Pasar Seni ITB 2014

Last Friday I flew to Jakarta with the last flight and departed to Bandung with the earliest shuttle bus on Saturday morning. I miss Bandung, an expected cliché from people who used to live, love and leave their heart in the city. The problem is that we don’t only miss Bandung, we also miss those golden moments, the younger version of ourselves and our old pieces of support system which are somewhere else, probably as busy and worn out as we are.

Pasar Seni ITB, quadrennial art market and local event held at Institut Teknologi Bandung by Faculty of Fine Art and Design seems to have always been good idea for a rendezvous. “Are you coming to Pasar Seni? Let’s meet up there!” If somebody who was not a Pasar Seni first timer said something like this, she/he simply didn’t miss you that much. She/he possibly just wanted a glimpse of the past.

We all knew that Pasar Seni ITB would never ever be either less than full or fantastic. Pasar Seni ITB 2014 kept the record. The publication, the teaser, and even a mobile application called “Mata-Mata Pasar Seni” let us know what to expect. I loved the T-rex made with metal plates near the entrance gate which might have been more magnificent if I could come closer without disturbing people posing around it.

No I wasn’t complaining, I surely expected the crowd, the great decoration, gigantic installations and the cool booths. It was people everywhere, every direction, coming for art by their own definition. Art, people, and the art of getting along with people. And stuck with them for hours while queuing for official merchandise. What I didn’t expect was the rain. Another thing that I didn’t expect was 3 times raining and the seller booths those had not anticipated the rain. When rain fell, things got messy and getting along with people became more like… art.

Well, Let’s meet up there, again, 4 years from now :)