A Visit to Sri Rejeki Nama Tokonya by Anggun Priambodo

“There’s a child eating sweets, with tofu paste and kancil peanuts. Dad buys, Mom buys, at Sri Rejeki, that’s the store name.”

The song "Sri Rejeki" from Anggun Priambodo’s EP Anak captures the nostalgia of a child’s first visit to a store, observing the space, the goods on sale, the transaction process, and the interactions between the seller and customers. This store now takes form in Anggun’s installation piece, Sri Rejeki Nama Tokonya, on display at the 14th Indonesia Contemporary Art and Design (ICAD) exhibition through November 10. In an interview with Grafis Masa Kini, Anggun shared insights into the inspiration and process behind his creation.

When ICAD invited Anggun to participate in this year’s exhibition with the theme “Unexpected,” Anggun initially hesitated, as his last fine art project was his 2020 solo exhibition at Sunset Limited. Since then, he has been more active as a curator, writer, short film director, and musician, recently releasing the EP Anak. Interestingly, this EP prompted ICAD to see “Unexpected” potential in Anggun’s work. “The Anak EP was intended to branch into fine art, but the curator went abroad, and I wasn’t interested in finding a new one as we worked well together. Then, suddenly, ICAD invited me, calling this whole EP launch unexpected,” Anggun explained. This prompted him to consider how his songs could translate into a visual piece.

Anggun chose the glass-walled space at the back of the Grand Kemang hotel lobby in South Jakarta as the setting for his installation, igniting the idea of bringing the Sri Rejeki store to life. Rather than delving into consumerism as he did in his 2010 piece Toko Keperluan at Ruang Rupa, Sri Rejeki Nama Tokonya celebrates the products sold in traditional stores and a child’s first-time experience of seeing and buying them. “In this ‘store,’ visitors can feel very close to the products, seeing each one individually. People can even purchase items, picking them up after the exhibition. Unlike Toko Keperluan, where the items could be bought and taken immediately, here, they’ll remain until the exhibit ends,” Anggun clarified.

One major inspiration for the installation was a real store named Sri Rejeki, which Anggun stumbled upon at Blauran Market in Surabaya while working on a film project. “Sri Rejeki is a store in Surabaya, right in the middle of Blauran Market. The song I made ties into this Sri Rejeki store. The first time I walked in, I immediately started shopping, and the items I bought became the lyrics for ‘Sri Rejeki,’” Anggun reminisced. This store in Surabaya serves as a quintessential snapshot of traditional Indonesian markets, with a personal touch in every corner. Unlike chain convenience stores, it is a family-run business passed down through generations, featuring handcrafted goods that modern retail chains simply cannot replicate. The name Sri Rejeki embodies a sense of connection and familiarity, symbolizing "rejeki"—or blessings—that go beyond material wealth, encompassing warmth, personal care, and human connection. For Anggun, the store doesn’t merely sell products but reflects local values and cultural identity, sparking the idea to bring these elements into his installation.

In preparation for ICAD, Anggun traveled from July to September to Lampung, Padang Panjang, Bali, and back to Surabaya, seeking a collection of products that could represent the cultural richness of each region. This process was more than a material hunt; it was a deep observational journey into the buying and selling behaviors of local communities. Amid his busy schedule, Anggun made time for these out-of-town shopping trips, believing it would be more surprising to collect items from varied locations than simply sourcing everything from Jakarta. “Sure, Jakarta is vast, and I could probably find something interesting in its corners, but it would be more exciting to visit other places,” he stated. Importantly, Anggun stated that none of the items in his installation were purchased online. “Sri Rejeki is about the experience—the same one in the song, of a child visiting a store for the first time and wondering, ‘Why does it feel like a house but with so many things?’ and ‘Why are these items for sale?’”

Each item Anggun brings to Sri Rejeki Nama Tokonya carries a unique story representing the place it originated. From a traditional kite in Lampung that he initially hesitated to buy to a carved stone from Ubud with intricate detailing, each piece offers more than just functionality. “One day in Ubud, I wasn’t expecting much. I never do, but I know I’ll find something interesting. Then I saw this house selling carved stones, and I immediately wanted to buy them. I really like those stones; I hope no one buys them here,” Anggun chuckled. The items’ appeal isn’t just in their functionality but in their graphic allure, which visually entices buyers, like a hair gel tin from Bali with an illustration of a local woman. Speaking of graphics, Anggun also re-designed snack labels sold in his store installation. These food items and spices carry strong local identities. “Each city has unique foods, so its spices differ too. One of the trademarks of these shops is how their spices are sold,” he elaborated.

To celebrate the unique appeal of each product in Sri Rejeki Nama Tokonya, Anggun opted for a presentation style distinct from modern stores. Instead of displaying items in cramped rows, he showcases each item individually, akin to artifacts in a museum. Visitors can inspect the items up close, enjoying every visual detail and story they hold. Through this approach, Anggun evokes the charm of traditional shopping experiences, which have become rare in modern times, much like the meaning of his song “Sri Rejeki.” The exhibit prompts awareness of how a community’s environment and daily life influence the goods available in a shop. “People often ask, ‘These items aren’t used anymore, right? How did you find them?’ No, these are still used daily, but we in urban areas tend to opt for new things. It depends on where you are. A sickle, for instance, may not be needed in Jakarta, but in rural Bali, where farming is common, it’s essential,” Anggun explained.

Sri Rejeki Nama Tokonya encourages us to reflect on human creativity in meeting everyday needs with locally produced goods. “Whimsy,” as Anggun puts it, describes humanity’s ability to craft everyday objects with the appeal that goes beyond function, imbuing them with aesthetic value. Furthermore, Anggun notes that, in big cities, we often get boxed in by modernity, overlooking that handmade goods—woven, stitched, or carved—are still being crafted today and remain essential to certain communities.

Rooted in the song “Sri Rejeki,” the installation offers an immersive experience tied to Anggun Priambodo’s musical narrative. Therefore, it’s essential for visitors to approach this work with an understanding of the song to fully appreciate the store’s story and its distinctive products. “If visitors know this work originated from a song, they’ll better understand its story and the list of items for sale,” Anggun stated. Sri Rejeki Nama Tokonya, along with other works at ICAD 14, remains open to the public until November 10.