National Gallery Celebrates Women’s Creativity with IWA #4 Exhibition

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, Kartini Day on April 21, and Jakarta’s 499th anniversary on June 22, the National Gallery of Indonesia is presenting Indonesian Women Artist (IWA) #4: ON THE MAP--Art, Science, Technology & Culture exhibition.

The exhibition, held at Gallery A of the National Gallery of Indonesia, Central Jakarta, runs from April 9 to June 30, 2026, and serves as the final chapter of the IWA series before evolving into a Women’s Biennale/Triennale.

Organized by the BLU Museum and Cultural Heritage in collaboration with Cemara Enam Foundation, the exhibition continues a tradition that began with IWA #1 in 2007, followed by editions in 2019 and 2022.

“Since its inception, IWA was designed as a platform to appreciate and examine women’s artistry in Indonesia more deeply. This year’s edition is the closing chapter before the launch of a Women’s Biennale/Triennale,” Cemara Enam Chair Inda C. Noerhadi explained.

Curated by Carla Bianpoen, Vidhyasuri Utami, and Bagus Purwoadi, the exhibition features the works of 12 women artists across generations, including Bibiana Lee, Citra Sasmita & Cinta Bumi Artisan, Dyantini Adeline, Endang Lestari, Ines Katamso, Irene Agrivina, KaNA Fuddy Prakoso, Ni Nyoman Sani, Nona Yoanishara, Rani Jambak, Tara Kasenda, and Ve Dhanito.

Head of the Museum and Cultural Heritage, Esti Nurjadin, emphasized the exhibition’s role in building cultural archives and affirming women’s contributions to broader cultural conversations.

“Since 2007, the IWA series has provided space for documentation, presentation, and dialogue, strengthening the presence of women artists in the cultural landscape,” she noted.

Through the theme On The Map, the exhibition explores “situated knowledge” -- insights born from personal and bodily experience -- while extending to relationships with nature and the environment, treating land, sky, and sea as subjects that carry narratives and connect local experiences to universal perspectives.

One of the most striking works comes from KaNA Fuddy Prakoso, whose installation Zirah Kesadaran (Armor of Awareness) uses cardboard to symbolize the fragility of human consciousness in the digital age.

Inspired by Ratu Kalinyamat, a 16th-century queen from Jepara known for her resilience against Portuguese colonizers, Kana’s piece juxtaposes historical courage with today’s battles against information overload and technological manipulation.

“Cardboard is fragile, easily bent, easily discarded, just like our awareness today. Yet from what is seen as waste, I want to build armor,” Kana explained, Tuesday, April 14, 2026.

“We no longer fight cannons and warships, but the noise of information, technological manipulation, and signs of the times that make us forget who we are," she said.

"So, the armor I built is not to protect the body, but to protect awareness. Cardboard will decay, and awareness is the same; it must be cared for, repeated, rebuilt every day. Zirah Kesadaran is my, and hopefully our, reminder that what we must protect now is not only territory, but also sanity,” She added.

Kana’s installation includes armored figures and a cardboard seascape, symbolizing both vulnerability and resilience. The use of everyday material reflects the disposable nature of modern culture while reimagining it as a vessel for consciousness and resistance.

She noted that her work continues her exploration of cardboard, previously seen in her solo exhibition at RuangDalam Art House in Bantul, Yogyakarta. “My work at the National Gallery is still about cardboard, but unlike in Jogja where I used paint and brushes, here I only cut, tear, and glue the material,” she said.

Several other works in the exhibition invite the public to engage with the history of women in the archipelago, exploring themes of body, nature, and cultural heritage. Together, they form a complex and interconnected landscape of knowledge rooted in lived experience.

The exhibition at Gallery A is open Tuesday - Thursday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. local time and Friday - Sunday from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. local time.

Tickets are available onsite and online via Traveloka and tiket.com, priced at IDR 25,000 (USD 1,46) for students, IDR 50,000 for adults, IDR 150,000 for foreign visitors, and free for children under three, seniors over 60, people with disabilities, orphans, and holders of KIP/KIPK (Smart Indonesia Card for College) cards. ***