If you're a fan of fine art and historical works, visiting museums art can be an alternative when traveling anywhere. Not only foreign destinations, Indonesia also has a rich variety of arts. The country known as the Emerald Equator has 17,001 islands and more than 20 tribes.
With a diversity of works from various eras, there are a number of museums and institutions that house collections from local artists. Over time, interest in art has grown. Therefore, art activists and curators are competing to present works from foreign artists in the contemporary art genre.
Here are seven recommendations for art museums in Indonesia that you can visit in your spare time, whether it's to contemplate life - which we usually do - or just to find inspiration.
1. Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics, Jakarta
Lately, this museum has been talked about as an attractive art destination in Jakarta. Aside from enjoying the works of artists dating back to the 19th century-some of which are by legendary artists Affandi and Raden Saleh-visitors can also take part in ceramic-making workshops in the Pottery Studio area. Given the recent surge in enthusiasm for the art of pottery making, this productive activity has garnered a lot of positive feedback. Taking a step back in time, the museum, which dates back to 1870, was originally used as a court office before being converted into an exhibition space.
(Source: www.dinaskebudayaan.jakarta.go.id)
Location: Jalan Pos Kota No. 2, West Jakarta.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday and Public Holidays, 09.00-15.00 WIB.
Admission Price: Rp2,000-Rp5,000 (Individual).
2. Wayang Museum, Jakarta
So much significance lies in the Wayang Museum. Both in terms of history, and culture. First is the fact that so many institutions and prominent figures were involved in the establishment of this museum. It was a trading company during the Dutch colonial era - in 1640 - the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) that built the building as a church called De Oude Hollandsche Kerk.
24 years after being affected by the earthquake and rebuilt, this building turned into a monument which was then purchased by a Dutch art research institute, Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen. The building was then turned into a museum called De Oude Bataviasche Museum (Old Batavia Museum). Fast forward to 1960, the Indonesian Cultural Institute gained full rights to manage the museum and renamed it Museum Jakarta. In 1975, the building was finally inaugurated as the Wayang Museum by the then Governor of DKI Jakarta, Ali Sadikin.
Speaking of culture, you can also witness a cross-period puppet archive. Although synonymous with Javanese tradition, more than 4,000 puppets in the museum were also sourced from overseas. These include Cambodia, Thailand, Suriname, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, India and even France. In addition, when visiting the Wayang Museum, you can also enjoy puppet shows hosted by professional puppeteers every Sunday at 10:00 am.
(Source: www.jakarta-tourism.go.id)
Location: Jalan Pintu Besar Utara No. 27, Taman Sari, West Jakarta.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday at 09.00-15.00 WIB.
Admission Price: Rp2,000-Rp5,000 (Individual).
3. National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta
If contemporary art is your preference, a visit to the National Gallery of Indonesia can be a great way to find inspiration. The museum houses a number of modern artworks from Indonesia and abroad in various types of formats. These include paintings, graphic sketches, sculptures, ceramics, photography, crafts, installations and more. All artworks are displayed in two formats: permanent and temporary for a certain period of time. Temporary exhibitions are generally held collaboratively with art institutions, studios, communities, galleries, and cultural institutions.
Interestingly, not only inside the museum, some artworks are also exposed in the outer area of the National Gallery of Indonesia. Some of the most famous names-from both local and overseas-that have graced the National Gallery of Indonesia include Basoeki Abdullah, Hendra Gunawan, Nyoman Gunarsa, Heri Dono, Wassily Kandinsky (Russia), Sonia Delauney (Ukraine), and Zao Wou Ki (China). In addition, Galeri Nasional Indonesia is also home to various art-themed seminars, workshops, and interactive discussions.
(Source: www.gni.kemdikbud.go.id)
Location: Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur No. 14, Central Jakarta.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11:00-19:00 WIB.
Admission Price: Free.
4. Museum MACAN, Jakarta
Despite the name MACAN, this museum does not collect tigers. MACAN stands for Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara. MACAN Museum displays around 90 works from a collection of 800 modern Indonesian and contemporary artworks from around the world.
(Source: www.museummacan.org)
Location: AKR Tower Level M, Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10.00-18.00 WIB.
Admission Price: Free for permanent exhibitions. Paid for temporary exhibitions.
5. Semarang Contemporary Art Gallery, Semarang
Semarang Contemporary Art Gallery was inaugurated in 2008. The museum, often called Galsem, exhibits different artworks every two months. In addition to paintings and 2-dimensional artworks, the museum also displays 3-dimensional works. The Semarang Gallery building is located in the nuanced Old Town of Semarang. Spanish colonial.
(Source: www.semaranggallery.com)
Location: Jalan Taman Srigunting no. 5-6 Semarang, Central Java.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10.00-20.30 WIB.
Admission Price: Rp20,000.
6. Museum Ganesya (Gelar Indonesia Budaya), Malang
Art is a significant and inseparable part of Indonesian culture. As such, all historical relics have their place and must be preserved. Inside the Museum Galeri Indonesia Budaya, you can find various traditional heirloom artifacts, ancient inscriptions, as well as a collection of masks and puppets across generations. Speaking of periods, there are hundreds of collections from pre-civilization in the Land of Java, Majapahit Kingdom, to post-independence Indonesia. Museum Ganesya is the perfect place for an educational tour to delve deeper into historical heritage. Interestingly, Museum Ganesya is located in the Hawai Waterpark area, Malang, so in one visit you can do several activities at once.
(Source: Innovative Gubug YouTube channel)
Location: Hawai Waterpark: Jalan Raya Karanglo Banjararum Malang Regency, East Java.
Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 13.30-22.00 WIB.
Admission Price: Rp20,000.
7. Agung Rai Arts Museum (ARMA) Bali
This institution, also known as ARMA (Agung Rai Museum of Art), is a fine arts institution that not only acts as a cultural archive, but also a center for visualization and performing arts. ARMA Museum carries a traditional Balinese architectural style with a dominance of local materials. Besides enjoying the collection of paintings, you can also immerse yourself and observe the process of making art in the Cultural Workshop. In addition, there are other cultural and training programs that you can visit. These include batik painting, wood carving, gamelan playing and traditional dance. Speaking of collections, you can find a number of prominent works by artists from Indonesia and abroad, such as Rudolf Bonnet and Willem Dooijewaard (Netherlands), and Walter Spies (Germany). As the name implies, the museum, which was also established as a foundation called ARMA Foundation, was founded by Agung Rai. He is a renowned cultural figure who is credited with preserving the works of art of the archipelago.
(Source: www.bali.com)
Location: Jalan Raya Pengosekan Ubud, Bali Indonesia
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10.00-18.00 WIB
Admission Price:
Out of the seven recommendations above, which one of these museums has caught your attention? Read on written.id to get the latest news on art exhibitions and programs that you can visit in your spare time!
