Institut Teknologi Bandung

Kerokan is a traditional treatment that involves scraping the skin with a blunt object. This is a practice passed down from generations in the Indonesian culture. Kerokan is considered to be a form of alternative therapy and has become a medical culture in Asian countries with its own name and history. Angela chose the word Kerokan because even though it hurts, it heals.

Kerokan: Reflections on Life's Journey in the Czech Republic.

Angela Sunaryo is the recipient of the 2023 Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA), placed at Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic.

This exhibition is Angela's initiative driven by her desire to address multi-ethnic issues and her reflections on her five-month journey in the Czech Republic.

The idea of creating the exhibition had been on her mind since she first arrived in Czechia. This received support from the Indonesian Embassy's Information and Social Culture (Pensosbud).

She mentioned that the student exchange experience for some people was a pleasant one. However, for her, who at that time was the leader of 50 Indonesian students with various programs, vocational, undergraduate, co-funding, she found many polemics and discovered the meaning of life. From people's views on ethnic minorities, alienation, to the dynamics that made her struggle while upholding the values she believes in.

Angela criticized this through creative means by creating her first solo exhibition, which addressed the issue of ethnicity. "The goal is to embrace minority and inclusivity," she said.

This exhibition was opened by the Indonesian Embassy, Ondrej Pokorny, Ph.D. (Head of Indonesian Studies, Chair of IISMA UPOL Collaboration), Soegeng Soejono, and Nela Mikulcikova. Apart from the exhibition, there was also a talk show titled "Embracing Diversity: Navigating the Challenges Faced by Minorities in Indonesia" with Witold Lisztwan, a master's student in the Department of Indonesian Studies as the speaker.

This exhibition consists of 7 works, in the form of art performance, art installations, and photography. The work displayed is a representation of art as criticism with a 3-act plot: memory, waterfall of emotions, and death. This memory displays a collection of polaroid photos over five months in various countries, showing various experiences that are fun and worthy of gratitude. However, experiences of discrimination and bullying give rise to a wide spectrum of emotions. Like a catharsis, the scribbled Chinese ink becomes a medium for expressing emotions on a 30-meter roll of paper. Until the resolution, concrete experience leads to reflection, the zeitgeist or "spirit" of the times that there is a decline in Pancasila values in a number of current generations.

Through this exhibition, Angela reveals her personal explorations that go beyond the physical act of 'kerokan' to encompass the intricacies of identity, growth, and cultural exchange. The metaphor has many layers that symbolize the elimination of prejudices, biases, and stereotypes encountered by her, especially regarding gender, race, and beliefs. This aims to foster empathy and understanding between people.

This exhibition is in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in Prague, ITB, Palacky University Olomouc, IISMA, and the Indonesian Students Association (PPI) in Czech. In the process, many parties were involved, starting from the Czech community, the Indonesian Embassy in Prague, and Indonesian citizens living in Prague.

Regarding her first solo exhibition, Angela said, "It's a miracle for this exhibition to happen. In fact, this exhibition was able to run not because of my own efforts, but because of the many 'miracles' that I experienced. The most valuable experience from this exhibition, there were many people who were very caring and kind even though I was at my worst."

After the event, Angela plans to create a follow-up exhibition from Kerokan which talks about home, offering many points of view.

Reporter: M. Naufal Hafizh
Translator: Hanifa Juliana (Urban and Regional Planning, 2020)
Editor: Kezia Hosana