Catalogue of the posthumous solo exhibition 'Political Circus: an Ancient World' of Indonesian artist Alit Sembodo at the National Gallery of Indonesia from February to March 2011. The exhibition showcases Sembodo's mixed media works from the era of 1999-2003.

'What makes Alit Sembodo's works so fascinating to me is the strong visual characters they convey. Upon seeing his works — especially the ones made between 1999 and 2003 — we are able to perceive so many stories in each of the works. The stories are strengthened and "garnished" with texts in funny, daily parlance. I feel that Alit Sembodo's works are brimming with energy and emotions, seemingly covering the entire canvases, so much so that it is only rarely that we see empty spaces in his works. It is such a technique that he brought to his works on canvas between 1999 and 2002, using the media of charcoal and India ink, with the background covered in a block of acrylic paint.

The aspect of criticism about the social and political conditions appears strong in the works Alit made during the period. He conveyed such criticism in caricatures. The aspects of strife, conflicts, and decay appearing at the time served as sources of inspirations for Alit Sembodo's works in the period of 1999-2002. Expressed on canvases using references from the epic of Mahabharata and the war of Baratayudha, and parodying them, the chaos gave rise to figures of the wayang world in Alit Sembodo's works.' - excerpts from essay by Leo Silitonga

Includes a poem by Sunyata Wangsadram as a tribute to Alit Sembodo. With biographies of the artist and contributors.