This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Jakarta Biennale, which will be held from 1 October to 15 November 2024. Held across 50 days at the Emiria Soenassa and S. Sudjojono galleries in Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), the event spotlights Jakarta’s diverse art collectives, all members of the Majelis Jakarta (Jakarta Assembly), to nurture and elevate the city’s art ecosystem.
The 2024 Biennale embraces ‘lumbung,’ a concept symbolizing a communal granary. This ethos emphasizes collective resource-sharing and artistic empowerment. It not only celebrates artistic diversity but also deepens collaboration between various art collectives nationwide.
Notably, the biennale operates without a traditional theme or curatorial team. Instead, Dewan Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta’s Art Council) initiated the Majelis Jakarta to promote democratic engagement and broader public participation.
This year’s Biennale is orchestrated by 20 art collectives from the Majelis Jakarta, including RajutKejut, Setali Indonesia, Cut and Rescue, PannaFoto Institute, and Kelas Pagi Indonesia, among others.
International Collaborations: Taiwan, Palestine, and Beyond
An exciting addition is the participation of Taiwanese curators and artists, featuring the Curating Topography Trilogy Part II, The Glimmer of Artistic Topography, led by curator Sandy Hsiuchih Lo. This series explores historical and contemporary ties between Taiwan and Jakarta, as well as broader Southeast Asian urban interactions.
The highlight program, Topography of Mirror Cities, features collaborations between artists from six Southeast Asian cities: Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Dhaka. Through sub-projects titled Herbal-Urbanism, Whose City, and Mobile Topography, the initiative delves into shared urban and cultural landscapes, while another program, Valley of Hope, examines connections between Jakarta and Malaysia.
In solidarity with Palestinian art collectives, Majelis Jakarta presents Our People are Our Mountains, a project created through virtual collaboration. To mitigate environmental impacts and honor the resilience of Palestinian artists, the project’s artworks were realized from remotely shared instructions, underscoring the artists’ strength amid challenges.
Domestic Residency Program: Baku Konek
The Biennale also highlights Indonesian talent beyond Jakarta through Baku Konek, a domestic residency program featuring 17 artists and collectives from across Indonesia. This initiative, spanning August to September 2024, redefines the residency concept, demonstrating that impactful artistic exchanges need not be limited to international residencies.
For more information, follow @jakartabiennale or visit jakartabiennale.id.
