Melani Setiawan Archives Four Decades of Indonesian Fine Arts

Surabaya (ANTARA) - The founder of One Piece Club Indonesia, Melani Setiawan, has published a monumental book titled ‘Indonesian Art World (1977–2022)’, which records the journey of the Indonesian fine arts ecosystem for over four decades.

The book, which spans 1,400 pages and weighs approximately 2.9 kilograms, contains around 4,000 photographs, most of which are from his personal documentation dating back to the late 1970s.

“The archives published in this book are not yet complete,” Melani stated during a discussion of his work, which was part of the ArtSubs 2026 art exhibition in Surabaya on Sunday.

Regarding the creation process of ‘Indonesian Art World (1977–2022)’, Melani did not only collect photographs of various art events. He also preserved correspondence with artists, covering a wide range of topics from artistic issues and event invitations to personal reflections.

The delay in the book’s publication ultimately reflects the long and diligent journey of preserving the memories of the Indonesian art world.

Asmujo Irianto, one of the curators of ArtSubs, assessed the book ‘Indonesian Art World (1977–2022)’ as the embryo of an encyclopedia for Indonesian contemporary art during the discussion forum.

It is hoped that this expensive publication will become easily accessible to the public to ensure it provides greater benefit.

“In this book, we can see how young artists grow, how artists disappear, and the emergence of new waves of young artists in Indonesia,” said the doctor of fine arts from the Bandung Institute of Technology.