If you want to appreciate artworks while enjoying the cool breeze of the City of Flowers, you can visit the seventh Bandung Contemporary Art Awards exhibition (Seventh BaCAA). The exhibition, which is open to the public, runs until 18 September at Lawangwangi Creative Space, Bandung.

It is an exhibition of 15 selected Seventh BaCAA finalists, including three winners selected over hundreds of applicants, namely Victoria Kosasie from Bali, Patriot Mukmin from Bandung, and Perempuan Pengkaji Seni from Surabaya.

The three winners received different prizes, ranging from Rp100 million in cash and an art residency at Centre Intermondes, La Rochelle, France to an art trip to an international art centre. 

What are the works that brought them victory? 

Patriot Mukmin’s works discuss the psychological condition of society in general during the pandemic, which is greatly influenced by the circulation of information, including through social media.

Perempuan Pengkaji Seni presented a performance that provoked a discussion about garment workers, most of whom were women. Victoria Kosasie presented a performance art containing instructions on the conduct and prohibitions for a woman, especially in Javanese culture. 

Although the two winners were women, unfortunately the number of female artists who registered was far less than men, so the judges expected an increase in the number of female artists in contemporary art. However, the works of female artists in Seventh BaCAA are strong.

In one corner of the exhibition room at the opening, Fransisca Retno presented a performance. 

She parodies the culinary style of netizens, which is sometimes done to show social status, through food reviews. Another female finalist, Kartika Oktorina, touched the issue of the latest technology. It was in line with Aditya DP and Amajid Sinar.

There is also a discussion about the phenomenon of fake news raised by Arief Budiman and comments about human nature today by Muhammad Sabiq.

Another artist presented a story about his experience as a war refugee from Afghanistan. Two artists talked about the mother figure. We can also find works that express  the artist’s views on the COVID-19 outbreak.

Every time it is held, BaCAA is supported by a jury who are art practitioners. This year's jury includes influential artist FX Harsono, art fair director Tom Tandio, MACAN Museum Director Aaron Seeto and art collectors Evelyn Halim and Wiyu Wahono. 

BaCAA was initiated by Artsociates in 2010. It is an award for the works of young Indonesian contemporary artists. Wiyu Wahono, a well-known collector from Jakarta who has been on the jury since BaCAA was created, said the event is a benchmark for the best contemporary artworks in Indonesia, maybe even in Southeast Asia.

Responding to the development of works and artists from BaCAA, Aaron Seto said, “The judges were very impressed with the quality and diversity of the works of the listed Indonesian artists, who are voicing a variety of new voices. We recognise how artists are exploring their experiences during the pandemic through new performances and display formats."