Indonesian Contemporary Art & Design (ICAD) XI Carries the Spirit of "Publik" and Presents #KEMANG12730

ICAD XI will be shedding light on the theme “Publik” as an indispensable element to art and exploring the connection between a work of art and its public.

Jakarta, October 2021 — When COVID-19 forced the world into limiting daily activities from home, almost everything moved online. Societies were adjusting and soon, there were more terms accompanied with "from home"; working from home, school from home, etc. Yet, what about exhibitions? As the organizers were no longer able to welcome guests onto physical sites, the art and design communities adapted new ways to thrive through virtual exhibitions.

Indonesian Contemporary Art & Design (ICAD)'s 11th annual exhibition will not only take place at its main venue grandkemang Hotel Jakarta, but also team up with venues and the curated brands at #KEMANG12730, in a celebration of design and art that is unique to and defined by South Jakarta. Programmed to run from the 21st October to 28th November 2021, it involves exhibition in its conventional sense and a range of public activities to attend, both physically and virtually. The exhibitions will be concentrated into several categories: In Focus (invited prominent artists and designers from Indonesia), Guest Artists (invited international artists and designers), Next Gen (invited young and emerging talents), and Open Submission.

Retrospeksi Nyadran (2021) ©️Nindityo Adipurnomo 
One of the upcoming artwork installations in ICAD XI: Publik

This year ICAD XI sheds light on the theme "Publik" as an indispensable element to art, sparkling attention and discussion on how the connection between a work of art and its public can be interrelated. Believing in the importance of the public as a viewer, user, consumer, and trendsetter, ICAD XI encourages participating artists and designers to respond to the current times through speculative ideas of what might be relevant to the public post-pandemic. As creators, what possible futures can we imagine? What changes can we foresee taking place in our everyday lives and how can art and design respond to it?

“The pandemic has had a profound impact on how people live their lives. We are faced with challenges and forced to adapt and change. How we work, communicate, make choices, and seek information has been transformed, in large part by our willingness to adopt new digital tools and services. In the future, COVID-19 won’t diminish the value of in-person exhibitions; it will only improve our creativity,” said the Steering Committee Diana Nazir.

Collage from 2021 ©️Takashi Makino

PILED 1.0.0.1 (2021) ©️Festival Relics

In addition to the special installation from B.J. Habibie and Irvan A. Noe'man, ICAD XI features an extensive selection of Indonesian and international designers, artists, architects, musicians, communities, and institutions, including: Budi Pradono (Indonesia), Festival Relics (Indonesia), Ridwan Kamil (Indonesia), Aung Myat Htay (Myanmar), Bo Wang (China), Charles Lim (Singapore), Goran Despotoyski (Serbia), Mark Salvatus (The Phillippines), and Takashi Makino (Japan); and more.

Edwin Nazir, the Festival Director, said, "This year we are expanding our partner venues located in an area that has long been known as a design and art area in South Jakarta, namely Kemang. The exhibition and several public programs will be running both physically and virtually. In line with ICAD XI’s theme, “Public”, we would like to amplify the public experience and be the celebration of design and contemporary art in Indonesia.”

For over a decade, the team behind ICAD, consisting of established architects and designers under the Indonesian Design+Art Foundation (Yayasan Design+Art Indonesia) has devoted their expertise by creating a platform meant to bridge art and design with other disciplines ranging from fashion, film, hospitality, F&B and more. ICAD offered curated exhibitions and programs highlighting cutting-edge creations and innovations of time. ICAD has partnered with prestigious international platforms (such as Milan SuperDesign Show, La Biennale di Venezia, and London Design Biennale) in curating and showcasing Indonesian art and design to the world by featuring prominent artists, designers, and cross-discipline creators from across the globe.