WHAT’S ON AT ISA ART GALLERY IN DECEMBER, 2024
UPCOMING
DEFINE COMEDY! Exhibition
7th December 2024 - 7th February 2025
ISA Art Gallery, Wisma 46, Jakarta
Opening on Saturday, 7th December 2024
Please RSVP here to attend the opening
Hosted by Roger Salameh, Lady Olivia Putihrai, and Jagad Marcelleno
Artwork images: Dabi Arnasa
ISA Art Gallery presents DEFINE COMEDY! –an exhibition that examines the fluidity between tragedy and comedy– the tragicomic, and the intricate relationship between the comic and tragic views of life. In literary genres, tragedy and comedy have often been treated as opposites. However, modern criticism reveals that they are far more interlinked than previously understood. As Wylie Sypher explains, comedy has evolved from its classical roots into something more profound, where it touches the deepest aspects of human experience that tragedy explores as well.
The exhibition features–Ardi Gunawan, Beyond Crap (BC), Dabi Arnasa, Fffffandy, Luh’De Gita, Tennessa Querida, Summerayn (Motionbeast), S. Urubingwaru, and Zikry Rediansyah. Contemporary artists are adept at employing humor as a vehicle for deeper commentary on societal norms, personal struggles, and the human condition. By embracing the absurd, they expose the contradictions and incongruities inherent in existence. This artistic approach transforms comedy into a philosophical lens, allowing us to examine life's challenges with a sense of curiosity rather than despair.
Click here to preview the catalog
ISA Art Gallery
11 AM - 6 PM | Tuesdays - Saturdays
Closed on Mondays & Public Holidays
Wisma 46 – Ground Floor
Jl. Jend. Sudirman No.Kav 1, Jakarta
UPCOMING
ISA ART GALLERY AT S.E.A. FOCUS 2025
Regeneration of Balinese Women Artist:
I GAK Murniasih x Sinta Tantra
18th January - 26th January 2025
Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore
S.E.A. Focus is a premier showcase and art market hub celebrating Southeast Asian contemporary art, featuring a curated mix of established and emerging talents to deepen appreciation for the region’s vibrant artistic landscape.
For S.E.A. Focus 2025: Disconnected Contemporaries, ISA Art Gallery brings together the works of I GAK Murniasih and Sinta Tantra, two seminal figures within Balinese women contemporary art. While distinct in their formal approaches, both artists interrogate questions of identity, form, and culture, positioning their works within broader discourses of global modernity and tradition.
Tantra’s practice is rooted in abstraction, geometry, organic shapes and architectural references, emphasizing spatial interaction and audience engagement. I GAK Murniasih, on the other hand, employs surrealist imagery and biomorphic forms to address themes of the psyche, gender, sexuality, and the human body. Her personal narratives, often laced with irony, critique societal norms and invite an interrogation of Indonesian patriarchy and taboos. Despite these differences, both artists share a commitment to challenging conventional representations of Balinese culture, offering instead a nuanced, contemporary reimagining of tradition. Through their innovative practices, the works exemplify the evolving and multifaceted nature of Balinese artistic expression in the 21st century.
Get the tickets here
S.E.A. Focus 2025
Tanjong Pagar Distripark
39 Keppel Rd, Singapore, 089065
Vernissage (by RSVP only) | 6pm – 9pm
17th January 2025 (Friday)
VIP Hour | 12pm – 1pm
18th January 2025 (Saturday) – 26th January 2025 (Sunday)
Public Days | 1pm – 8pm (Last entry 7.30pm)
18 Jan 2025 (Saturday) – 26 Jan 2025 (Sunday)
Urban Pulse: Spectrum of Contemporary Art in Singapore
In partnership with The Embassy of Republic Singapore Jakarta, Singapore Tourism Board, and Jakarta Land
Running until 13th December 2024
World Trade Centre 2, Jakarta
Artwork images: Nathan Tan, Tammylyn Tuang, Aiman
The Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Jakarta, in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board, ISA Art and Design, and Jakarta Land, proudly presents “URBAN PULSE: Spectrum of Contemporary Art in Singapore”. Showcased in Surabaya and Jakarta, this exhibition highlights works by contemporary Singaporean artists—Aiman, Nathan Tan, Natasha Lim, Tammylyn Tuang, Ripple Root, Sophia Dominguez, and Xiaocong Ge. The collection navigates the intersection of personal identity and the evolving urban landscape, offering a fresh perspective on Singapore's dynamic art scene.
Through diverse mediums, the exhibition explores how Singapore’s ever-changing cityscape shapes daily life, societal values, and collective experiences. Inspired by Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological concept of the “lived body,” the artworks are an amalgamation of reflections on the fluid boundaries between tradition and modernity. As a prelude to Singapore Art Week 2025 (January 17–26), this exhibition emphasizes Singapore’s prominence as a cultural hub in Southeast Asia to foster artistic dialogue and regional cultural appreciation.
Click here to view the catalog
World Trade Centre 2
9 AM - 6 PM | Daily
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 29-31, Jakarta Selatan 12920
ARTIST HIGHLIGHT
Luh’De Gita
Luh’De Gita in her studio at Royal College of Art, London
Photo courtesy of the artist
Through the Artist Highlight section, each month, ISA Art Gallery features one exceptional artist, showcasing their current explorations and creative practice. This month's feature is Luh’De Gita (b. 1997, Bali, Indonesia) a graduate from the BFA Program of Institut Teknologi Bandung, Luh’De is currently in London, pursuing her MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art.
Her current artistic practice centers around the traditional Balinese kain grinsing, a ceremonial fabric believed to offer spiritual protection. In her recent work, "Joy in Paradise", she incorporates the sanan empeg motif, symbolizing protection from illness, which connects her personal experience with purification rituals to broader cultural practices in Bali. This symbolic element reflects the spiritual and healing aspects of her heritage.
Her work also critiques the commodification of cultural traditions, particularly the transformation of sacred objects into tourist souvenirs. Through the presentation of her paintings suspended on wooden hangers, Luh'De highlights the reduction of cultural artifacts to marketable items, while the need for the fabric to hang rather than fold emphasizes its sacred significance. Additionally, her use of fragmented imagery and color blocks addresses the theme of intervention, exploring the environmental and cultural impacts of overtourism, deforestation, and identity shifts in her hometown.
When asked about her current readings related to her artistic practice, Luh'De shared:
"I really like the book Bali: Cultural Tourism and Touristic Culture by Michel Picard. I haven't finished reading it yet, but it's been so eye-opening about the history of Bali. I'm also really enjoying following the Instagram account @sanurarchive. It's fascinating to learn about the backstory and development of Bali to how it is now."
