Exploration Of Shadows And Light In “Bayangan Benda & Jejak Cahaya”
Capturing something through analog processes tends to create a more memorable experience. This can be seen through kohesi initiatives and Ruang MES 56, who collaborated for their cyanotype workshop Bayangan Beanda & Jejak Cahaya (Shadows of Objects & Traces of Lights).
About the Collaborators
kohesi initiatives is an Indonesian-based contemporary art gallery. The gallery is committed to supporting and presenting its artists’ works, which span a diverse range of media and genres. It also encourages exploration of the artists’ practice in both conceptual and contextual interpretation with a balanced aesthetic consideration. As an artist-first gallery, kohesi strives to achieve its vision by consistently holding quality exhibitions and artist-focused projects, all while actively seeking the opportunity to work with institutions globally to enrich and benefit artists.
Ruang MES 56 was founded in 2002 in Yogyakarta as an artist collective that collaborates with its community and networks to run a shared house, which functions as an exhibition space, studio, learning environment, playground, and living space. Since its founding, the collective has focused on developing photography and contemporary art practices that critically and contextually engage with other disciplines, while promoting an open, creative, and independent society. Ruang MES 56 created Afdruk 56 in 2017 as a response to the increasing dominance of digital technology in photographic printing. In its practice as an analog printing laboratory, Afdruk 56 not only produces prints, but also is actively building an archive around the history of photography in Indonesia.
Showcasing Through Art: The Art Jakarta Papers 2026
Art Jakarta Papers, part of the annual Art Jakarta fairs, focuses on paper as an artistic medium. This new exhibition highlights the many ways paper is explored within contemporary art practices, presenting works that range from drawings and prints to sculptures and installations. Extending beyond the exhibition floor, Art Jakarta Papers also aims to nurture a dynamic market for paper-based contemporary art in Indonesia and across the region.
At Art Jakarta Papers 2026, kohesi initiatives collaborates with Ruang MES 56 to present Bayangan Benda & Jejak Cahaya, a short participatory workshop introducing visitors to cyanotype photogram, a camera-less analog photographic process.
The workshop invites visitors to take part directly in making images rather than only viewing artworks. In sessions lasting approximately 15 to 20 minutes, participants have a chance to create an A4-sized cyanotype print using small everyday objects they bring with them — such as keys, leaves, paper clips, eyeglasses, or toys. These objects are arranged on light-sensitive paper, exposed, and processed to produce a blue-toned photogram that participants can take home.
Each session is facilitated by Afdruk 56, a division of Ruang MES 56 focused on analog photography practices. Facilitators guide participants through the basic steps of the process while introducing the principles of cyanotype and photogram techniques.
On Cyanotype’s Physical Presence
Cyanotype photogram is chosen for its directness and simplicity. Unlike digital photography, which relies on cameras and screens, this method records the physical presence of objects through contact and light. The resulting images function as visual traces of everyday things, turning ordinary objects into personal records or small keepsakes.
Bayangan Benda & Jejak Cahaya offers a hands-on encounter with photographic making, and opens space for simple creative exploration within the art fair environment. Visitors are encouraged not only to observe, but to also experience the act of producing an image and leaving with a work shaped by their own selection of objects.
Check out the workshop’s Instagram page to see more details. See you at Bayangan Benda & Jejak Cahaya!
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