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The world has become fast-paced, flexible and mobile, and at the same time more diverse.

Nowadays, mixed-ethnicity couples are a familiar sight in many countries. But despite the saying “love knows no bounds,” those couples often have to overcome more challenges than others because it takes time to get to know each other’s different backgrounds and cultures. In Indonesia especially, these couples can face difficulties if they are of different faiths.

‘I & I,’ a new exhibition at Dutch cultural center Erasmus Huis in South Jakarta on display until March 9, puts mixed couples in the spotlight. A collaborative work between Dutch visual artist Su Tomesen and Indonesian visual artist Teguh Hartono, the exhibit presents photographs of couples, sometimes families, that were taken by Su and then transformed into artwork by Teguh.

Ton van Zeeland, the director of Erasmus Huis, writes in the foreword of the exhibition’s catalog that mixed couples have to work harder on their relationships.

“[They] have to put more energy in their relationship,” van Zeeland said. “Every day, there are new challenges because their different backgrounds make them think and act in a specific way.

“What makes this exhibition so special is the fine combination of the beautiful special printing of the images, and the information we get [about the couples],” he added.

As a mixed couple themselves who have gone through similar experiences, Su and Teguh were able to approach the subject matter with sensitivity.

The exhibition features 25 artworks, and each couple tells their story in a short note.

Willem, for instance, was born in 1938 in Bandung to a Dutch father and a Sundanese mother. In 1950, the family moved to the Netherlands, and Willem didn’t return to his mother’s homeland for 35 years. When he finally did, he quickly decided to visit Indonesia on a regular basis, learned the language and made many new friends. Willem eventually settled down in Yogyakarta in 1997.

“A year later, I looked out of the window of my place on Jalan Bantul, and saw a girl passing,” he remembers. That girl, Samiyati, became his wife. The couple has two daughters.

While Samiyati and Willem’s relationship appears to be secure, Silvia and Eka worry about their future.

The Italian woman and the Indonesian man from Sulawesi first met in Jakarta in October last year. She was teaching Italian and he was doing an internship at IFI, the French cultural center. The couple is in a long-distance relationship, but their feelings for each other are too strong to simply give up.

“We will try hard to stay together,” said Silvia.

She studied Indonesian and Japanese in Italy and plans to go to Japan this month so that at least they will both be in Asia again. And because Eka speaks both Italian and French, he is thinking about moving to Europe in the near future to continue his studies.

It is the stories behind the portraits that are most intriguing: How the couples met, how they feel about each other, and what challenges they had — or still have — to overcome.

One of the visually strongest pieces in the exhibition is the portrait of the artists themselves. It shows them in a tight embrace: Teguh has a proud expression on his face, while Su smiles tenderly into the camera. It seems that this couple is making a statement to the world: differences might be challenging for an interracial couple, but you can overcome them and be as happy and joyous as anybody else.

Su and Teguh also photographed Indonesian couples in which the partners come from different ethnic backgrounds.

Gisela and Ignas met when they were studying at Universitas Negeri in Yogyakarta. Their love is still new and fresh — they have been dating for several months now — and they show great openness towards one another. Gisela, who is Catholic and originally from Flores, respects that Ignas, a Muslim from Java, fasts during Ramadan.

Ignas, on the other hand, gladly goes with his girlfriend to church on Sundays and waits until the service is done.

“We spend every minute together,” they said. They are lucky — none of their parents object to their relationship.

It is an exhibition that lifts one’s spirits. The couples shown here have either found their happy ending already, or it seems they are on their way there.

But it also shows visitors a glimpse of things to come: In the future, more and more mixed couples are likely to take center stage as the world comes closer together. It’s about time, too, because mixed couples can, maybe better than anyone else, promote mutual understanding, trust and love.

I & I
Visual art exhibition by Su Tomesen and Teguh Hartono
Until Friday, March 9
Erasmus Huis,
Jl. HR Rasuna
Said Kav. S-3,
Kuningan,
South Jakarta
Tel. 021 524 1069