Creative Spotlight: Indonesian Flavors and Stories at Bangkok Design Week 2025 With Top Kolektif
When it comes to food and flavors, Indonesia stores an unlimited number of them, reflecting its rich culinary heritage. The nation’s diverse gastronomy deserves recognition and celebration on a global scale. In support of this effort, design collective Top Kolektif presented an exhibition highlighting pecel lele — a popular Indonesian comfort dish from East Java featuring deep-fried catfish, served with rice, vegetables, and sambal. In this creative spotlight installment, EnVi explores the means of gastronomy and design, and how it intersects in “Expanding Pecel Lele: Catfish Converse.”
Behind “Expanding Pecel Lele: Catfish Converse”
The “Expanding Pecel Lele: Catfish Converse” exhibition was successfully held as part of Bangkok Design Week 2025 from February 15 to 23, 2025, at Apron Bar, Banglamphu District in Bangkok, Thailand. This exhibition presented a multidisciplinary exploration of Indonesian modernity through the culinary experience of pecel lele and broader cultural narratives within the context of design, art, and social interaction.
This initiative was spearheaded by Centre of Excellence Ciptaloka, Telkom University, led by Ahda Yunia Sekar F. The exhibition was in collaboration with Natthaphon Chaiworawat, an artist and lecturer in the Faculty of Architecture, Art, and Design at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand. Additionally, it brought together Telkom University academics with local collective The Basement, creating a cross-cultural collaborative space.
A diverse range of artistic media was showcased, including art prints, zines, film screenings, video art, installations, and happening art. All while serving the pecel lele, where visitors were invited to engage in conversations while enjoying this iconic Indonesian street food. Through this interactive approach, “Expanding Pecel Lele: Catfish Converse” was not just an art and design exhibition but also a social experiment that sparked discussions on urban development, vernacular design, and the relationship between food and cultural identity.
The exhibition attracted a wide audience, including many Indonesians living and working in Bangkok, who attended to reconnect with the flavors of their homeland through pecel lele. Additionally, many local visitors appreciated the taste of the sambal served along with the dish, which reminded them of familiar Thai flavors.
Participation in Bangkok Design Week 2025 marked a strategic step for Telkom University in expanding its academic and artistic network on a global scale. This exhibition served as a platform for a broader exchange of ideas between creative communities in Indonesia and Thailand while introducing fresh perspectives on contemporary cultural dynamics in Southeast Asia.
Where Vernacular Culture Comes In
“Vernacular culture is never static. It shifts, adapts, and reinvents itself in response to the changing rhythms of urban life. Expanding Pecel Lele, an exhibition that extends beyond the physical stall, reimagines this dynamic process as a broader artistic dialogue,” Ganjar Gumilar, art director of “Expanding Pecel Lele: Catfish Converse,” explained. This idea took center stage in the exhibition bringing together artists, designers, and writers from Indonesia and Thailand. Through this collaboration, the exhibition explored how everyday vernacular elements transform when placed in new environments, challenging conventional understandings of tradition and cultural identity.
At its core, the project pushes against the notion that vernacular practice is a fixed heritage. Instead, it’s presented as a fluid, evolving language shaped by imitation, improvisation, and necessity. What is often dismissed as mundane — street signage, craft, or local design adaptations — emerges as a site of ingenuity. Across diverse artistic mediums such as graphic design, illustration, video performance, contemporary batik, and installation art, the exhibition captured the dynamic interplay between tradition and transformation.
More than a mere showcase of works, “Expanding Pecel Lele: Catfish Converse” was an evolving dialogue. The exhibition space was designed not just for passive observation but for active participation, encouraging visitors to engage with the artworks and question their own perceptions of vernacular aesthetics. It challenged audiences to reflect on what is preserved, what is altered, and what is reimagined when cultural elements shift contexts.
By presenting these perspectives, “Expanding Pecel Lele: Catfish Converse” invited attendees to reconsider the ways in which vernacular culture is mediated and sustained. Beyond its status quo as an exhibition, it was a conversation about adaptation, reinvention, and the ongoing evolution of cultural identity in an ever-changing world.
Hopes for The Future of Indonesia’s Gastronomic Landscape
“It is hoped that Indonesian cuisine will receive greater appreciation on the international stage, not only as food but also as a rich and dynamic cultural identity. This exhibition aims to open opportunities for collaboration between creative professionals, including designers and culinary practitioners, while also promoting cultural diplomacy on a global scale,” leader of the exhibition, Ahda Yunia Sekar F. expressed, in hopes that cultural and gastronomic diplomacy will be celebrated in Indonesia and beyond.
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