Yogya's Kedai Kebun mixes arts and cuisines

Boudewijn Brands, Contributor, Yogyakarta

Many educated people would agree that to have self-respect and lead a fulfilled life one does not really have to be a big consumer or wear the hottest brands in fashion. But how does one arrive at that realization?

Optimal freedom to live one's life as one wants can be achieved by being self-employed. Many professionals feel that way and if their profession is not their passion, then it leaves room for other activities.

These can be social activities or for the benefit of the person concerned. In any case, this lifestyle usually aims at something other than just making money or gaining prestige in a career: self-fulfillment.

Meet Yustina W. Neni Nugraheni, or just "Neni" to her friends. I met her for the first time in 1996 when I was looking for a homeless artist that she was kind and offered hospitality to in Yogyakarta. It was a typical case: in spite of the artist's refusal to thank her, she always tries to help whenever possible.

Neni is best known for Kedai Kebun, an alternative restaurant combined with an art gallery on Jl. Tirtodipuran in Yogyakarta. It is close to the Cemeti Art House and also leads to Jl. Prawirotaman. Kedai Kebun has been closed for about a year, but recently reopened after a major renovation.

Caring for art is Neni's main inspiration. It all started from the need to make a living. Neni first started out by running a fruit juice stall from her home on Jl. Rotowijayan. She later moved to the restaurant's present location and opened a restaurant and gallery called BaleAnda.

Agung Kurniawan, an artist whom she later married, said: "We did not have enough furniture to fill up the place, so we used the empty space as an exhibition room!"

The restaurant is well known among foreign tourists who can get a delicious meal in pleasant surroundings with good service and at reasonable prices. Neni and Agung noticed that if they organized an art exhibition, the only time they attracted guests was at its opening. Otherwise, the place was very quiet except for the evenings, when the restaurant opened.

So they decided to aim for a larger audience by hosting artistic activities, changing the concept and renaming it the Kedai Kebun in 1997. The art activities not only focused on the pictures hung on the walls, but also included music, theater and dance performances, exhibitions of sculpture and photography and aural readings of literature as well as providing a small library.

In the meantime, Neni and her husband worked hard. Agung is an internationally acknowledged artist. The money they earned was never spent on an upmarket home, let alone a car: Agung and Neni are well known as cyclists in Yogyakarta.

They were able to save enough last year to finally devote their establishment to the arts. The construction of the new Kedai Kebun Forum has been completed and it has been designed based on the experience they gained.

Neni said, "It was sometimes a problem to accommodate the demands of performing artists, or we found that a performance held on short notice could actually disturb guests who were dining in the restaurant. On one occasion, a guest was startled at the sight of an artist dressed in a bikini, and standing in a corner of the room, with her face painted white and her body writhing while she held a snake in her arms."

On the ground floor of the building, all is normal: There is an entrance and the garden restaurant is open at the front and the right side, with the kitchen behind it. Inside, it is still homey with different rooms used for administration, a small book and art shop and a larger room used for exhibitions.

The surprise comes with the new space on the second floor: it is 9 m by 14 m with a high ceiling. The factory-style roof provides indirect daylight. The acoustics are very good: They insulated the walls with soundproof bricks made in Bawuran village, Pleret, Bantul regency. They also used secondhand windows, doors and ironwork to save money on construction. There is also a sound and lighting room and a balcony for the audience.

Performing is one thing but showing artwork provides the artist with the most profit and it helps them when the public gives them feedback and comments on it. For this they publish a small bulletin called Halte every three months.

This is a place for art critics, issues such as how to write about art and providing space for short stories or poems. On June 14, the first official exhibition at the new gallery was opened. It is an exhibition of anti-neo-Nazi posters and was put together in cooperation with the Goethe Institute.

Kedai Kebun Forum, Jl. Tirtodipuran 3, Yogyakarta 55143, Tel.: 0274 376114, fax 375194, e-mail: kkforum@indosat.net.id or kedaikebunforum@yahoo.co.uk. The exhibition Anti-Neo-Nazi Posters will last until July 4, 2003. The exhibit will move to GoetheHaus Jakarta in July 16, 2003.