Komunitas Salihara Arts Center is Indonesia’s first private cultural complex dedicated to promoting expressive activities in various genres, including music, dance, theater, literature, and visual arts. It began with Komunitas Utan Kayu, an organization founded in 1995 for artistic, intellectual and political under the military regime, and was established in the capital city of Jakarta in August 2008 with the support of artists, writers, intellectuals, and journalists. The center is named after the street where it is, Jalan Salihara (Salihara Street), whereas “salihara” is the name of a flower from Verbenaceae family.

The Center’s mission is to promote artistic endeavors that uphold freedom of thought and expression, respect diversity, and nurture artistic and intellectual resources. To achieve this, the organization supports experimental programs with a long-term perspective and aims to cultivate a critical eye among its audiences.

The 3,800-square-meter center includes an indoor black box theater, dance and music studios, an art gallery, a store and a café. It hosts a wide range of events, including theater and dance performances, music concerts, exhibitions, literary readings, discussions. More than 100 programs are organized annually, including workshops and lectures.

While many events are held in partnership with other private and semi-governmental institutions in Indonesia and abroad, the center also organizes its own festivals. Notable festivals include an international festival of performing arts, a forum of outstanding theatrical productions, a mini festival of new choreographies that revisit dance traditions, a literature and ideas festival featuring contemporary writers, a jazz forum with top-notch players, and a forum of contemporary music from different genres.

The Salihara Arts Center is known for its open inclusion of young talent and its interdisciplinary approach to the arts. One innovative initiative involved performing a contemporary dance based on traditional martial art in the gallery, integrating the performance into the artwork itself. By responding to various artistic trends, the center discovers innovative ideas and new talents, making it easy for audiences to find what they search for.

Nirwan Dewanto (poet and essayist, Salihara’s Lead Curator & Program Director) emphasized, “Focusing on the program, we think of various ways to communicate with the community while critically engage with the artists’ experimental aspirations. By working closely together, we can foster greater freedom of expression and put to the fore new talents.”

Jason Mountario, a young jazz musician who has performed at the center added, “We are free to do whatever we want. We have a responsibility to respond to that freedom.”