Gemah Ripah Loh Jinawi Mural Decorates Cipinang Rice Market's Wall

PT Food Station Tjipinang Jaya collaborates with several creative groups and artists from Jakarta to beautify the Cipinang Rice Main Market's wall, East Jakarta, with a mural themed 'Gemah Ripah Loh Jinawi', on Friday (8/26 ). The mural was initiated by the Kolaborasi Community, Kolektif Jakarta Art Movement, and Papatong Artspace.

The murals visualize the condition of farmers and families who have access throughout Indonesia and consume decent food, according to the vision of our nation

Gemah Ripah Lo Jinawi is a Javanese expression that in its entirety reads 'Gemah Ripah Loh Jinawi Toto Tentrem Kerto Raharjo'. Gemah Ripah Loh Jinawi means the condition of the people and areas that are fertile and prosperous, while Toto Tentrem Kerto Raharjo describes the state of an area that is orderly, peaceful, prosperous, and has everything in it.

PT Food Station Tjipinang Jaya President Director Pamrihadi Wiraryo said that the artist's works in the form of wall paintings describe the ideals of Food Station to become a pillar of food security and the food producer of options for the community.

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"The murals visualize the condition of farmers and families who have access throughout Indonesia and consume decent food, according to the vision of our nation," he expressed.

Mural Artist Coordinator and also Art Curator Bambang Asrini revealed that a utopia needs to rely on that art must carry a message about the age of 77 years in Indonesia, not just walking in place. The Gemah Ripah Loh Jinawi Community must be realized together through collaboration.

The same statement also came from Papatong Artspace Founder Yeni Fatmawati. According to him, art must be returned to its nature, which is useful for the public and artists work concretely to bring messages at the right moment and location.

“Artists don't just make the atmosphere of a location beautiful, pleasing eyes. However, it carries a deep message about the meaning of independence for the nation. What the community cannot access the food, food sovereignty is just jargon on social media," he stated.

Kolaborasi Community Chairman Sonny Muhammad revealed that the activity of celebrating independence was to imitate the spiritual condition of the founding fathers of the nation. The manifestation was propaganda on the issue of food sovereignty, like what mural artists do.

Another artist Selo Riemulyadi assessed that it was appropriate if the Cipinang Rice Main Market was the "epicenter of the food sovereignty earthquake". If there is a food crisis, the condition of availability will be stable, especially rice. It's in the spirit of the year; Indonesia Pulih dan Bangkit (Indonesia is Recovering and Rising).

Apart from metaphors, the murals also depict concrete evidence of how society, art, and its context are closely related to rice.

"In this case, the artist cares about the issue of food security which has three main schools of thought: availability, accessibility, and consumption patterns that should vary," he explained.

Cipinang Rice Main Market Caretaker Herry Awal Fajar uttered that besides providing adequate food and affordable access for the community, it could also be an open space for people to enjoy entertainment freely.

"The market can be a kind of open space for a friendly, comfortable community, and a place for family gatherings. It can be accessed by anyone, entertains, and becomes a creative space, especially millennials who want to upload it on social media," he stated.

As for the information, this mural painting is divided into two main areas, the outer area of the complex tells about the Jakarta area, as a form of “mini Indonesia” by depicting the visualization of Jakarta icons in an illustrative way.

On the walls of this outer area, art lovers and the public can see the mural painting of the Selamat Datang (Welcome) Statue and the Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) by relating the atmosphere of the cheerful faces of families and a group of farmers and market traders. All images are painted with natural green as the main color as well as pastel shades, without reducing the attractiveness of the mural which glows brightly.

Then in the market wall area, artists act on the walls of the Rice Warehouse, commonly known as the Rice Plant. They drew half-bodied giant farmers, paddy fields, rice fields, and several farmers with decorative figures reminiscent of the traditional clothes of the five regions of the archipelago.