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Before Twitter, Facebook and text messaging, there was the postcard — a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard that one could write short messages on the back of and mail without an envelope. And on the front were pictures of practically anything, from famous works of art to exotic locales.

With the advent of instantaneous forms of communication in Indonesia, however, postcards have fallen by the wayside. Devotees of this old-fashioned way of keeping in touch have dwindled in number and postcards have become more of a novelty item than a regular form of correspondence.

An ongoing art exhibition celebrates the history of the postcard, while at the same time trying to revive interest in what is seen as a more personal form of communication than faceless e-mails and instant messages.

About 100 artists using various mediums — photography, drawing, painting and graphic design — have joined forces for “Art on Poskart, a Poskart Project,” which opened on July 10 at Ruangrupa. The artists focused their creative energies on small, postcard-size spaces, with the largest canvas coming in at a diminutive 19 centimeters- by 14 centimeters.

“For years, a postcard was one of the sole forms of communication between parties,” said Pauline Tannos, one of the event’s organizers. “Sadly, postcards are now considered antique in a world filled with e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook.”

Pauline is part of Ruangrupa, a nonprofit that supports the progress of art within the urban context. The group is know for its affinity for non-traditional artwork. The exhibition is part of its 10th anniversary celebrations.

“The reason why I participated in this exhibition was because I think postcards are no longer used as they are supposed to,” said Hauritsa, one of the artists.

He used scanned and captured images to deliver his message. “I want to tell people that there are many things going on in the world, but there are also many choices,” he said. “If one choice fails, there’s still another one.”

In his postcard, “Ah Tapi Saya Berjanji Tidak Akan” (“But I Promise I Won’t Do It”), Hauritsa fills a piece of white paper with five sentences saying the same thing: “Saya berjanji tidak akan mencintaimu” (“I promise I won’t love you”).

Artist Rebecca Theodora said this exhibition reminded her of how postcards meant something to people in the past.

“We were often amused by the beautiful and unique pictures on postcards,” she said.

Rebecca used drawings for her postcard designs. One of her favorites is “Durga,” a reimagining of herself as the Indian goddess Durga, who is considered invincible. She said Durga symbolized a superpower that defeats injustice, evil and disease.

“I wish I could be as powerful as this character,” she said.

Elizabeth Hedytia Nimas, another artist taking part in the exhibition, shared her take on sending postcards.

“A postcard sent to someone you love can even be as romantic as a love letter,” she said, adding that there was something honest and naive about sending a postcard to express one’s feelings.

With her postcard “Wish You Were Here,” Elizabeth said she wanted to express the sense of honesty she associates with sending postcards. In it, she depicts a shirtless, tattooed man sleeping.

“The postcard is intended to be sent to people we think about a lot, but who are not here beside us,” she said.

To produce her postcards, Elizabeth used spur-of-the-moment photography, capturing objects with no script or direction.

Rebecca said she hoped the artworks could someday be used as real postcards.

“And through this exhibition, I hope people will remember again the beauty of postcards,” she said.


‘Art on Poskart, A Poskart Project’
By various artists
Organized by Ruangrupa
July 10-25
Monday to Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed on Sunday

Ruangrupa
Jalan Tebet Timur Dalam Raya No. 6
South Jakarta
Tel: 021 8304220
www.ruangrupa.org