Indonesian Contemporary Art & Design (ICAD) bridges art and design from interior design, product design, architecture, visual communication, with other disciplines ranging from fashion, film, hospitality, technology, F&B and more. It is the first and only platform which initiates the collaboration between these various disciplines.

Held for the first time in 2009, ICAD has become a large-scale exhibition, promoting design and contemporary art in Indonesia, as well as embracing the nation's diversity of cultural expressions. Each exhibition features multidisciplinary creatives, ranging from senior contemporary artists to young creators, collectives, or communities working in art, design, music, culture, and new materials. Their works are divided into five (5) categories: Special Appearance, In Focus, Featured, Open Submission, and Collaboration.

Since 2017, ICAD has also contributed to bringing Indonesian designers and artists to

prestigious platforms in Indonesia and abroad, such as bringing ICAD to Superdesign Show at Milan Design Week, managing the Indonesian Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale, and coordinating for the Indonesian Pavilion at the London Design Biennale.

  • ICAD 12

    2022

    Fragmenting Yesterday, Reshaping Tomorrow

    "Fragmenting Yesterday, Reshaping Tomorrow," came with the goal of understanding the process of social development while exploring the relationship between the past and the future. This topic is inextricably linked to the pandemic as a collective memory that has
    affected all of us.


    Through this exhibition, we discover various opinions from the participants, ranging from humorous to political and analytical to speculative; their ideas contribute to a spectrum of knowledge and discussion on timely topics surrounding the environment, history, technology, and civilisation.

  • ICAD 11

    2021

    Publik

    ICAD 2021 sheds light on the theme “Publik” as an indispensable element of art, sparking attention and discussion on how the connection between a work of art and its public can be interrelated. Believing in the importance of the public as a viewer, user, consumer, and trend-setter, ICAD “Publik” encourages participating artists and designers to respond to the current times through speculative ideas of what might be relevant to the public post-pandemic. As creators, what possible futures can we imagine? What changes can we foresee taking place in our everyday lives and how can art and design respond to it?

  • ICAD 10

    2019

    Faktor X

    In “Faktor X”, the idea of mind mapping is framed in the strategy of how to open the veils or to read the ‘footprints’ belonging to artists and designers in their creative process. All the works that existed in the contemporary world, in fact, are thoughts of their creators. It also attaches to the social world surrounding the works when the artist/ designer creates the works.

  • ICAD 9

    2018

    KISAH

    ICAD “KISAH,” presented works that are more personal, in the form of thoughts or track records of the experiences of artists and designers during the work process. Artworks are presented as a means of expressing a thought, event, feeling, or emotional interaction between artists and their work, which is then incorporated into a 'new reality' that is relevant in both the present and future contexts.

  • ICAD 8

    2017

    Murni?

    In this edition, ICAD “Murni?” raised the question: is there anything pure today besides nature? Even the human mind is the result of processing, which occurs as a result of interaction with events or experiences encountered by humans during the course of their lives. That is why practising sensitivity is so important, and when “purity” is called into question, we realize how much human life is dependent on the environment.

  • ICAD 7

    2016

    Seven Scenes

    ICAD “Seven Scenes” showcased seven collaborative projects led by seven creative individuals from various disciplines: Agung Kurniawan (fine arts), Budi Pradono (architecture), Eko Nugroho (fine arts), Hermawan Tanzil (graphic design), Oscar Lawalata (textile design), Tita Salina (urban play), and Tromarama (videography).


    The seven artists and designers displayed various collaborations in interpreting and
    reflecting on changing cities—particularly the Kemang area—that have influenced the way of life and social relations in today's society.

  • ICAD 6

    2015

    Vertical Horizon

    “Vertical Horizon”–a term taken from the world of aviation—was interpreted as a meeting room between the worlds of humanity and divinity. “Vertical Horizon” is our daily lives today. It cannot be separated, these two lines will always meet, both in the visual form and the philosophical.

  • ICAD 5

    2014

    AYATANA

    “AYATANA” is an ancient Sanskrit word that means “sense base” or “sense sphere,” describing the essence of sight, taste, smell, hearing, touch, and hand sensation from the heart–all of which can be experienced in the 5th ICAD.

  • ICAD 4

    2013

    RESTART

    There are times in life, we need to pause for a moment. The same goes for the creative process in art and design. In its fourth event, ICAD 2013 takes us to 'RESTART’. The terminology can be read as “re-start” or “rest-art”, both have the same purpose, to reflect and bring new value to our works.

  • ICAD 3

    2012

    GEN i US

    ICAD “GEN i US” is all about collectivity. Together, we can synergize and create things. The exhibition also held various Conventions, one of which was themed Genius Machine: "Turn Raw Ideas into Brilliance”.

  • ICAD 2

    2011

    ESCAPOLOGY

    The theme of ICAD 2011, "ESCAPOLOGY," as employed by magicians, represented the spirit of liberation in creativity. We are surrounded by ideals that we have constructed, and we can always break free.

  • ICAD 1

    2009/2010

    ArTention: Hot/eL

    In contrast to the prevalent tendency of exhibiting art in galleries, the first ICAD was held and experimented in hotel public spaces, producing tension and disruption while blurring the narrow boundary between art and design.