Aisyah Kirana, an Indonesian diaspora artist, displayed interactive work based on “glue nasi” in the Nongkrong Festival exhibition curated by Playte and displayed at Blak Dot gallery, Melbourne. The exhibition runs from January 18 to February 8, 2026.
Inspired by childhood memories when she made glue, Aisyah packaged “rice glue” as a work of fine art as well as a participatory space. Visitors are invited to write “love letters” to rice and its entire ecosystem, namely farmers, land, rain, mothers who cook rice daily, and others.
Aisyah Kirana at the grand opening an interactive work based on “rice glue” in the 2026 Nongkrong Festival exhibition at Blak Dot Gallery, Melbourne. Credit: Aisyah Kirana
Check out SBS Indonesian's conversation with Aisyah Kirana to learn about her journey as an artist in Australia, the challenges she faced, and how rice became a bridge to share Indonesian cultural stories.
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