TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian National Museum (Museum Nasional), also commonly known as Munas, has launched their home exhibition challenge, under the name #pamerandarirumah, on Monday, April 13, 2020. The challenge invites art enthusiasts to create and publish their own exhibition on popular social media platform, Instagram.

“The #pamerandarirumah is a challenge for netizens to create their own exhibition using social media, Instagram,” explained the National Museum’s official instagram, on Tuesday, April 14, 2020.

In order to facilitate the challenge online, the National Museum has created a Google Drive link available on their official website, containing photographs and videos of the Munas collection, accessible to art enthusiasts looking to enter the challenge.

“The National Museum provides photographs and data on the collections that can be downloaded. Then, participants can complete (the collection) with information in the form of historical ties, origins as well as the function behind the collection,” read the official notice, as quoted from the National Museum’s website, on Tuesday, April 14.

Upon downloading and curating the Munas collection, participants may add any necessary information, and present it in any form, including in the form of visual, audio or even audio visual. The competition will open to submissions until May 10, 2020.

In the presentation of their curated and informed exhibition, participants are to upload their submission on Instagram, through their personal account by including the hashtag #pamerandarirumah and tagging friends who contributed photos or other information related to the selected collection. Participants need to ensure that their personal accounts remain public, in order to qualify for the challenge.

“Curators from the National Museum will select the 6 best exhibitions, and (the winning exhibitions) will be displayed on the National Museum's official website and social media. (Winners) will also receive unique prizes for every chosen exhibition,” the official notice stated, as quoted from the National Museum’s website.

Previously, the National Museum was temporarily put out of operation from March 16, and was scheduled to be back in operation by March 25. During this period, the museum’s collections were sanitized in order to avoid COVID-19 transmission happening in the museum.

However, due to the government’s warning of social and physical distancing and the enactment of the large-scale social restriction (PSBB) in Jakarta since April 10, the National Museum has to postpone their opening date until April 23, after the PSBB period has ended; if no extension of the policy were to be enacted.

In spite of this, art enthusiasts can continue to enjoy the National Museum’s collection through a virtual museum tour on the Google Arts and Culture Platform. This platform is powered by the new Art Camera and Google Cardboard technology, ensuring that the closure of the museum will not be a hindrance for the public to enjoy the collections, available through virtual reality on Android and iOs.

DIO SUHENDA