It is not enough to see a work of art as a finished object that comes with its aesthetic and artistic qualities alone, a work of art is born from a long struggle from the idea process to the process of embodiment of the artist. The process is actually very complex and interesting if it is interpreted as part of a journey that leads to the birth of a work. Moreover, works made with a collaborative concept involve other parties such as women and even people with disabilities.

This concept is being prepared by Makassar artists who are members of the Association of Artists who are members of the Makassar Art Initiative movement, or the Makassar Initiative Art Movement (MAIM). They declared themselves as a movement of artists that would present a new face of contemporary Makassar art. It is also not wrong if then this movement can be projected as a movement that is quite up-to-date for the revival of eastern Indonesian art.

Continuity becomes absolute because everything depends on the process, because the process will not betray the results. With awareness, for a transformative spirit in accordance with the behavior of the times, but not being swallowed up by the dynamics of space and time, initiative is the key word.

This discourse is quite important to be re-expressed, because considering the Indonesian-ness in art, so far it has only revolved around developments that have occurred in Java and Bali. Almost never touched the discussion of developments that occur outside of it. This problem surrounds Indonesian art, which is a vast area consisting of thousands of islands stretching from Sabang to Merauke. It is unfortunate because the scope of the area is very wide, but the development of modern-contemporary art is only fragmented in several areas which later become centers of dynamics.

Even if there are readings about regional art, they tend to only fill in the discussion about the repertoire of traditional arts, or even art that is categorized as primitive art. Since the beginning of the 20th century, discussions of Indonesian modern art have almost only discussed the dynamics that occurred in Java and Bali. For decades, the discourse on the development of Indonesian art has been uneven. However, the regional potential is very diverse.

It is time for artists from Eastern regions such as Makassar to start intensively designing an art movement accompanied by event management that is planned with medium and long term targets. Like the movement within the MAIM is indeed directing themselves to that goal. It can be seen later in the initial exhibition as part of the MAIM Pre Event which will be held since 2019, 2020 and is currently preparing for the continuation of the main event in 2021.

This program raises the theme of the heritage value of wall painting from Leang-leang which has been released which is the oldest wall painting in the world. Compared to Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain, the Leang-leang caves are older. This cave wall painting is a world cultural heritage that shows the level of human civilization since thousands of years ago. This is the spirit that will be adopted as a project for the transfer of creation into the interpretation of works of art using various mediums.

This project puts forward the principles of collaboration and process by involving the community, especially women in the northern part of the Leang-Leang village area and people with disabilities. Through initiative and creative exhibition projects outside the visual arts field, we try to interpret the historical heritage of the past by elevating the spirit and involving community components, especially women and disabilities. The touch of their hands will relate to the touch of the handprints of past communities, building civilizational relations through process-based and participatory art.