An Artist Who Skipped the Family Politics
Curiosity can lead to amazing things. There was a construction site across from my apartment that had been going on for months, and I was always curious what it was going to be. Then the other day they had a grand opening, and I still had no idea what this place was. From the outside, it looked like a warehouse with an artistic metal sculpture of a woman’s head bolted to the front. Nothing else about it looked remotely interesting. Just a warehouse with a sculpture.
Fifteen Meters and a Whole Lot of Confusion
Curiosity got the best of me. The entrance was literally about fifteen meters from my apartment, so I wandered over. I walked in and realized it was some kind of coffee shop and gift shop with a pool in the middle. I was kind of confused, not gonna lie.
The manager greeted me and introduced himself as Billy. I asked him straight up, Billy, what is this place? He started explaining, and one thing led to another. He asked what I did and why I was in Bali, or Indonesia in general. As we talked, I mentioned my background in the movie industry and brought up a film I had worked on, Habibie Ainun.
The Name That Changed the Conversation
Billy’s face lit up. He told me I had to meet the artist showing his work there at the moment. His name was Ade Habibie. If that last name rings a bell, it should. He is part of the Habibie family, the same one BJ Habibie came from, a former president of Indonesia.
Ade Habibie: https://www.instagram.com/ade_habibie/?hl=en
This is exactly why I love living in Bali. I keep stumbling into the most unusual circumstances I could never plan for. So I met Ade, we started talking, we made some content together, and he showed me his art.
Family Politics
The most interesting part of our conversation was that Ade never tried to involve himself in family politics. He deliberately stepped outside those boundaries and built his own path, which led him in a completely different direction from some of his relatives.
It was refreshing to sit down with a man whose family has deep political roots and have a conversation that never touched politics. We talked about art, about life, about road trips and the open road on a motorcycle. We never fell into that rabbit hole of what’s wrong with Indonesia. The conversation stayed on his art, on freedom of expression, on the world in general.
Even though his work carries political overtones, he delivers it through a fun, caricature-style satire that gets a message across without being in your face. It’s the kind of art that makes you think without lecturing you.
Thirty-Six Chimpanzees Walk Into a Warehouse
His current exhibit centers on the spirit of the monkey, thirty-six paintings on display in the exact building I assumed was just another construction project. I figured it was going to be a coworking space. Turns out it belongs to the Blue Karma group, and this particular spot is called Blue Karma Creative Space.
Blue Karma Creative Space: https://www.instagram.com/bluekarmacreativehub/?hl=en
Here’s how the exhibit describes itself. Through chimpanzee figures, Ade Habibie reflects the political and social tensions of today’s world. Their expressions and gestures mirror power, ambition, hierarchy, and the absurd conflicts that often shape society. Wild, playful, and full of energy, the series explores human instinct and the constant struggle for dominance, while revealing the unease, uncertainty, and fragile hope that exist within complex systems. More than criticism, the show is an invitation to look deeper. Within chaos, awareness can still be found.
Go Find Out What’s Behind Your Own Warehouse
If you happen to be in the Seminyak area of Bali, drop by. Maybe you’ll get to meet the artist too. You never know what’s hiding behind a metal sculpture and a construction fence until you actually walk through the door.
