Maksum Nur Fauzan

Hundreds of artists recently gathered in the shopping area on Jl. Gatot Subroto, Surakarta (also known as Solo), Central Java, bringing along brushes, oil paint, spray paint and other tools.

The gathering was part of an event called “SOLO is Solo” and after 9 p.m., the artists dispersed to several locations in the city.

Their hands adeptly decorated doors, walls and even some cars on the main street of the city. It was mural creation rather than vandalism. The mural artists had made preparations to offer their works to the Surakarta public, as well as tourists.

SOLO is Solo initiator Irul Hidayat said the murals were not just randomly made but had been designed and conceptualized for optimum results. Irul said the murals could be a useful tool to achieve an interesting and educative goal in public spaces through cultural, social and nationhood themes.

The 400-meter long Jl. Gatot Subroto then featured the murals created by the artists, who came from 28 groups, as a public exhibition. All the works were created from Oct. 18 to 28, concurrently marking Youth Pledge Day. The shopping zone is thus expected to become a new tourist destination.