Cosmopolitan, adventurous, multicultural, liberal, economy conscious, power sensitive, and enthusiastic about science and art updates. “They want to spearhead their time”  These are the characteristics of the Batavia people; ‘Bataviasche’ Jan Erdman Jordens wrote, the founder of Bataviasche Nouvelles, the first newspaper in Batavia which was published in 1744, quoted by the curators during the brainstorming sessions for the Jakarta Biennale 14.   Jakarta Residents? Quoted also was Lance Castle who in his book Profil Etnik Jakarta (2007) mentioned that half of world’s people was created in this city. Jakarta is a city of diverse society. Different groups, ethnic, religion, race and status have long resided in the city. The same goes with Old Jakarta researcher, Mona Lohanda, who said that since known as Batavia, Jakarta has evolved as a global city. The VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie)-a West Indies company- made the city an administration center for African nation and Middle East regions. Just like any other colonial government, however, VOC implemented an administrative city with a social hierarchy structure. Dutch and other European settlers lived in an elite area now known as Kota Tua (Old City), and since the second decade of the 20th century they lived in the Menteng area.  They were the ones who reffered to themselves as the “Batavische”-a name equally grand as “Parisian” for Paris residents, “The New Yorker” for that of New York, or “The Berliner” for that of Berlin. The term referred to the high taste of the Batavia tenants. The characteristics of the Batavische according to Jan Erdman Jordens were cosmopolitan, adventurous, multicultural, liberal, economy conscious, power sensitive, and enthusiastic about science and art updates. They simply wanted to spearhead their time.  The Batavia middle class were Chinese and Arab communities who are generally merchants. Then there was the lower class comprising of indigenous people from Bugis, Bali, Ambon, Sunda, and Flores. They lived in the villages surrounding the city and the establishments frequently disrupted the development plans of the colonial government, like Manggarai, Kampung Melayu and Tanah Abang.  During the colonial era, there was a segregation among the upper and middle classes and the lower class. At the same time, intermarriage was common across the classes along with other affairs, especially business. European and local cu [ ... ]