Unserious Series 1, Food for Thought: When Art and Food Resonate
Art exhibitions are often presented with curatorial texts that feel dense and distant. The question is, how can an exhibition bridge the gap between artwork and audience in a simple way? Unserious Series #1: Food for Thought at D’Gallerie takes a different approach, breaking away from the rigid impression of exhibitions through a universal allegory: food.
Running from March 7 to April 18, 2026, this exhibition marks D’Gallerie’s first program of the year and the opening edition of a new exhibition series titled Unserious Series. Notably, the works on display come from an open call, meaning many fresh works from emerging names in the art scene are presented.
The chosen theme for this first edition is food. However, food here is not treated as an aesthetic object or a source of nostalgia, but as a way of thinking. Curator Wina Luthfiyya structures the exhibition around a concrete premise: the process behind a dish is often overlooked because what appears on the table is only the final result. According to her, the same applies to visual art.
“As food undergoes preparation before arriving at the table, artworks pass through processes of transformation and evaluation before they can be seen. This exhibition invites us to reflect on what we consume visually and culturally,” Wina explains.
From this premise, the exhibition is structured into six sections arranged like a complete menu: Ingredient, Appetizer, Main Course, Dessert, Plating, and Aftertaste. Each section traces a stage of artistic transformation, from material and process, through questions of consumption, class, and the economy of art, to presentation and what lingers afterward.
This structure is not merely a playful use of culinary terms. In the curatorial text, Wina explains that Food for Thought operates on two levels: reading artistic practice as a process of transforming raw materials into form, and positioning consumption as a lens through which meaning and value are produced and received.
The exhibition features 40 artists, a substantial number for a single gallery space. Established and emerging names coexist as part of the curatorial intention to bring different voices into one shared conversation. Among them are Ade Ardhana, Ainur Kaheqsi, Alexandra Tuit, Alodia Yap, Amran Rizky, Aphrodita Wibowo, Diandra Lamees, Dimas Hussein Habibullah, Era Premakara, Eunice Nuh Tantero, Friski Jayantoro, Gitta Amelia, Ho Bin Kim, Ibob Hariyatmoko, I Gede Sukarya, I Gusti Ngurah Agung Dalem Diatmika, Ipang Cahyo, Jayanto Tan, Josh Gondo, Kevin Ple Aditya, Leka Putra, Mahendra Pam Pam, Mandy CJ, Michelle Sutanto, Miranda, Morris Hork, Mulyana (Mangmoel), Mukhammad Syaifullah, Nadhief Ashr, Naufal Abshar, Ricky Wahyudi, Sifa Adni Qolby, Sillyndris, Suyatno, Syagini Ratna Wulan, Veronica Liana, Widi Wardani Purnama, WISMA, Yosua Reydo Respati, and Youngsook Park.
D’Gallerie itself was established in 2001 and has passed through three generations of leadership. Since 2006, the gallery has shifted toward contemporary art practices, gradually expanding its space to accommodate more experimental media and younger artists. The Unserious Series is part of this spirit, an annual platform open in both format and tone, where works can be light, personal, surprising, or quietly serious.
The name “Unserious” itself reads as a statement. It reflects a belief that contemporary art should feel accessible, and that openness toward audiences is a value worth sustaining.
Unserious Series #1: Food for Thought remains on view until April 18, 2026 at D’Gallerie, located at Jl. Barito I No. 3, South Jakarta.
