Quietly nestled in a residential area in Tulodong, ara contemporary is the exciting new addition to Jakarta’s art scene. Led by longtime friends and collaborators Fiesta Ramadanti, Fredy Chandra, and Megan Arlin—formerly of Art Jakarta, Mizuma Gallery, and Sullivan+Strumpf, respectively—the gallery makes clear where it places its focus: the artists themselves.
“Since we started discussion about ara, we knew that our main vision is to be artist-centred. They are our partners, and the centre is not the gallery itself, but them,” shared Ramadanti.
The inaugural exhibition, “We Begin with Everything”, takes its title from Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way of Being—a book that frames creation as an infinite, ever-present source, where process is as meaningful as outcome. Featuring 17 Southeast Asian artists, the show treats the idea of beginning not just as a theme, but as a lens for exploring how artworks and ideas take shape. “For us, we’ve always been more interested in the artist’s processes,” said Arlin. “We focus on artists whose practices engage with Southeast Asia’s context to communicate—exploring the intersections between local narratives and global discourse.”
Spread across the main floor and the more intimate Focus Room below, the exhibition brings together works by both established and emerging artists. Near the entrance, Irfan Hendrian’s paper sculptures examine dimensionality and repetition through delicate renditions of window grilles found in the Chinatown of his hometown, Bandung. Intricate and architectural, the works gesture toward the lingering trauma of the May 1998 riots—reflecting on how the Chinese Indonesian community continues to navigate questions of fear, memory, and safety.
Bali-based Mar Kristoff’s paintings deepen the exhibition’s exploration of identity and the human condition, focusing on the fragility of memories and familial bonds. Executed in black and white, one piece depicts the faint silhouettes of a photograph featuring his father and grandmother; loved ones tied by blood yet strangers in many ways, it captures the quiet tension between kinship and estrangement. Nearby, a smaller work shows a tender, similarly blurred, zoomed-in image of the artist as a baby, bathed by his mother. Together, these pieces trace an intimate arc of memory, subtly nodding to the cyclical and inevitable nature of life and death.
Reflections on power structures and historical narrative emerge in works like ‘Faultlines’ (2005) by Natalie Sasi Organ, a Thai and London-based artist. The painting confronts the cultural tensions of migration and colonial influence, centring on a Victorian chandelier from Villa Musée—a museum in Khao Yai devoted to preserving domestic architecture from bygone eras. Drawn particularly to the period of King Rama V’s reign, Organ uses the chandelier as a symbol of early English influence in Thailand and its rippling effects. The work subtly alludes to the erasure of traditional practices, such as the ceremonial use of betel nut, referenced through the painting’s ornate frame.
Adding to the discourse, Agan Harahap’s digitally manipulated ‘The Memory Remains’ photo series of late president Soekarno depict him sharing a meal with figures such as Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy. A continuation of his 2013 series, ‘Membidik Sejarah (Targeting History)’, first shown at the Jakarta Biennale that same year, the images sparked widespread attention, with many mistaking the scenes for real archival photographs, further dissolving the boundaries between reality and fiction. But beyond the playful wit and satire, Harahap’s work gestures toward something more tender: a longing for alternate histories, and a quiet hope for the spirit and vision of Indonesia 2045.
Beyond a gallery space to showcase works, ara also functions as a creative incubator, nurturing not just exhibitions but the long-term development of ideas, relationships, and artistic growth. In this way, the gallery’s success is refreshingly inseparable from that of its artists. “If ara wants to become big, the artists need to be big first,” Chandra shared. “We don’t want to simply bring in already-established names—we want to build something together and to grow it together with the help of our community.”
The exhibition “We Begin with Everything” at ara contemporary is running until 4 May 2025. For more information, click here.
