Over the years, Art Jakarta has expanded its scope through two dedicated spin-offs, each with its own impressive impacts in the Indonesian art scene. Art Jakarta Gardens focuses on outdoor and site-specific works, extending the Fair’s programme into open-air settings, while Art Jakarta Papers is dedicated to paper-based practices, offering a platform for works often overlooked in conventional fair formats. Together, these extensions, respectively held in last May and February this year, reflect the Fair’s ongoing effort to diversify its programming and address a broader range of artistic media.
Today, Art Jakarta welcomes 75 galleries, more than half of which are Indonesian alongside 33 international galleries – including 19 participating in the Fair for the first time. Such participation signals the continued growth and interest surrounding each edition of Art Jakarta.
According to Fair Director Tom Tandio, “It is our great pleasure to present this year’s Art Jakarta, following the successes of Art Jakarta Gardens and Art Jakarta Papers earlier this year. Art Jakarta continues to grow as a premier art fair connecting contemporary art scenes across Indonesia and the wider world. As we grow, the many communities and elements that make up the art ecosystem grow together with us: artists, galleries, collectors, curators, art lovers, and many others. This year, the Fair is proud to bring together important initiatives to advance Indonesia’s art sector, including Korea Focus, featuring 14 young, promising galleries from South Korea, and SCOPE, supported by MTN Seni Budaya, which gathers six emerging art fairs from across Indonesia. We hope Art Jakarta will continue to serve the art ecosystems of the region.”
The 2026 edition features the Fair’s acclaimed sections once again, as well as the debut of a new section.
SPOT returns with works and presentations that move beyond the conventional booth format, allowing galleries to explore varied scales and spatial approaches to presenting art. This year, the section features Indonesian and regional artists: 1) Nguyen Phuong Linh (Vietnam, ara contemporary), who explores an aesthetic in which landscapes and bodies, whether natural or artificial, continuously shape one another; 2) Henryette Louise (Indonesia, ArtSociates), who extends her practice through gypsum-printed intaglio, approaching making as linked gestures of attunement that counter the logic of speed and linear progress; 3) Albertho Wanma and Budi Santoso (Indonesia, ROH), whose politically engaged sculptures, suffused with emotional and spiritual depth, draw on each artist’s long-standing engagement with form and material; and 4) Angki Purbandono (Indonesia, SAL Project), who highlights the community-led movement in South Papua to defend Indigenous lands.
SCENE is a platform for artist collectives and collaborative projects, reflecting the multiplicity and strong culture of collective practice within Indonesia’s art scene. This year, the section has grown to include 39 participants from various cities across Indonesia.
AJX is a section dedicated to collaborations between Art Jakarta and various local and international institutions, as well as cultural agencies. Korea Focus, returning for its second year, is supported through a collaboration with the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Management Service. The initiative brings together 14 galleries from South Korea: APOproject, ch+ch art, dive.seoul, GALLERY IN, IAH, MIHAKGWAN (Philosopher’s Stone), PAGEROOM8, PS CENTER, sangheeut, Shower, CDA, FFF, Gallery Grappe, and THEO. From ISI Bali, Natta-Cita Art Space (N-CAS) brings Balinese contemporary artist-academics to the Fair, furthering the section’s aim of representing the diverse characteristics of contemporary art in the region.
AJ Talk is a platform for dialogue among observers, artists, collectors, gallerists, and curators, providing them with an opportunity to share their experiences and knowledge with the audience. This year’s programme includes presentations from EDISII, MTN Seni Budaya, DJOURNAL, BCA, Gang Kabel, Jogja Art + Books Festival (JABFEST) 2026, and The Solitaire, all hosted by Mature.idn.
Together, these programmes build on Art Jakarta’s year-round engagement with different artistic practices, collecting communities, and art ecosystems, while strengthening connections between Indonesia and the wider Asian art market. They provide a comprehensive survey of the latest developments in contemporary art across the region, while sustaining and nurturing the art ecosystem through Art Jakarta’s platform.
This year, Art Jakarta also features the participation of various artists from Vietnam, including Nguyen Phuong Linh, Doan Van Toi, Hoang Hue Phuong, and Tuan Andrew Nguyen.
Words: Art Jakarta
