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‘Litter Critters’: Transforming trash into treasure
Erasmus Huis Jakarta hosts an exhibition that reimagines litter as artworks and inspires people to reconsider how they treat their garbage.
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A caterpillar made from a soft drink can is featured on a diorama at the Litter Critters, art exhibition by Dutch biologist and visual artist Arike Gill, which runs until Aug. 13, 2023. (JP/Sylviana Hamdani)
T
he exhibition space at Erasmus Huis Jakarta has undergone a metamorphosis into a vibrant tropical jungle. What was once a blank canvas now boasts walls adorned with wallpaper, posters, photographs and drawings depicting lush rainforests and their lively inhabitants. Above, a colorful array of birds hover, their melodious songs filling the air and echoing through the entrance.
But take a closer look, and you will discover a surprising twist, the birds are ingeniously crafted from discarded chocolate and candy wrappers from the Netherlands. Amid the scattered drawings, photos and posters, you can also spot beer cans, medical masks, milk cartons and various other objects, often found littered on the streets, portrayed as wildlife.
Until Aug. 13, the Dutch cultural center in Jakarta is hosting Litter Critters, an art exhibition by Dutch biologist and visual artist, Arike Gill. The showcase features artworks made from and inspired by the garbage she encountered during her walks in her hometown with her children.
“Art is always inviting us to look at our life or environment in a different way,” Erasmus Huis Jakarta’s director Yolande Melsert said at the opening night on Jun. 7. “The art of Arike Gill shows us how badly we treat our planet, but at the same time, her drawings are very tempting and beautiful, almost like sweet kisses in the morning to wake you up.”
“Arike’s art is a wake-up call to reality.”
Things that we refuse to see
“During COVID-19, I couldn’t go to work,” Gill told The Jakarta Post. “My kids couldn’t go to school either. So, we thought maybe it’d be nice to explore nature in the city that we live in.”
