Having been delayed for four years, the Oldest Art Exhibition in Indonesia, the 2021 Jakarta Biennale is held again. This year, the event is bigger with a hybrid format by cooperating with around 70 individual artists and collaborators. Carrying the theme ESOK, the Jakarta Biennale is a presentation for Jakarta City and its residents who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. With this theme, the Jakarta Biennale is expected to strengthen solidarity across borders, genders, and across history for mutual progress towards a better future. Artistic Director of the Jakarta Biennale, Dolorosa Sinaga said that this event is held at the first location which was held 47 years ago. Jakarta Biennale 1974 was the first biennale held at the STOVIA Building or the National Awakening Museum. In this building, this event is held again to use the historical value of the STOVIA building as a revival which is very closely related to the Jakarta Biennale.
The contemporary art event, which has been held since 1974 in Indonesia, is open from November 21, 2021 to January 21, 2022. This biennial contemporary art event is held at the National Museum, the National Awakening Museum (STOVIA), and public spaces in the Central Jakarta area. The exhibition also features the Ring Project, a collaborative art project between Gudskul and Sandy Lo, which brings Indonesian artists along with collectives from India, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan. The works, which are featured in this year's Jakarta Biennale 2021, are the work of 38 Indonesian and international artists.
The 2021 Jakarta Biennale hosts various activities, including a public symposium on art activism, humanity, the hyper-digitalized world in the context of human rights, digital disturbance, cybercrime, and post-human conditions. In addition, this exhibition also holds programs that involve the public, such as Guided Tours for the community, various art workshops, and film screenings.