Galeri Sisi, An Exhibition in Bentara Budaya, Jakarta

Hello my fellas...

Some time ago, I went to the Kompas Gramedia area, one of Indonesia's largest publishing houses. It had nothing to do with publishing; I went there because there was a book bazaar. I was interested in browsing, perhaps finding the book I was looking for at a discount. However, I was ultimately disappointed by the prices at the bazaar, which were still very expensive—even the online bookstore was cheaper than the bazaar, which claimed to offer abundant discounts. So, after not finding a single book there, I left the bazaar and ended up at Bentara Budaya.

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Bentara Budaya is a house with distinctive Javanese architecture, specifically designed for literary exhibitions and gatherings. I'd been here once with friends to attend the launch of Sapardi Djoko Damono's latest book. For almost ten years, even though the area is close to where I live, I'd rarely been here due to a lack of information about art events at this cultural house.

Just like this time, I stumbled upon a painting exhibition. Initially, I just went in casually because I was interested in the architecture, and who would have thought that at that time there would be a painting exhibition.

Coincidentally, two artists were practicing their airbrush paintings. I didn't ask, and they weren't bothered by my presence, so I went in and saw that there were also paintings with unique themes inside.

Let's take a look:

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I'm not a painting expert; the only grades I'd give are "good and very good." So, this exhibition is excellent. What I can describe about this exhibition is the current situation in Jakarta in the digital age.

One of the paintings depicts an old, fat man laughing, surrounded by symbols like "no signal," "dark stream," and so on. Meanwhile, two fat men are laughing heartily in front of a cake.

I interpret the first painting as a symbol of power, where the ruler can revel in the limitations faced by his subjects. Meanwhile, the second painting depicts rulers who only care about their own pleasure.

I can't quite put my finger on the painting on the left, so let's move on to the other paintings, in my opinion.

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On the other hand, there's a painting showing a multi-story, but not luxurious, house. This resembles the settlements found in cities in certain countries where capitalists continually build houses upwards, ignoring important aspects, simply to make a profit.

So, this painting exhibition was truly excellent because it was so close to today's reality. Unfortunately, it was quiet, perhaps because I came on a weekday—not a weekend—or because the exhibitors lacked a way to promote their gallery.

At that time I was alone in the room, and even if I did something, the staff probably wouldn't know. But because I was embarrassed, I just looked around and took pictures.

However, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit this gallery and enjoy the work of local artists.

Hasta La Vista...

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Thanks in advance, to read my blog and hope you like my post!
See you on the next post...

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_{All photos taken by iPhone 13}

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