Tangerang – Some 75 artists from the Tangerang Arts Council staged a rally at the municipal administration office on Monday to demand the administration provide them a space to put on exhibitions and performances.

With paint on their face, the artists formed a large circle inside the office compound. Three of the demonstrators performed dances and read poems, while a number of others held up posters to demand the administration pay attention to their demands.

"The administration officials only remembered artists when they needed them to contribute their skills for the celebration of the municipal administration's anniversary last year," the council's chairman, Wedha, said.

Hundreds of artists in Tangerang announced the establishment of the arts council in July 2000. The demonstrators dispersed at about noon, having failed to meet with Mayor M. Thamrin or other administration officials.