'/%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=small}
JAKARTA – Museum MACAN reopens its gallery spaces to the public starting this weekend. Specifically, this famous modern and contemporary art museum in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, launches five brand-new exhibitions at once. Therefore, art lovers can prepare themselves to enjoy a wide variety of exciting artworks. For instance, the museum presents Tromarama’s first museum-scale solo show in Indonesia alongside a special presentation by Iwan Effendi. Furthermore, the lineup features a newly commissioned piece by British artist Libby Heaney in partnership with the British Council, as well as a special work by Mira Rizki in the Children’s Art Space.
Museum MACAN Director Venus Lau explained that working with these artists gave the museum a deeply meaningful experience. During the media preview on Thursday, November 12, 2026, she noted that every artist brings a unique viewpoint and a different set of questions. Sometimes these ideas overlap, yet at other times they reveal hidden tensions. Consequently, the museum finds it very important to give space to all these differences. Moreover, Lau added that contemporary art does not always provide clear answers. Instead, it pushes us to look again at things we usually view as normal, familiar, or unavoidable. Together, these five exhibitions explore how technology, political power, everyday objects, and our surroundings shape our actions, choices, and worldviews.
Visitors can explore these five exhibitions at Museum MACAN from November 14, 2026, until April 4, 2027:
1. Tromarama: Ketok Magic
First, Ketok Magic marks Tromarama’s very first museum exhibition in Indonesia and celebrates two decades of the collective’s artistic work. Febie Babyrose, Herbert Hans, and Ruddy Hatumena founded this group in Bandung back in 2006. Today, Tromarama creates videos, stop-motion animations, found objects, computer programs, and installations. Through these mediums, the collective examines how technology shapes human behavior and connects our physical and virtual worlds.
2. Eko Nugroho: Scenic Disorder
Next, leading Indonesian contemporary artist Eko Nugroho blends traditional Indonesian crafts with the bold visual styles of street art and comics. He first emerged during Indonesia’s major social and political shifts at the turn of the millennium. Since then, his work has explored the friction between individuals and larger group structures. In addition, international audiences know his work well because he has held major solo shows at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and the Asia Society Museum in New York, and he also joined the 55th Venice Biennale.
3. Iwan Effendi: Pulse for Pulse
Meanwhile, visual artist Iwan Effendi works at the crossroads of puppetry, drawing, painting, and live performance. In 2006, he co-founded the renowned Papermoon Puppet Theatre in Yogyakarta alongside Maria Tri Sulistyani. In this exhibition, his art explores physical movement, the human body, memory, and the three-way bond between objects, puppeteers, and viewers. Additionally, Iwan Effendi—whom friends call Papeyo—shared deeper insights during an opening-day interview on November 14, 2026. Specifically, he revealed that traditional wayang shadow puppet screens directly inspired his large murals. He focused closely on the simpingan—the rows of puppets lining the left and right sides of the stage—to question who controls the story and who follows along.
4. British Council’s Artist Innovation Commissions — Libby Heaney: Qave Qonsciousness
Furthermore, London-based artist Dr. Libby Heaney holds a PhD in quantum physics and pioneers the use of quantum computing as a working art tool. Her practice spans virtual reality, moving images, glasswork, and public sculptures. Specifically, she combines artificial intelligence and quantum systems to build dreamlike visuals rooted in physical human feelings. As a result, she links flowing shapes and emotional landscapes to much larger systemic networks.
5. Museum MACAN Children’s Art Space — Mira Rizki: Mawas Wawas
Finally, multidisciplinary artist Mira Rizki focuses her creative work on sound, vibration, and the act of listening. Rather than treating sound as something we only hear, she uses it as a physical, touch-based force. Ultimately, her interactive work connects people with the rooms they stand in, the materials around them, and their personal memories.
In fact, this grand reopening follows another major milestone for the institution. Previously, Museum MACAN wrapped up its successful Where Are We in Time: A Season Across Shifting Landscape program, which featured works by Riar Rizaldi, Dawn Ng, and Marcos Kueh. Because visitors showed such strong interest, the museum extended that season until October 7, 2026. Afterward, the museum team closed the galleries briefly so they could install all five of these brand-new shows.
Now that the doors stand open again, guests can plan their visits easily and affordably. Most importantly, visitors only need to buy one single ticket to access all five exhibitions at the same time throughout the entire run from November 14, 2026, to April 4, 2027. Moreover, Museum MACAN also launched a special group promotion called #BarengBarengdiMACAN.
