A visual tapestry that transforms metropolitan flora into a poetic story of light, memory, and lingering traces within a contemporary space

Contemporary artist Angki Purbandono presents his solo exhibition Berbunga-bunga at SAL Project in Jakarta. Running from February 7 to April 5, 2026, the exhibition continues his long exploration of scanography, a medium he has consistently developed since the mid-2000s.

Known as one of the pioneers of scanography in Indonesia, Angki began his career in photography before shifting to the flatbed scanner as his primary artistic tool. Over time, he transformed the scanner into more than a technical device, turning it into a distinctive medium for artistic expression.

In Berbunga-bunga, Angki presents 108 panels featuring 73 species of urban flowers. Displayed in lightbox format, the works give the impression that the flowers are breathing and alive. In contrast to his 2018 exhibition Flower Power at Mizuma Gallery in Singapore, which emphasized visual intensity and energy, this exhibition takes a more contemplative approach. Here, flowers are not treated merely as aesthetic objects but as part of an effort to create an archive of the city through the scanner.

With precise, frontal detail, Angki builds an intimate relationship between light and subject. The vivid colors produced through the scanning process evoke an urban landscape filled with artificial lights and illuminated billboards, subtly reflecting the rhythm and atmosphere of city life.

Beyond its visual dimension, the exhibition is rooted in Angki’s personal spiritual experience of praying for his late parents at their gravesite. Within this context, flowers become a bridge between memory and presence, between grief and the celebration of life. Each scanned flower captures a quiet and sacred moment, a space where prayer, love, and remembrance come together.

For more than two decades, Angki Purbandono has contributed significantly to the development of contemporary art in Indonesia. Through Berbunga-bunga, he reaffirms how a simple medium such as a scanner can serve as a powerful instrument for documentation, spiritual reflection, and storytelling about the rich natural and cultural landscape of the archipelago.

photo source: instagram.com/_sal_project

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