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Colonial roots: Visitors ponder 'Long Hanging Fruits’ by Elia Nurvista, an installation reflecting on the exploitative legacy of oil palm trees, introduced to Indonesia by the Dutch in 1848.
JP/Sylviana Hamdani
Colonial roots: Visitors ponder 'Long Hanging Fruits’ by Elia Nurvista, an installation reflecting on the exploitative legacy of oil palm trees, introduced to Indonesia by the Dutch in 1848. JP/Sylviana Hamdani
Art & Culture premium

‘Beyond Unsettled Past’: Revisiting Indonesia’s colonial legacies

The exhibition, held at in Erasmus Huis in Jakarta, reexamines colonial legacies through a distinctly Indonesian lens. Curated by historian Sadiah Boonstra and artist Sukiato Khurniawan, the show features powerful works by six artists that confront the lingering imprints of colonialism on society.

1 week ago
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Dancing in harmony: 75 Years of Indonesia-Thailand diplomacy

From the graceful Thai Blessing Dance to the vibrant Indonesian Puspa Mekar, the performance blended traditional melodies and symbolism, captivating the audience with a shared spirit of peace and unity.

1 week ago
Art & Culture premium

Diponegoro lives on, two centuries after the fact

Although the Java War started two centuries ago, the story of Diponegoro's heroism remains fresh to Indonesians today thanks to many serious scholarly works as well as the products of pop culture which advertise his trials and tribulations. The following is a non-exhaustive list of scholarly works and popular retellings of Diponegoro's life.

1 week ago

The Latest

Art & Culture

ARTJOG Festival puts forth inclusivity and solidarity

With the theme Expanding Awareness, the 2022 ARTJOG Festival highlights the work of artists from all walks of life, including the young and disabled, to emphasize inclusiveness and shared humanity.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

Syria's last traditional boat-makers keep ancient craft afloat

Khaled Bahlawan hammers nails into a traditional wooden boat he built by hand, toiling under the scorching sun on Syria's Mediterranean coast to preserve a disappearing ancient skill.

3 years ago
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Deadly elephant virus stalks Zurich zoo

A deadly virus has swept through Zurich's zoo, killing three Asian elephants in a month and leaving experts stumped as to how to stop its spread.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

Tracing Indonesian-Australian ties through historical objects

A joint Indonesian-Australian exhibition uses historical objects to rethink the ties and connections between the two countries, as well as their colonial histories.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

From war to peace: Vietnam's rubber sandals march on

Made from recycled military truck or aircraft tyres, Vietnam's hand-made rubber sandals have travelled vast distances over the decades.

3 years ago
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'God, give us rain' – Romanian monastery prays for end to drought

Iulia Coleasa, an 81-year-old who relies on her small plot for food, traveled 15 kilometers in searing heat to a monastery in southern Romania on Sunday to join a service praying for rain.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

Building With Nature exhibition highlights sustainable houses for a greener planet

Erasmus Huis Jakarta presents an expo on sustainable buildings for a better world. 

3 years ago
Art & Culture premium

‘Luffy himself’: ‘One Piece’ author remains child at heart

He is the creator of one of the world's best-known manga, but One Piece author Eiichiro Oda shuns stardom with a carefree attitude that evokes the beloved hero of his work.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

Twenties: 20 exquisite traditional fabrics of Indonesia

'Twenties' is a column in which we give our top 20 list of anything and everything of interest, from food and history to pop culture, lifestyle and more.

3 years ago
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'Private rebellion': Hong Kong's anglophone poets gain recognition abroad

As a teenager stuck in Hong Kong's pressure-cooker school system, Eric Yip found his escape in writing poetry -- never dreaming that one day he would win a top prize halfway across the world.

3 years ago
Art & Culture premium

Superfluous Things: Paper transforms simple material into astounding artworks

An exhibition highlighting contemporary artists as storytellers focuses on the long tradition of paper manipulation.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

Kyrgyzstan promotes its traditional mare's milk to lure tourists

Kyrgyzstan is seeking to attract more tourists by promoting its traditional kumis - fermented mare's milk - which locals drink and bathe in and say is good for their health.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

Documenta director quits in anti-Semitism row

Documenta, which every five years turns the sleepy German city of Kassel into the centre of the art world, features more than 1,500 participants and for the first time since its launch in 1955, had been curated by a collective, Ruangrupa.

3 years ago
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California's Portuguese community keeps bullfighting alive without bloodshed

Just like any other Portuguese bullfight, the rider circles around the charging bull's horns, before bending down to plant a bandarilha in its spine -- except that no blood is spilled here.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

Top German art show director quits in anti-Semitism row

The director general of Documenta, one of the world's biggest art fairs, was forced to resign following outrage over anti-Semitic exhibits upon opening in Germany last month.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

Students embrace new rhythms at Saudi music schools

Music schools are popping up in Saudi Arabia’s big cities as some social restrictions are relaxed, including group music lessons.

3 years ago
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UK gallery unearths hidden Van Gogh self-portrait

A gallery in Scotland said on Thursday it was "thrilled" to announce the discovery of a previously unknown self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh, with his ear intact, hidden behind another painting.

3 years ago
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The Dutch art detective who says he recovered the 'Blood of Christ' relic

At 52, he is one of the most famous art sleuths in the world, trusted by both thieves and police for his unprecedented access to the criminal trade in stolen art.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

After war, Syrians in Jordan find joy and jobs in dance

In Jordan’s capital city of Amman, a group of Syrian refugees performs the country’s centuries-old ‘Arada’ dance for various celebrations.

3 years ago
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Lebanon's music festivals make modest comeback after crisis

Lebanon's international music festivals kicked off at the weekend with a performance in the Roman ruins of Baalbek, the first performance there since the country's economic crisis.

3 years ago
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‘Theater of Me’: Indonesian artist’s satirical self-portraits face the public

Artist Agus Suwage displays his artwork of selfies, nuanced with political history, at the Macan Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

3 years ago
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Libya’s traditional jewelry hangs on by silver thread

In Tripoli's Old City, young Libyans weave delicate patterns with threads of silver and gold to create traditional filigree jewelry, reviving an art almost lost through decades of dictatorship and war.

3 years ago
Art & Culture premium

Former teacher uses puppets to teach threat to world’s rarest rhinos

A former teacher in Indramayu, West Java, uses puppet shows to raise awareness on rhinos and forest conservation among children.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

'Yu-Gi-Oh!' manga creator found dead in Okinawa

Kazuki Takahashi, author of the popular "Yu-Gi-Oh!" manga series, has been found dead after an apparent snorkeling trip in Japan, a coast guard official said Thursday.

3 years ago
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Foreigners flock back to Spain bull-running fiesta

Spain's famous bull-running festival, which dates back to medieval times, features concerts, religious processions, nightly fireworks, and round-the-clock drinking.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

New giant dinosaur predator discovered with tiny arms, like T. rex

Paleontologists said they had discovered a new giant carnivorous dinosaur species that had a massive head and tiny arms, just like Tyrannosaurus rex.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

UK museum hunts 'Windrush' migrants in forgotten pictures

The anonymous face of a new arrival towered over Prince William at the unveiling of a national memorial to the "Windrush" generation of Caribbean migrants in London last month.

3 years ago
Art & Culture premium

Indonesian uses puppets to teach threat to world's rarest rhinos

Former teacher Samsudin is educating the kids about the plight of the critically endangered Javan rhino –- the world's rarest –- using cardboard figures, comical expressions and exaggerated voices to spread his message of conservation one story at a time.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

'Like a dream': Japanese grandpa draws in following as art YouTuber

Harumichi Shibasaki was nearly 70 when he began making YouTube art tutorials from his quiet home in the Japanese countryside. Five years on, he has 1.4 million subscribers.

3 years ago
Art & Culture

Thieves who stole Banksy's Bataclan mural found guilty in France

Eight people found guilty by a French court on Thursday of stealing a mural by street artist Banksy from the famous Bataclan concert hall in Paris were handed prison sentences ranging from a few months to several years.

3 years ago