The School of Strategic and Global Studies (SKSG), Urban Development Studies (KPP) in collaboration with the DKI Jakarta Provincial Office organized an art exhibition and talkshow on the role of urban art and culture in building a global city 2045. The activity titled “Bergerak” was held for five days, May 21-25, 2024, at the Plaza and Main Lobby of the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) Big Theater.
Director of SKSG UI, Athor Subroto, S.E., M.M., M.Sc., Ph.D, said that the event aimed to give people an understanding of the important role of art and culture in building a city. According to him, in building a city, not only physical development needs to be considered, but also how to make its residents happy, one of which is through art activities.
“Although it is no longer the capital of the country, Jakarta still plays an important role, especially in becoming a global city and business city. Hopefully UI and the DKI Jakarta Government can continue to work hand in hand, especially in advancing Jakarta to remain the center of rapid economic growth in Indonesia,” he said.
Head of the DKI Jakarta Culture Agency, Iwan Henry Wardhana, said, in developing a city as big as Jakarta (megalopolis), development is not only carried out on physical infrastructure, but also the community, especially the diverse arts activists. “The activity of building a city is not easy because it is not natural. It has to be created based on the ideas and creations of the citizens. Therefore, if the community is not known with certainty about its shape, characteristics, and character, the typology of the city is difficult to understand,” Iwan said.
Therefore, the event held two talk shows with the themes “Awakening the Passion of Urban Art and Culture Activities” and “The Role of Urban Art and Culture in Building Global Cities”. The speakers were Iwan Henry Wardahana (Head of the DKI Jakarta Culture Office), Prof. Ir. Gunawan Tjahjono, M.Arch., Ph.D (Lecturer of KPP SKSG UI), Prof. Dr. Cecep Eka Permana, S.S., M.Si (Lecturer of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UI), and Joune J. E. Ganda, S.E, M.A.P., M.M., M.Si. (Regent of North Minahasa); as well as responders Prof. Abimanyu and Komara.
In addition to the talk show, the series of activities featured an art exhibition of paintings by alumni of the Ancol Art Market. KPP SKSG UI gave appreciation to four artists, in the fields of painting and acting. The four artists are Mas Padhik (painter of Ancol Art Market alumni and initiator of the painting exhibition), Anfield Wibowo (painter with special needs), Mpok Linda Nirin (Lenong Betawi artist), and Ucup or Bang Ochid (soap opera actor).
At this moment, KPP SKSG UI also signed a cooperation with the North Minahasa Regency Government represented by Athor Subroto and Regent Joune. This cooperation will focus on efforts to advance the region through improving the quality of education and regional tourism. Regent Joune sees the potential for this development because North Minahasa Regency in North Sulawesi Province has Likupang tourism destination, which is one of the five super-priority tourism destinations in Indonesia.
“To develop a region or area that has a tourism target, we must have local wisdom. Therefore, we develop arts and culture in North Minahasa Regency to be differentiated from other regions. Some of the activities include local language content (Tonsea language), traditional dances, and culinary specialties in our region. Hopefully, through this collaboration, we can jointly preserve Indonesian cultural arts,” said Regent Joune.
