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For more than a decade, Mpe and his buddies have been beating the rush-hour traffic by hanging out at Cikini train station in Menteng after work, eating and talking about art. But everything changed in 2004 after several of them documented their experiences as tsunami relief volunteers in Aceh and they decided to make use of an empty wall at the Central Jakarta station to open a ‘gallery.’ Mpe talks to us about the challenges of running a 24-hour art gallery, the support he and his friends have received from other artists and how they plan to show both the ‘good and bad’ sides of the train company.    

How long have you been working at the gallery?

I’ve been working here since 2004, when the gallery was officially created. We’ve used the train station as a spot to hang out since the 1990s. We all met because we used to eat at the same warung at the station and we realized that we all had similar art-related interests and hobbies.

Our first exhibition featured photos that we took while doing tsunami relief work in Aceh, and that’s how the gallery started. That first show was done on the sidewalk, with the photos placed on the ground. We put the pictures on the sidewalk because people in Aceh were suffering, and we wanted people in Jakarta to know about this.

And where do you work outside of the gallery?

I work as a cameraman at a movie production house.

Cool. So what’s your favorite Indonesian movie?

“Cut Nyak Dhien.” It’s about one of our heroes.

And what are your favorite galleries here in Jakarta?

IKJ on Cik Ditiro and Salihara near Pasar Minggu.

Is it cool if I display some of my work here? How would I do that?

Well, this is a public space, so you can do anything. We have a wall at the station that we can use for displaying work because we have permission from the head of the station. We’ve gotten a really great response from all the different kinds of people who come through the station.

We have a rule that photos on display should not be related to politics, religion or race, and we don’t allow sponsors. This is a casual place and everyone is welcome to join.

What’s the one thing you’d most like to change in Jakarta?

I’d like to deal with the problem of kids living on the street.

I saw on the gallery’s Facebook page that you offer classes in photography, English and writing. How do I sign up for a workshop?

Just send us a message on Facebook or call us. We’ll ask for your contact information and then we’ll let you know when you can join.

We limit each workshop session to 30 people and right now all of our workshops are full through November, but we maintain a waiting list.

Most attendees are adults, but we also have special workshops for children, like painting and English.

You’ve got an exhibition at the gallery from Sept. 23 to 27. Tell me about that.

The exhibition is going to focus on the anniversary of the Jakarta train company. The station management wants the pictures to look good for them, but we also want to show the lack of services. So right now we are still talking with the management about the show. In the end I think we’ll show the good and the bad.

One time before an exhibition we invited lots of famous Indonesian photographers to put their photos on our gallery wall, but not a single person replied. But after [the gallery] received considerable media attention, they all wanted to be included. There was no space left on the wall, so we told them we could only put their photos on the ground. We treat all artists equally, and now we have the support of some famous photographers.

I hear that the gallery will beopen 24 hours during the September exhibition.

Yes, the gallery is open 24 hours for all exhibitions. It’s in a public space, and we leave the work up at night, so some of us will sleep here to make sure the photos aren’t stolen.

Sometimes late at night, maybe around 3 a.m., there are certain women working in this neighborhood who come to the gallery and take interest in the artworks.

How do you cover the costs for maintaining the gallery?

We use keranjang manajemen . We have a basket that we use to ask for donations from people. And if someone purchases a piece of work from the gallery, a certain amount from the sale will be used for the gallery’s operating costs. We also ask participants to donate Rp 10,000 at each workshop.

Do you receive any support from the local government? Fauzi Bowo lives near here, has he ever come for a visit?

No. Our support comes from the people in this neighborhood, and we also have support from other artist communities, like Atap Alis and the beat-boxing community.

So where’s the best place to eat at Cikini train station?

Siomay Cikini, in the middle of the ground floor. And one more, Bubur Cikini. At night go to Nasi Uduk Cikini, across the street from the station.