Macet: Nurturing Story
Congestion we face in life
By Fajar Abadi
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Kurt D. Peterson, installation view of ‘Macet’, 2024. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.
A traffic jam is a rich metaphor in a world that moves ever faster. The solo exhibition ‘Macet’ by Kurt D. Peterson presents an in-depth exploration of the various forms of congestion we experience daily. Traffic jams are not just about halted vehicle flow or physical roadblocks; Kurt views them as a complex fable that tells of the deadlock in human thoughts, feelings, and spirituality.
Kurt D. Peterson, ‘Time & Tension’, 2024, keruing wood, etched mirror and modified plastic toy carriage, 29 x 57 cm. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.
Kurt D. Peterson, ‘Thirteen Wild Dogs’, 2024, teak wood and wood stain 13 pieces, each approx. 6 x 9 x 1 cm. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.
As a contemporary folk artist, Kurt works with stories he absorbs from daily life in Jakarta, where traffic jams are a significant part of everyday existence. Kurt also works with toys, found objects, and items that can nurture the imagination, emanate stories, or even start a legend. For Kurt, there is magic in simplicity. Observing Kurt's artistic practice, it seems as if he is nurturing and preserving history.
Kurt D. Peterson, ‘Fallen’, 2021, charcoalized fallen willow and broken mirror, 179 x 34 x 88 cm. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.
“Traffic jams are not just about halted vehicle flow or physical roadblocks; Kurt views them as a complex fable that tells of the deadlock in human thoughts, feelings, and spirituality.”
Kurt's journey in exploring macet began one day in 2017, when he was stuck in a traffic jam in Jakarta, leading him to contemplation. Kurt narrated this in a poem titled ‘Macet’ (Morning Poem for Jakarta). This poem captures all aspects of the atmosphere and what he felt at that moment: the piling noise, the motion, the economic and cultural forces driving the congestion, ideological undertones, and reflections on choice and destiny. In that traffic jam, Kurt tried to measure the distance between memories and familiarity, the push and pull of the crowd, hiding in memories and blurring the connection between present existence and history.
Kurt D. Peterson, ‘Bebeks’, 2024 clothes hanger, cable ties, clothes pin and kite string 9 pieces, each approx. 29 x 29 cm. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.
It is possible to become stuck in the traffic of memories, especially if they are fragmented and swapped due to poor storage or have grown into beliefs. They can be errors hiding in similarity and coincidence. Memory can become a trap, especially when there is an attachment to it for a long enough time to ferment, like history. Sweet, sour, bitterly tempting, aromas so flavorful they seem like truth, intoxicating like faith. Then comes knowledge that brings new stories which may shatter the image already believed. When that memory breaks, knowledge becomes frightening. When that memory breaks, does history crumble with it?
How do we nurture stories?
This is an excerpt of Fajar Abadi’s essay, published on the occasion of Kurt D. Peterson’s solo exhibition ‘Macet’. The exhibition is on view from 8 June to 27 July 2024 at Art Agenda, Jakarta. To read the full essay, please visit artagendasea.org.
To read other writings from the Excerpts series, click here.
About the Writer
Fajar Abadi (b. 1985) is an artist and curator based in Bandung, Indonesia. He has exhibited with Galeri Nasional, MOTOMOTO Museum (2019), ARTJOG, Lawangwangi Creative Space (2018), Goethe Institute, Bandung and Mori Art Museum (2017).
