Jakarta, IO – Syska Liana, affectionately known as Syska La Veggie, opened a traditional herbal drinks (jamu) shop. But unlike the average sellers, this artist from Sidoarjo uses personal protective equipment (PPE) when dispensing herbal medicine for visitors at the GoetheHaus Foyer, Jakarta, Tuesday (1/8).
The role of selling herbal medicine is part of Syska’s art performance in the mix media exhibition titled “Jamu Ngatiyem”. At the stall, several boxes of herbs made from turmeric, kencur (galanga), and temulawak (Javanese ginger) are lined up along with their accompaniments, such as honey, ginseng wine, lime juice, and eucalyptus candy.
Visitors lining up in front of the shop are asked to choose one of the seven variants of jamu that have colorful brand names containing social criticism, such as “Jamu Tolak Rasisme”, “Jamu Galian Demokrasi”, “Jamu Tuntas Patriarki” and “Jamu Anti Korupsi.“
“These five variants are the result of a six-week residency program in Yogyakarta, together with Mes Room 56 and Cemeti-Institute for Art and Society, with the theme of 25 years of reform at that time,” Syska told the Independent Observer, Tuesday (1/8).
For this series of exhibitions with the theme of post-Covid-19 women’s revival, Syska presents two new herbal medicine variants, namely “Jamu Pegal Insecure” and “Jamu Resik Hoax”.