An Opening: A Small Belief in an Uncertain Journey

The year 2020 saw many surprising things for mankind, ranging from various natural disasters, political turmoil in various countries, large mass movements in response to various world issues, to the death of legendary figures who were influential in the world. Every year, there are always recurring disasters and new political upheavals. All of these events seem normal and normal like the previous years, it's just that 2020 is not covered with the devastating waves of the global COVID-19 pandemic which affect all aspects of human life.

Discussion about the impact and handling of the COVID-19 pandemic is a topic of concern throughout 2020, but apart from that, there are many new and good things to be done by the community during the pandemic. Both in the virtual world and the real world, kindness continues to be shared and broadcasted. Apart from all the suffering humanity has experienced as a result of the pandemic, it must be admitted that affection, kindness and solidarity also continue to be seen, read, heard and felt.

Some companions initiated a sharing movement with communities affected by the pandemic, for example by distributing free food twice a week. In the Kebonagung area, Yogyakarta, to be precise, in front of the Palbapang Village Hall, there is also an Halte Sedekah, which is a place for residents to donate and collect raw and processed food for free. Many parties have also opened free counseling and health services to serve the physical and mental health of the community. New efforts and movements were born in 2020.

Artists, art workers and creative industry players who were weary at the beginning of the pandemic have finally not remained silent. Every effort to revive the work of art and the creative industry has never stopped. So that the art climate will not tumble, and the empty streets will not extinguish creativity. Starting from the opening of several emergency spaces by a group of artists in Yogyakarta to support each other's work, virtual exhibitions and shows, various free training and webinars for the community, to donation movements through works produced by artists. This year, art through its artists is able to prove its resilience to adapt to various changes in crisis.

This effort to keep moving, writhing, seeking, and making goodness makes me reflect, humans and other living things are indeed created with a nature to survive even in uncertain conditions. Every good thing that humans have done this year makes me understand that what keeps us going through difficult times are just small beliefs within us. At the end of the day, we only have little faith in hand in making our journey in uncertainty.

Speaking of small convictions on an uncertain journey, I have experienced it many times. One period that I can remember well is my meeting with Galih Reza Suseno's (Galih) work for the first time. At that time, I had to do an internship at an office in West Jakarta. I remember, with all the inferiority in me at that time, I had a self-crisis. I feel all things are completely uncertain. It could be that tomorrow I want to go home because I cannot stand the pressure of work or be sent home because my internship is so bad. During that uncertain period, every day I pass through the office hallways and grow with the small beliefs of Galih's paintings at the beginning of his career. It is this small belief that brought me to this writing, for Galih and the works of The Wanderlust he worked on during the global pandemic COVID-19 2020, an uncertain time.