Behind the Art Jakarta 2024 Visual Identity
On August 12, 2024, the official Art Jakarta Instagram page announced the event’s return this year. First held in 2009, Art Jakarta is an annual art exhibition with a focus on showcasing the brilliant contemporary works of artists in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. In anticipation of this year’s edition of the exhibition opening on October 4th, Art Jakarta has released an introduction trailer to introduce Art Jakarta 2024’s theme: ‘🪨‘. Sitting down with Grafis Masa Kini, Henricus Linggawidjaja, founder and creative director of Jakarta-based design studio Artnivora and Design Director of Art Jakarta talks us through the visual identity of Art Jakarta 2024.
As Art Jakarta’s design director, it falls on Henricus’s shoulders to determine the theme and direction to be developed for both Art Jakarta and Art Jakarta Gardens. This year’s theme of ‘🪨‘ is a nod to the eagerness of all the parties involved with Art Jakarta. As Henricus explains it, “it’s because the artists, collectors, gallerists, and art enthusiasts are ‘ready to rock you’.” This is not the first time Henricus and Artnivora have worked with Art Jakarta. “ For 2019, the theme was ‘The Only Clear Thing is Art’ which we translated by blurring the logo and only leaving the ‘Art’ clear to read. In 2022, the me was ‘Again!’ as it was the first opportunity for everyone to meet again after the pandemic. And in 2023, the theme was ‘Yellow’ which represented freshness,” Henricus continued. For this year, Henricus explained that the color had been determined by the Fair Director of Art Jakarta, Tom Tandio.
For each edition of Art Jakarta, the Artnivora team is always open to working with musicians to strengthen the Art Jakarta campaign. “This time we’re supported by Mattermos, Jason Ranti, and Dipha Barus, while the videography was taken care of by Jin Panji,” Henricus explained. “Every year we play with vibrant colors. We adjust the Art Jakarta logo according to those colors. Meanwhile for Art Jakarta Gardens, there’s room for the logo to be more playful. This year Art Jakarta is taking on the theme ‘🪨‘ without literally saying ‘rock’, it’s only sometimes implied,” Henricus elaborated.
Constructing the visual identity of an event of Art Jakarta’s scale is no small feat. “Every year we have the challenge of how to present a new theme that is not boring. As a visual person, I believe that apart from good visuals, the identity must also be supported by good music. Because all of that will make for a good campaign each year,” Henricus explains.
As Design Director, Henricus was also involved in the direction of the introductory video. He explained, “The big theme for 2019 is the logo that is paraded around the city, becoming an important city element in every campaign. This also reflects the city of Jakarta, which is different from New York, Tokyo, Paris, Seoul or other big cities. And we open opportunities to collaborate with designers and musicians to participate in building the next theme.”
As we approach the opening of Art Jakarta 2024, the public continues to gain glimpses into what awaits on October 4th through their Instagram page and website. The fair is a celebration of the Indonesian contemporary art community by the community—a brilliant celebration of the region’s creative talent. Tickets to Art Jakarta 2024 are available for purchase at www.artjakarta.com.
