🖼️ EXHIBITION • May 25 - June 23
• Dahulu Kala: A Group Show • Curated by Clar Angkasa •
[ SHOP THE COLLECTION HERE ]
Opening Reception: May 25, 2-5PM
Small bites served by Asmara
567 Union Street, BK 11215 | map
Meaning “a long time ago” in Indonesian, Dahulu Kala is a tribute to the timeless tales passed down from generation to generation. In an increasingly complicated and modernized world, folktales help tether us to our roots, bridging the distance often felt between ourselves and our heritage. Dahulu Kala began with curator Clar Angkasa’s desire to reconnect with her Indonesian roots and grew into a collaborative effort to create a space to share these stories once told to us by our ancestors.
In this group show, Indonesian artists and writers are invited to select folktales from their culture and breathe new life into them. Each work is paired with a written piece that provides yet another interpretation of the tale. The very nature of these stories is ever-changing and fluid, so artists and writers are encouraged to explore nuances that have perhaps been overlooked in countless retellings. This exhibition allows viewers–both Indonesian and otherwise–to immerse themselves in tales from “dahulu kala”, providing a unique glimpse into Indonesian art and culture through written and visual storytelling that's filled with enchantment, transformation, sacrifice, and characters who persevere through it all.
Featured artwork by Gabrielle Widjaja.
Check out the exhibition playlist HERE.
ARTISTS
Clar Angkasa (she/her) is an Indonesian author-illustrator, comic artist and animator. She received her BFA in Illustration with honors from Rhode Island School of Design in 2019 before moving to NYC to pursue a career as an illustrator-animator with a focus on story-driven projects. Her art practice began as a form of self-expression and coping mechanism, a way to deal with the chaos of everyday life. As a result, the majority of her work focuses on narrative art and mental health, encompassing both whimsical art to escape from reality as well as reflective pieces about life. Clar draws inspiration from nature and the people around her, but above all her art is driven by the need to tell a story. She enjoys telling stories through various mediums including comics, animations, paintings, and books. She recently published her debut graphic novel, Stories of the Islands, a middle grade collection of Indonesian folktales reimagined with a feminist twist.
Website: clarangkasa.com
Instagram: @clarangkasa
Kiana Widodo (she/her) is an Indonesian visual artist based in New York City who graduated with a BFA in Illustration from SVA in 202. Being someone who grew up going back and forth between Indonesia and the US, she gravitates towards taking imagery from her past and using familiar objects such as food, patterns, family mementos to reconnect with her Indonesian heritage. Kiana’s main source of inspiration is through stories told by her relatives about their past and her own memories and experiences in the periods where she was in Indonesia. She primarily uses printmaking, collaging and painting to shed light on subtle moments that may seem mundane at first glance but are deeply ingrained in her diasporic identity.
Website: kianawidodo.com
Instagram: @alinavisha
Kaira Widodo (she/her) is an Muslim Indonesian-American photographer and multimedia artist based in New Jersey. Recently graduated from the School of Visual Arts this year, Kaira surrounds her work within Islamic and Indonesian traditions using her own experiences. Born and raised in the states and moving to Indonesia for 4 years at the age of 10, Kaira shares stories in various textiles and collages within Indonesian archival photographs and their own personal collection of made photographs. Her findings in photographs and texture hold a present future in emotionally connecting as well as drawing lines through Indonesia’s past histories.
Website: kairawidodo.com
Instagram: @kitty.widodo
Shanti Mirdayanti is a German-Indonesian visual artist based in Brooklyn, NY. After receiving her BFA in animation, she dedicated five years to designing, illustrating, and animating interactive digital media for over 15 prominent museums across the United States. Presently, she applies her skills as a designer in the live music touring industry, creating immersive concert experiences for VIP fans. Inspired deeply by experimental animation, Shanti's portfolio ranges from paper-cut stop motion films to mixed media illustration. Her work is escapist in nature, dealing with early childhood cravings for freedom and magic.
Website: mirdayanti.com
Instagram: @studiomynti
Keiko Nabila Yamazaki is a New York-based, award-winning illustrator and surface designer. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2017 with a major in illustration. Currently, she actively exhibits her work in galleries and craft fairs, selling a variety of products including silk scarves, tote bags, stickers, hats, and jewelry. Born of Indonesian-Japanese heritage, her works are thematically playful and childlike, reminiscent of the Western and Japanese cartoons of her childhood. Focusing on passion, emotion, exploration, and visual aesthetics, she employs a diverse range of media, from digital art to handmade clay.
Website: knyamazaki.com
Instagram: @knyamazakiillustration
Gerry Selian, a New York-based illustrator, specializes in drawing playful characters with a whimsical touch. Embracing simplicity, he believes in the power of storytelling through everyday life. His style involves a lot of shapes, color and typography. When he’s not bringing his illustrations to life, you might spot him wandering the streets of NYC in search of new ice cream joints or catching a Broadway show. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for exploration, Gerry seamlessly blends creativity with a laid-back urban flair, infusing his work and leisure alike with a sense of joy and wonder.
Website: gerrydraws.com
Instagram: @gerrydraws_
Gabrielle Widjaja (she/they) is a queer Chinese-Indonesian graphic designer, illustrator and tattoo artist based in Brooklyn, NY. They are known best for creating work under the artist name and practice called Gentle Oriental. Originally from the Bay Area in California, she graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in Graphic Design and subsequently moved to NYC to pursue her art career. Her practice is largely inspired by her multicultural heritage and experiences as a child of the diaspora, drawing upon many themes including Asian identity, queerness and gender/femininity, gesture and emotion. Gabrielle has worked with TIME Magazine, the New York Times, Bon Appetit, and musical artists such as Mitski, and been featured on i-D VICE, It’s Nice That, and Vogue. Currently they are a part-time multidisciplinary freelancer and co-own/operate Long Time Tattoo, a private tattoo studio in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
Website: gentleoriental.co
Instagram: @gentle.oriental
WRITERS
Dena Igusti is an Indonesian Muslim writer born and raised in Queens, New York. They are the author of CUT WOMAN (Game Over Books, 2020), which has been listed as a 2022 Perennial Award Winner, 2020 Harvard Bookstore Staff Pick, and Entropy Mag’s Best Of 2020-2021.They are the Inaugural 2023 NYFA Ryan Hudak Playwright Award Winner. They are the founder of Dearest Mearest. Their work has been featured in BOAAT Press, Peregrine Journal, Colorbloq, and several other publications. Their work has been produced and performed at LA Times, The Brooklyn Museum, The Apollo Theater, Women Deliver, The Public, and several other venues internationally.
They are a 2024 Asian American Arts Alliance What Can We Do? Grant Recipient, 2024 NYSCA Grant Recipient, 2023 NYFA Women’s Fund Recipient, 2023 Brooklyn Public Library Heritage Ambassador, 2023 NYFA Queens Art Grant Recipient, 2023 Asian American Writers’ Workshop Open City Fellow, and more. They have been featured in Business Insider, Teen Vogue, Playbill, and more.
Website: denaigusti.com
Instagram: @dispatchdena
Christhalia Wiloto is an Indonesian writer based in New York City, where she studied creative writing at New York University. She is currently at work on her memoir, Surface Tension, and is exploring representation for her debut literary fiction novel, Somebody Else. She has written for The Jakarta Post, VICE, Sunstroke Magazine, and the Asian American Writers' Workshop.
Instagram: @christhaliaa
Caroline Giovanie is a Chinese-Indonesian writer from Jakarta, Indonesia. She is pursuing her creative writing MFA at The New School. Her work focuses on identity, cosmic connection, and finding fulfillment. She loves dogs, matcha lattes, and songs that give you a good cry (the nice kind). Currently working on her first novel, she emphasizes on having Asian characters that are flawed, human, and whole. Her work can be found at Asian Journal and The Jakarta Post.
Instagram: @carolinegiovanie
Wulan Mirdayanti Zschocke “Wink” is a German-Indonesian humanitarian practitioner with a creative penchant. With a Bachelor in Social Work and Asian Studies, and a work history with New York City’s welfare systems, their primary occupation is in the field of multicultural human rights. They are currently a Human Rights Research Fellow at the University of Jember, and pursue an MA in Conflict Studies at Utrecht University. Creativity is for Wulan a break from their daily interactions with the overwhelming realities of structural inequality and global conflict. Their art is thus escapist in character: their writings emotionally abstract, and their illustrations reminiscent of childhood media. To fortify the separation between their professional and artistic identities, Wulan pursues creative endeavours under the persona “Wink” (Wulan’s Ink).
Instagram: @winkpad
Erica Kaunang is an Indonesian storyteller born and raised in Queens, New York invested in radical storytelling as a form of healing and resistance. Her interests are scattered between movement-building, filmmaking, and writing, but she is grounded in a commitment to use multi-media art to explore and uplift the rich stories of her communities. Erica has worked closely with Southeast Asian organizing spaces in Philadelphia, as well as with women of color, first-generation, and queer collectives. Erica spent two years working as an Associate Producer for Above and Below the Ground (dir. Emily Hong). She worked as an Impact Production Coordinator for Liquor Store Dreams (dir. So Yun Um) during the A-Doc Impact Lab and was an archivist for Taking Root (dir. Oanh-Nhi Nguyen). Erica is a proud member of the Asian-American Documentary Network and Brown Girls Doc Mafia. She graduated from Haverford College and received a B.A. in Anthropology with a double minor in Film Studies and English.
Instagram: @effervescentlyerica