Japanese artist Kei Imazu found her greatest inspiration in “the changing names of what is now Jakarta”, a reflection that ultimately shaped her expansive yet introspective exhibition.

Each work unfolds like a quiet revelation, drawn from her long-term research into Jakarta’s northern coastline.

Drawing from imagined landscapes, colonial archives and echoes of ancient life, Imazu juxtaposes historical and speculative elements with contemporary documentation of the same sites, making the exhibition a compelling exploration for those intrigued by historical facts woven into real or imagined futures.

Sunda Kelapa, believed to have emerged in the 4th century as a modest fishing village, later grew into the main port of the Hindu Pajajaran kingdom. In 1527, it came under the control of the Demak-Cirebon sultanate, led by Fatahillah, and was renamed Jayakarta, meaning “great victory”.

By 1945, amid Japanese occupation and Indonesia’s struggle for independence, the city was called Djakarta, later modernized to Jakarta. Earlier, the Portuguese, who frequented the harbor, referred to it as Jacatra or Jacarta in their records.

Lit up: An artwork entitled The Land Lost to The Sea (2024) by Kei Imazu is made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic (ABS), oil paint, LED lights and artifacts, 835 x 308 x 5 centimeters. Courtesy of Liandro Siringoringo (Liandro Siringoringo/-)