Whose City Is on the Wall? Public Art Policy and the Representation of Marginalized Communities in Jakarta

Abstract

Public art can influence how cities represent identity, history, and social memory. In Jakarta, murals and other public artworks increasingly occupy urban spaces where competing narratives concerning poverty, migration, political identity, and social inequality are expressed. This article examines whether Jakarta's public art policies provide sufficient space for marginalized communities to represent their experiences through artistic expression. Using normative juridical and socio-legal analysis, the study examines local government policies concerning public art, public order, urban aesthetics, and freedom of expression. The article argues that public art governance can reproduce representational inequality when decisions concerning which artworks are permitted, removed, or promoted are controlled primarily by government authorities and commercial interests. A justice-based public art policy should provide marginalized communities with meaningful opportunities to participate in the production and curation of public artworks. The study proposes participatory mechanisms, transparent removal procedures, community-curated spaces, and protection for socially critical artistic expression. Such measures would allow public art to function as a democratic form of urban dialogue rather than merely an instrument of beautification. The article concludes that Jakarta's public art governance should recognize representation as an important dimension of cultural and democratic justice.