Obama Permits Becak's Mall Entrance

OBAMA PERMITS BECAK'S MALL ENTRANCE. Thanks to Obama, this might be the first time Plaza Indonesia let a becak (human pedaled rickshaw) enter their perimeter. The object is furthermore baptized as an "Indonesian traditional icon" to be juxtaposed with Obama, the "international icon", a theme that underlie the celebration of Plaza Indonesia 20th anniversary art festival. This 2009 Wilman Syahnur's piece was originally placed at Tugu Station, it was transported from Yogyakarta to Jakarta, undergoing inevitable multi-layered exoticism. Little Obama spent little of his elementary school years in Jakarta, the main reason behind the existence of his statue, once situated in Menteng. But before the man himself finally set his feet again to the capital, scheduled to take place on March 20th-21st, a resin version of him has arrived on a becak to the location. Becak, an "Indonesian traditional icon", which has been eradicated from Jakarta streets over than ten years ago, had been given no chance to be introduced to today's mall culture, let alone entering one of them. Ardi Yunanto | Maret 2010