Cipta Art Award 2026: DKJ Announces 12 Winners of Contemporary Art
The Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ), through its Visual Arts Committee, is organising the Cipta Art Award 2026. Under the title ‘PRASRAVANA: From Seed to Landscape’, the inaugural national-scale event is designed as a space for appreciation and to strengthen the contemporary art ecosystem in Indonesia.
The term ‘Prasravana’, drawn from Sanskrit, means a spring or source of life. The theme reflects growth processes, where small ideas transform into expansive and meaningful artistic landscapes. The award focuses not only on visual aesthetics but also on conceptual depth and the social-cultural relevance of the artists’ practices.
Chair of the DKJ Visual Arts Committee, Danny Yuwanda, said that selecting the winners posed a major challenge for the jury given the high quality and freshness of the works. The panel, comprising Evelyn Huang, Asikin Hasan, and Ilham Nurjadin, had to engage in lengthy discussions to filter 20 finalists down to 12 winners.
Evelyn Huang explained the dynamics of different perspectives among the jurors. ‘There are jurors who emphasise clarity of concept, while others highlight artistic exploration and the courage to develop ideas beyond the mastery of the primary medium,’ she stated. The debates are seen as adding value to the credibility of the award.
The winners were announced on Sunday, 17 May 2026, at Teater Wahyu Sihombing. The following is the full list of the 12 artists who won awards across three categories. The DKJ chair Bambang Prihadi stressed that the Cipta Art Award 2026 represents a commitment to building sustainable cultural infrastructure. The programme is hoped to become a new barometer for the development of visual arts in the country. In line with this, DKJ Visual Arts Committee member Wina Luthfiyya Ipnayati hopes the event will not merely be an exhibition for young artists but also help determine the future direction of Indonesian visual art. The event is fully supported by the DKI Jakarta Culture Office through the Unit Pengelola Pusat Kesenian Jakarta Taman Ismail Marzuki (UP PKJ TIM), with a special performance by Swaramangun on the awards night.