Fluid Zones in Jakarta
An amazing metropolis, and one of the largest in the world, Jakarta holds a feast of attractions, and has more than enough to keep even the savviest world traveler interested and rather enchanted. There are many of the usual attractions that a big city has to offer, with new fashions, excellent visual art, stunning works of performance, as well as a dizzying number of museums, and there are also a host of local attractions that speak to the nature of the place. It’s had a long and fascinating history, and extends back at least two millennia, and has been an important trading port since the 16th century. It was once part of the mythical spice route, and today offers an unusual variety of foods that speak to the many culinary traditions that have a place here.
There are few cultures who are not represented here, actually, and this provides for a constantly evolving energy, giving the cityscape a vibrant and exciting energy. With all of this, one would expect excellent lodgings in Jakarta. Hotels are plentiful, to be sure, with excellent choices for a fantastic experience. There is an amazing array of sensibilities here, and in the art world this is profoundly visible. At the recent Jakarta Biennale, one of the most exciting spaces, and one of the most exciting displays, was the Fluid Zone.
Curated by Agung Hujatnikajenong, the Fluid Zone featured works by artists who collaborated in places where they were not locals. This gave a focus to the works for their ability to cross borders, and make connections. It is a simple idea on the surface perhaps, but its depth and complexity become immediately apparent when the art begins to work together. With Jompet’s The War of Ghosts from Java starts to speak to Melbourne-via-Bali artist Tintin Wulia’s (Re)Collection of Togetherness, the idea of border-crossing and common themes starts to become apparent, and the world suddenly becomes infinitely more complex, and also smaller, making heady shifts in consciousness that can only be made when art is the vehicle.
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