Artists talking shop

Artists talking shop

A robot-shaped installation work with a shopping trolley or big
posters along Yogyakarta's main streets scream a single message:
No more shopping malls.

As the Yogyakarta administration discloses a plan to build
more shopping malls to lure investment, activists and artists are
stating their dissenting opinion their own way.

Titled Disini Akan Dibangun Mall (A Mall Will Be Built Here),
the protest this week involved about 40 artists who staged
performing arts on the streets and displayed installation works
at main spots in the city.

Although the message was delivered in the hope of preventing a
shift in social and cultural values, it may be falling on deaf
ears among the public, who continue to flock to the malls.

-- Text and photos by Tarko Sudiarno