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If the people won’t come to the art, bring the art to the people. And in Jakarta, where do you find people at their leisure and ready to spend money except in a mall?

That is the concept behind the Reach Art Project Act One, which opened on Thursday at Plaza Indonesia, the first in a series of exhibitions organized by Edwin’s Gallery. The three-month project comes in four acts, with the curators Kevin Aditya Rahardjo, Agung Hujatnikajennong, Rifky Effendy and Asmudjo Irianto taking successive turns at trying to connect with the general public as they bustle about their daily lives­.

“The domain of art is usually in galleries and museums,” said Kevin, curator of Act One. “There’s nothing wrong with that but those are not familiar places. They’re too exclusive, too aloof. With this project, we’re trying to reach a wider demographic and hope the public reaches out to us in return.”

There’s nothing new in bringing art to the masses. In many of the world’s big cities, you can’t turn a street corner without a abstract in steel and concrete looming over you, and no self-respecting corporate lobby is complete without a three-story mural in gold, gauze and glass. But in traffic-choked Jakarta, with its offices out of view behind barbed wire and security details, it’s only the grand shopping palaces that offer a flow of people stopping and staring.

Act One features nine local artists and one international artist whose contemporary sculptures and paintings are displayed in a transparent glass gallery in the new retail section of the upmarket mall. The steel sculptures of Redy Rahadian, an independent artist from Bandung, decorate the gallery’s whiteness.

“I’m interested in this concept because of the space. This is more exposed,” Redy said. “For people who aren’t familiar with the art scene, with the galleries in Kemang, it’s pretty closed in. Galleries in malls, on the other hand, can interact with people.”

The other exhibitors are Awan P. Simatupang, Ayu Arista Murti, Bunga Jeruk, Gusmen Heriadi, Rieswandi, Sigit Santoso, Taufik and Tommy Wondra, as well as Yi Hwan Kwon, a young artist from Korea. Each has an individual approach to art that catches the viewer’s eye with a distinctive style that is well appreciated by Edwin Rahardjo, of Edwin’s Gallery.

“Tommy is very mysterious because he never speaks his mind and we have to grasp our understanding of his art ourselves,” Edwin said. “Rieswandi is more personal. Taufik is a very innovative young artist. He wants to know everything, learn everything because he has wild ideas.”

One of the works, Sigit’s oil-on-canvas painting, depicts a priest who has fallen from grace, in shades of black against a glaring red background. A red lipstick mark is clearly visible on the clergyman’s cheek. It is aptly named “Forgive Me, Father!”

“Sigit is naughty,” Edwin said. “He’s an intellectual. His statements always tickle.”

But don’t assume that the setting means that the display focuses on pop or easily accessible art. Despite their differences in expression, these artists all create work with depth, primarily for themselves.

“These are not works made for public approval. [The artists] do the work because they like it and not because people like it,” Edwin said. “Our public isn’t used to fine art, unlike in Europe. The tradition of visiting galleries and museums in Indonesia doesn’t exist. So we’re going to them and saying, ‘This is art.’ ”

The collection of post-modern and contemporary art is geared at drawing in a younger demographic and audience.

“I’m not from the art world but I’m from the generation that is starting to appreciate art,” said Christian Rijanto, who is helping promote the project. “This exhibition may work for some and not for others, but someone has to introduce them to art and expose them.”

A crowd of youngsters at the exhibition opening included 20-year-old Cecilia Djainal, who said she may not be inclined to go to a gallery but believed the concept of making art approachable through mall exhibitions could work. “If people are window shopping and they see an interesting painting, they may take interest and go in,” she said.

Art consultant Hudy Sunarnoko agreed: “It’s a very good concept because it’s the easiest shortcut. People don’t have to go to a gallery. They go to a mall, where everything happens. It makes access easier. I think the public will respond, especially the young because [the mall] is their culture.”

Ni Luh Sekar, editor in chief of Dewi magazine, a media partner of the project, said: “Art is a part of lifestyle and it’s important that it’s not elitist but can be appreciated by all. Like fashion, art has no boundaries.”

Reaching out, in this case, though, does not necessarily mean the art displayed is affordable to everyone. Edwin said the locale of the exhibition means they would be reaching a higher income tier of consumers. The prices for the majority of the pieces in all four shows will be less than Rp 100 million ($9,800), said Kevin, the curator. The lowest-priced piece in Act One is a painting by Taufik for Rp 17 million, with a piece by Yi the most expensive at $55,000.

“The concept of the Reach Art Project is that we believe art is universal,” Kevin said. “So anyone from anywhere and from any background can absorb anything about art. Anyone can understand art in their own different ways and have their own interpretations.”