we’d just bought for him.” 

The art fair will also feature the latest works by Indonesian textile artist Mira Hoeng. Like Nus, her works have been much inspired by the pandemic. 

“Like most people, I was very much affected by the pandemic,” Mira said. “And the artworks that I will feature in Art Moments Jakarta this year will depict my personal journey during these hard times.” 

Made from textiles and mixed media, Mira’s works will bear her signature vibrant colors. 

“[Mira’s] art corner will be a great place for visitors to take selfies and wefies,” Sendy remarked. 

Approximately 1,000 daily visitors are expected to turn up for the offline exhibition. The entrance ticket is priced at Rp 60,000 (US$4.16) per person or Rp100,000 for two. All visitors must be fully vaccinated and wear a mask at all times during their visit.

“It will be a great meet-up between art lovers, artists and gallery owners,” Rizki, the curator, said. 

Meanwhile, the online exhibition expects around 50,000 visitors. The organizer predicts that both the online and offline art fair will bring in around Rp 20 billion in transactions. 

Workshops and talk shows

The art fair will also present a number of interesting workshops and talk shows for visitors. 

On June 10, Balinese contemporary artist I Made Bayak will host a workshop on transforming plastic garbage into art. 

“I Made Bayak is Indonesia’s up-and-coming artist,” Sendy said. “Many international art lovers have already collected his works.” 

On the same day, Singaporean art expert Wang Zineng will also discuss Bandung’s fine art artist and lecturer Abdul Djalil Pirous as well as post-war Indonesian art. 

On June 11, the art fair will feature a talk show titled, I Made Wianta Converse Moments: I Made Wianta Golden Legacy. 

“Made Wianta is among Indonesia’s fine art heroes,” Sendy said. “We believe that this contemporary artist should be more popular among art lovers in the country.” 

During this two-hour talk show, art experts will discuss 16 of the late maestro’s paintings during the nine periods of his life. 

Art Moments Jakarta also plans to present a bigger, fully offline event in Gandaria City, South Jakarta, in November this year.

Popular

Volcano erupts in North Sulawesi, hundreds evacuated

Dubai roads, airport reel from floods after record rains

Ramadan boosts consumer confidence, retail sales