BRI Jazz Gunung 2026 Presents Visual Art Exhibition BROMO: A Landscape of Signs

The commitment of Jazz Gunung Indonesia in carrying the spirit of beyond jazz in every event increasingly emphasizes that this festival is not merely a one-night musical entertainment stage. Entering the full week-long series of BRI Jazz Gunung Bromo 2026, which will take place from July 18 to July 25, 2026, the dimension of the festival’s space for appreciation is radically expanded through a multidisciplinary marriage of arts.

One of the crucial pillars presented to enrich the sensibilities of the Jamaah Al-Jazziyah this year is an exclusive art exhibition space. Serving as a visual bridge that challenges visitors’ depth of thought, here is the official curatorial release regarding the exhibition written directly by the curator, Mikke Susanto:

VISUAL ART EXHIBITION

BROMO: A LANDSCAPE OF SIGNS

Jiwa Jawa Resort Bromo, July 18 – August 31, 2026

The fine art exhibition “Bromo: A Landscape of Signs” stems from the understanding that Mount Bromo transcends a volcanic landscape or a tourist destination. Bromo has long been a field for the reproduction of meaning and discourse through visual history, local mythology, collective memory, and aesthetic experience.

Visually, Bromo has long appeared as a sublime image: mist, the sea of sand, the crater, and the mountain horizon with its savanna serving as a source of visual exploration that brings together natural romanticism, spirituality, and the search for the identity of the Indonesian archipelago’s landscape. Yet in this exhibition (and also the Jazz Gunung agenda), Bromo needs to be read not merely as an object of representation or a background for activities, but as a “sign” that opens up interpretations of the relationship between humans, nature, and power amidst changing times.

On the other hand, the life of the communities around Bromo—especially the Tengger community and the wider environment—demonstrates how ecological space is always intertwined with social systems, cultural rites, tourism economics, and identity negotiations. The landscape that appears so beautiful to tourists actually harbors complex issues concerning environmental changes, resource exploitation, cultural commodification, and inequalities in economic access.

In this context, artistic practice becomes important as a medium for a critical reading of the cultural politics operating in the Bromo region: who benefits from the image of nature, who maintains the sustainability of its ecology, and who is slowly marginalized by the tourism industry and development policies. Works of art in the form of music, paintings, photography, and other creative works in this agenda seek to re-present these layers of reality through visual, audio, material, archival, and spatial experiential approaches.

Conversely, this exhibition positions artists not merely as creators of aesthetic objects, but more than that, as readers of the times who record the signs of social and ecological change. Through the exhibited and performed works, we are invited to respond to Bromo as a living space continuously contested in the dialectic of binary oppositions: between sacredness and the tourism industry, between conservation and exploitation, and between cultural memory and capitalist pressure.

Furthermore, this exhibition is also expected to serve as a reflection for communities outside the Bromo region to become increasingly aware of the importance of environmental preservation, ecological sustainability, and shared responsibility for the future of Indonesia’s nature. Thus, “Bromo: A Landscape of Signs” becomes a cross-regional and aesthetic space of reflection on how art plays a role in building critical awareness of the landscape, society, and the sustainability of life amidst a fierce and aggressive global environmental crisis.

Mikke Susanto
Curator of the Fine Art Exhibition “Bromo: A Landscape of Signs”

Through the curatorial presentation above, we are made aware that every corner of Bromo’s beauty holds narratives of life, cultural rites, and social dynamics that are immensely valuable to preserve. This critical awareness built through art runs parallel with the real economic empowerment efforts prepared in the festival area through the presence of Pasar Karya Lokal. This integrated bazaar space serves as a stage for creative works, ethnic craft souvenirs, and warm culinary delights made by local MSME entrepreneurs of Probolinggo and East Java.

The experience of immersing oneself in the exhibition’s visual reflections while enjoying world-class musical performances by Isyana Sarasvati, Bilal Indrajaya, and the supergroup Indra Lesmana LLW at the Bromo Amphitheater is guaranteed to be even more perfect thanks to the digital support from PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (BRI) as the Official Banking Partner.

To facilitate contactless financial mobility (cashless) in the mountainous area, audience members are strongly encouraged to use the super-app BRImo. Aside from being practical for transactions via QRIS at Pasar Karya Lokal with the benefit of direct discounts of up to 20%, the BRImo application is also the main key to securing festival tickets at special prices; through this banking cooperation program, you can enjoy an exclusive surprise in the form of Ticket Discounts of up to 40% exclusively for every transaction using the BRImo application.

Prepare your best warm clothing, make sure your BRImo balance is fully topped up, secure your travel tickets right now at seketiket.com, and let’s be part of the most beautiful aesthetic space of reflection together with the Bromo universe!