Stepping into Alaya Kala feels less like entering a conventional exhibition and more like being welcomed into the private home of an art collector. Sculptures are not presented as distant objects, isolated on stark pedestals. Instead, they inhabit the room naturally, among furniture, greenery, architectural details and pools of light, as though they have long belonged there.
This intimate atmosphere lies at the heart of the collaborative exhibition, which brings together sculptor Adi Gunawan and SANKHARA Art with Quatro Design Studio, Theory of Living and POLA Studio. Each collaborator contributes a different layer, creating a thoughtful encounter between contemporary art, interior design, nature and Indonesia’s cultural heritage.
Derived from Sanskrit, alaya means shelter, while kala signifies time. Together, the words describe a place that holds journeys, memories and traces of the past. The concept resonates deeply with Gunawan’s artistic practice, shaped by his upbringing in Yogyakarta and his continuing exploration of human gestures, relationships and emotions.
Designed by Quatro Design Studio, the exhibition takes the traditional Javanese joglo house as its point of departure. Rather than reproducing its architecture literally, the designers reinterpret its essence through a contemporary spatial language. The four soko guru—the principal columns at the heart of a joglo, create a symbolic centre, while woven details introduce texture and craftsmanship. These elements bring warmth and rhythm to the space, gently connecting Adi’s sculptures to the cultural landscape from which they emerged.
The experience unfolds almost like a visit to someone’s home. Visitors move through composed scenes where art is encountered beside a chair, across a table or framed by foliage. Furniture by Theory of Living helps establish this domestic quality. Adaptable and understated, each piece supports the artworks without competing for attention, demonstrating how sculpture and furniture can coexist as part of everyday life.
Botanical and floral arrangements by POLA Studio soften the interior further. Their presence reflects the close relationship between the traditional Javanese home and the natural world, while symbolising growth, change and the passage of time.
Guiding the collaboration is SANKHARA Art, a contemporary art-management platform founded in 2023 and built upon the legacy of ANDIs Gallery, established in 1990. Through its philosophy, Crafting Art, Curating Spaces, SANKHARA Art believes that an artwork begins a new life when it leaves the studio and encounters space, light, people and conversation.