Despite such feelings, some have taken it upon themselves to continue creating – perhaps as a way to show that the pandemic will not break their spirits.

'Tersandra' (Taken hostage) by Tri Sabariman (Courtesy of the National Gallery of Indonesia/-)

This mood is precisely captured by the virtual exhibition “LAWAN!!!” (Fight!!!), held by the Kota Tua Artists Community (KOTA) and the National Gallery of Indonesia.

While the exhibition title sends out a strong message of offensive defiance, cocurator Citra Smara Dewi explained in a curatorial statement the theme was meant to be a positive attitude toward the rapid social changes, responding to sociopolitical aspects like cultural identity, urban culture, and the pandemic itself.

“What’s interesting in the exhibition is that the spirit of ‘LAWAN!!!’ is also in the context of opposing the artistic establishment, especially in the various forms of artistic exploration,” she said.

Held entirely online at the National Gallery’s website from Nov. 10, the exhibition features approximately 35 works by 28 members of KOTA, ranging from video art and paintings to murals.

By clicking on the exhibition page, viewers can discover the artists’ works through the landing page, which displays preview images that will change every time the page is refreshed, encouraging multiple visits.

However, if you cannot be bothered to cycle through every iteration of the explore page, you can simply visit the artists page, which lists every featured artist and artwork.

Clicking on an image or listing will bring up the artwork’s page, detailing the format, as well as the artist’s explanation about the piece. An embedded video is also presented for each artwork, showing each individual artist providing their perspectives on their artworks and the theme.

Notable works include the video art RE-AKTIF (lawan) COVID 19 by Sugeng Eka Pangestu, which sees a number of masked humanoid figures made up of newspaper articles interacting with red boxes.

While the mood is rather pensive at first, the video ends with the figures forming a circle while holding hands as the stacked boxes in the center rise above – perhaps symbolizing the need for cooperation in these trying times.

Others are more literal in sense, like Deden Hamdani’s painting Jakarta Garis Merah (Jakarta Red Line) portraying the capital’s cityscape under a red line, signifying the city’s status as a red zone. Still, it’s not all pessimistic, as life still goes on as portrayed by scenes of life in a neighborhood.

'Pandemic distraction' by Andrea Rizkia (Courtesy of the National Gallery of Indonesia/-)

Cocurator Heru Hikayat said the exhibition let the artists of KOTA rethink their viewpoints regarding the current times.

“Notably the pandemic has made us rethink the most basic things in life. [...] Art, if we consider it to be borne from the expression of the human soul, should be able to encourage us to rethink and review many things in life,” he said. 

Outside of direct representations of the pandemic, there are works like White Box by Achmad Syahri, which comes in the form of 12 Fauvist-esque paintings on cardboard, specifically lids from food storage boxes. 

The artist himself noted that the inspiration came from everyday scenes, with the paintings arranged in a circle representing the hours of a clockface.

The painting LOCKDOWN by Atoen Sugiyati, on the other hand, pictures an idyllic scene of flowers and meadows from an open window. Despite the title, the scene perhaps suggests an escape from the chaos outside, opting instead to show soothing images to lighten the mood.

Meanwhile, some artworks are larger in scale, such as Posyandu Wijaya Kusuma by Diana Dee Mohy.

The self-taught artist has created a mural of a garden scene filled with flowers on the side of a local integrated health services post (Posyandu), her own way of beautifying the space and inspiring locals who often visit the location to work out.

Cocurator Pug Warudju pointed out the exhibition’s purpose of allowing the artists to actively play a role in social reconstruction through their works.

“Through the exhibition, the artists of Kota Tua achieve momentum to perform the trilogy of social reconstruction: externalization (expression), measuring objectification and internalizing through the symbols in the artworks,” he explained. (ste)

-- For further information or to view the exhibition, please check galnasonline.id