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[UPDATED] How Jakarta’s art spaces are bringing culture to the comfort of your couch
Art spaces in Jakarta, such as Museum MACAN and Galeri Indonesia Kaya, have launched digital initiatives to allow the public to enjoy art and cultural entertainment at home.
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Multifaceted: 'Manifesto' by German artist Julian Rosefeldt. (-/Nicolas Brasseur)
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rt spaces in Jakarta, such as Museum MACAN and Galeri Indonesia Kaya, have launched digital initiatives to allow the public to enjoy art and cultural entertainment at home while practicing physical distancing.
Joining the global movement of #MuseumFromHome, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN) in West Jakarta launched a series of digital initiatives on April 3, which included virtual exhibitions of “Melati Suryodarmo: Why Let the Chicken Run?” and “Julian Rosefeldt: Manifesto” as well as a compilation of free printable and downloadable activities or parents and caretakers to enjoy with their children.
“Our program is responsive to the broader social situation. We understand that our home country of Indonesia is very broad and diverse, with different levels of connectivity in different areas, provinces and islands. With that in mind, we are working hard to deliver content that can be accessed and downloaded easily, while prioritizing creativity and inspiration for parents, caretakers and professionals working from home and children learning from home,” Museum MACAN director Aaron Seeto said.
While sitting on their sofas, digital museum-goers will also be able to view 800 modern and contemporary art objects from Indonesian and international artists, some of which will be discussed on the @museummacan Instagram account, accompanied by a weekly online audio guide and a Q&A session with Melati Suryodarmo as she answers questions on the museum's Instagram Stories.
Read also: Museums and libraries across the world release free coloring pages
Art space Galeri Indonesia Kaya in Central Jakarta has also joined the digital museum initiative by providing Indonesian cultural content on their official website www.indonesiakaya.com and YouTube channel.
One highlight is the Jurnal Indonesia Kaya webseries, which was first introduced in 2015 and features 59 10-minute episodes of travel throughout Indonesia. Blogger Febrian explores 58 regions across the archipelago, from Aceh and Weh Island in the westernmost reaches of Indonesia, to Raja Ampat, West Papua, in the east.
On April 16, Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation launched its #NontonTeaterDiRumahAja (watch theater at home) program to allow people to stream and watch theater performances.
The program's first performance, Bunga Penutup Abad (The Flower that Ends a Century), is scheduled to air on April 18 and 19 at 3 p.m. on the Indonesia Kaya website. It's a rebroadcast from the same performance staged in 2019. An adaptation from celebrated author Pramoedya Ananta Toer's renowned novels Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind) and Anak Semua Bangsa (Child of All Nations), Bunga Penutup Abad was helmed by Wawan Sofwan and featured performances by Happy Salma as Nyai Ontosoroh, Reza Rahadian as Minke, Lukman Sardi as Jean Marais, Chelsea Islan as Annelies and Sabia Arifin as May Marais.
"Bunga Penutup Abad received a warm welcome when it was staged [in 2019] and a lot of people didn't get the chance to watch it due to limited seating," said Renitasari Adrian, program director of Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation, in a statement. "In #NontonDiRumahAja, people can watch this theater performance anywhere and see how Indonesia's best actors performed on stage. They will also have the chance to interact with the artists who were involved in the theater performance via a live chat on Indonesia Kaya's Instagram." Additionally, a live discussion with Happy Salma will also be held on April 17 at 5 p.m. on Instagram. (gis/kes)
