Women's Craft Works Featured at Roepa Merdeka Exhibition

Handicraft works by women belonging to the Dharma Wanita Persatuan of the State Intelligence Agency (DWP BIN) are being exhibited at the Roepa Merdeka Exhibition at Balai Sudirman, South Jakarta. In addition to displaying works, the exhibition provides a space for learning crafts and sells some works to be channelled as donations.

DWP BIN adviser Metty M Herindra said the Roepa Merdeka Exhibition originated from a learning process for DWP BIN members that began in 2025. “The Roepa Merdeka Exhibition is ambitious work and this exhibition began with learning. We were initiated by DWP BIN from 2025, initially we were just learning to introduce various skills, with a little pressure but the results are something to be proud of,” Metty said when opening the Roepa Merdeka Exhibition.

According to her, the works on display highlight not only aesthetic aspects but also the creative process of their makers. The choice of materials, motifs, and techniques is part of a process that requires perseverance. “Roepa Merdeka is handicraft for Indonesia, for independence. We take its spirit, that every work made has a value of struggle. How the maker chooses the materials and motifs requires struggle and there must be spirit,” she said.

The exhibition also has a social side. A number of works given a special mark can be purchased by visitors, while the proceeds from their sale will be channelled as donations.

Besides the exhibition space, the committee has provided a learning area that the public can join free of charge with craft materials from experts. “I have been curious because we always attend bazaars and exhibitions that make goods, many people, especially women, ask whether there is anything that can be bought. This is an exhibition that can be enjoyed as well as a place to seek inspiration,” she said.

Dekranas Daily Chair and Chairwoman of the Central PKK Tri Tito Karnavian assessed that installation works can be a medium for expressing imagination and skills. “It turns out that the main element of artistic creativity is imagination, from ideas and desires, then the ability to feel beauty and harmony, as well as technical skills, namely the ability to realise ideas, and there is freedom of expression which is realised today at the Roepa Merdeka Exhibition,” Tri said.

She said the process of making works from fibre materials, such as thread, requires perseverance and patience. According to her, the activity is also related to efforts to maintain skills and cultural heritage. “This exhibition has the theme ‘celebrating women, caring for heritage, weaving the future’. Not only celebrating independence but also women. We women are the pillars of the nation; if the women are good, then the nation is good,” she stressed.

The Roepa Merdeka Exhibition takes place on 26-28 August 2026 at Balai Sudirman, South Jakarta. The exhibition is open to the public and features various installations of works by women members of DWP BIN.