Jakarta Biennale 2026 is returning with the main theme “KEBAL”, scheduled to take place from October 4 to October 28, 2026, at Gedung Trisno Soemardjo, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM). Curated as a response to global and local socioeconomic challenges, this edition highlights the issue of urban displacement or “keterusiran”—where rising property costs and modern living expenses push citizens to the margins of the city.

Beyond the main hub at TIM, the contemporary art event will expand across various collective and independent community spaces (“Ruang Tamu”) throughout Jakarta and its surrounding areas from October 7 to November 24, 2026.

Main Exhibition (Taman Ismail Marzuki): October 4 – 28, 2026. Held inside Gedung Trisno Soemardjo, focusing on major visual art installations, collaborative pieces, and core curated projects.

Collective Spaces & Parallel Programs: October 7 – November 24, 2026. Activations, public art, and community discussions scattered across decentralized independent art spaces in Greater Jakarta.

Knowledge Production: The festival is preceded by foundational initiatives like the Dewan Kesenian Jakarta Arts Council Masterclass to build discourse and artistic essays matching the 'KEBAL' theme.

The word Kebal (meaning immune, resilient, or invulnerable) serves as a critique of how urban communities survive under relentless systemic pressures.

Urban Displacement (Keterusiran): Focuses heavily on the reality of citizens being gentrified out of their own neighborhoods due to real estate trends.

The Machinery of Power: Explores how ordinary urban and rural individuals are often reduced to minor cogs within massive political and economic engines, and how art can reassert human agency.

Grassroots Hubs: By using "Ruang Tamu" (living rooms/collective hubs), the exhibition mimics a domestic welcome while subverting traditional gallery boundaries.