Boutique bouquet

CEBU, Philippines - Over by a side street in busy Central Jakarta, a boutique hotel was showcasing a quite unique concept. 

Of course, it helps that the name of the establishment is Artotel, a trade name derived from conjoining, what else, but the words "art" and "hotel".  (Needless to say, the focus of this modern, hip establishment is exactly that: art, art and more art.)  It was but natural, then, that the idea of mashing together artists, personalities, and hotel rooms would be hosted by this particular hotel.

After all, aren't we tired of looking at bland, non-threatening, and non-provoking wall decorations when we check in these chain hotels and interchangeable resorts?  Those plain prints and boring watercolors that often, would even be placed in toilet stalls and forgotten hallways? I would have thought that it would be a death sentence for an artist to be asked to create 300 pieces of the same theme, within break-neck speed records and at cut-rate prices.

Sure, a gigantic piece commissioned by a luxury hotel is an honor for any artist. Most of the time, though, it's a gamble for the property owner.  The hoteliers don't really know what they're going to receive come the deadline, and they would be extremely lucky if their expectations are met by the artiste slash enfante terrible. 

So here was the idea. What if, some designers and taste influencers were to curate the art, collaborate with the artists, and let them situate the art pieces in a hotel room according to their peculiar vision, whim, passion or whatever other idiosyncratic motivations they might have had? So basically, it was letting them loose within the confines of an intimate space, and letting them re-imagine what a hotel bedroom could look like if it was handed over to art's (sometimes messy) hands.

Enter: "Universe Behind the Doors", an art exhibit housed within the welcoming doors of five hotel bedrooms.  Curated by Sally Texania, the exhibit showcased 26 artists whose works were carefully immersed in the out-of-the-box venue.

All kinds of media were employed for the show's purpose, including some that might not necessarily let an innocent hotel guest sleep.  Multi-media works included a video recording of a man scribbling down stock English phrases on post-it notes while practicing phonetic English. Perhaps that qualifies as a lullaby?

More traditional artforms included a silkscreen and acrylic number by Kota dan Hidup, which showed an anthropomorphical figure borne aloft on balloons above traditional Javanese row housing. Almost the same theme was a watercolor on paper rendering by Muhammad Vilhamy, of a skater boy lying idly on a precipice, skateboard in hand, while gazing at the skies.  Both reminiscent of sleep and rest, surely a bit more soothing for hotel travelers looking to catch some shuteye.

Speaking of sleep remedies, Narpati Awangga 'OomLeo' presented dozens of laser cut acrylic sheep stuck to the wall as a clever installation.  Plenty of cute sheep to count, with a couple of daintily colored ones (nothing too jarring) to break the monotony.  Sekarputri, in turn, contributed "Girl Sitting", a ceramic wall installation of a young lass with eyes dreamily closed.

Erwin Windu Pranata's fiberglass and steel number doesn't necessarily qualify as sleep-inducing - unless one wants a big bodyguard in the room.  This could be the monster to scare away night visitors, a huge exclamation point gifted with four legs and orange-and-white stripes.  This might also be the same theme that Muchlis Fachri was working on, with his sleeping neon pink alien serving as visitor inhibitors.  There are hands growing out of the face, and (false?) teeth lying in wait, while other monsters surround the alien.  Hopefully, this acrylic paint vision didn't seek to refer to nightmares.

As a counterpoint, calm prints were offered by R Yuki Agriardi, the blue and white chicken scratches entitled "Sudden Sight Separation".  Sarita Ibnoe, in turn, rendered "Kelambu"' a naked woman wandering in dreams while clothed with petals and swatches.

Like any deep slumber, the exhibit proved to be refreshing, and pointed to many different ways where public spaces can co-opt and accommodate art.  Quiet corners, unused alleys, bare corridors: all these can serve as showcases for the visual arts.  Hopefully, proprietors notice this collaborative potential, and allow us, the viewing public, to bask in the dreams of the rich artistic talents that surround us - if only we wake up to it.