The annual Indonesian Contemporary Art & Design (ICAD) has celebrated its 14th edition, highlighting UNEXPECTED as a theme when it was unveiled from 10 October to 10 November 2024 at grandkemang Jakarta.
The 4-week art exhibition was a huge success, showcasing unpredictable matters as a reflection of reality in our society, whether in the past, present, or future. ICAD 14’s participants were invited to explore alternative and unspoken perspectives highly overshadowed by dominant narratives in the social-political, environmental, and cultural context spread across the hotel’s public area, lobby, corridor and even inside the rooms.
Various artworks, installations, and activations were displayed and performed, and multidiscipline creativities from a total of 74 artists participated. Featuring a special stage designed by Hardiman Radjab and Tomy Herseta, and with the theme of UNEXPECTED, this artwork/stage was inspired by the unpredictable crossroads of Jl. Kemang Raya, and served as a multifunction communal room circled by unique chairs crafted by 18 designers and artists.
The artist and videographer Anggun Priambodo presented an installation called Toko Sri Rejeki and a performance art about his mini album titled Anak, inspired by his childhood memories. Muhammad Iqbal, the paper-cutting artist, hosted an interactive activity that encouraged participants to collaborate in creating artwork using paper-cutting techniques.
Various Workshops were hosted, including The Babybirds x Toko Kopi Tuku where guests were invited to create Trojan horses from creamer packaging waste. As a tribute to the great artist, A.D. Pirous, a collage Workshop that utilized scrap materials was held at the Serambi Pirous gallery.
Rupa Desain & Speculative Today opened a dialogue in the Program Talks, discussing the topic of disaster mitigation through a case study of the Lembang Fault and the potential megathrust earthquake. Elsewhere, Public Lecture brought together Japanese designer Kensho Miyoshi who designed a guided breathing device, with the cross-disciplinary collective Labtek Apung created water distillation tool that mitigates the clean water crisis in Muaragembong.
Another novelty of ICAD 14 was Special Appearance: Borneo, which highlighted the artistic activism of artists originating from the same tribe on the island. Michael Eko, a documentary photographer, exhibited the photo and archive series Adiu: Forest Is Our Mother, a story of the struggles of the Punan Adiu people in Kalimantan in protecting their customary forest. The designer Evey Kwong presented the Connectedness series which consists of woven works, traditional tools, and video footage of her travels through various regions in Borneo.
