Exhibition gathers most influential work of 2007
Jakarta Post. Features – December 22, 2007
Eilish Kidd, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Who are the movers and shakers of the country’s art scene?Who are they indeed? Well, for one there is Ugo Untoro, that’s for certain. At Kuota: Inbox 2000 (Quota: Inbox 2000) — which opened Tuesday night at the National Gallery — he moved his audience considerably and some were shaken by his installation Poem of Blood. This work of art boiled the blood of some punters when it was displayed at Taman Budaya Yogyakarta and at the National Gallery in Jakarta on April 7 in previous incarnations and again it has had a powerful effect. It features horse carcasses hanging in a circle from the ceiling (they are redolent of punching bags), complete with manes and tails. Each carcass has been branded with a single word of Ugo’s verse…(read more)
Artists explore secrets of Prambanan
Jakarta Post. Features – December 15, 2007
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
A stone statue of the Hindu god Shiva, the destroyer, stands elegantly in the middle of Jogja Gallery.From a distance, it looks much like any other statue of Shiva. But it would seem that the god, upon closer inspection, is not really all that strong. The statue represents the secrets buried beneath the apparent surface of things. Cracks run across the body of the some two-and-a-half-meter tall statue. They are joined by sutures or staples, giving the impression that an effort has been made to “fix” them….( read more )
Artists warn on warming
Jakarta Post- December 08, 2007
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Ubud
Sixteen celebrated visual artists from several regions in the country are holding a joint exhibition in Ubud, central Bali, aimed at increasing public awareness of global warming and its adverse impacts on Indonesia.Titled Ar(t)chipelago Alert: Art Against Global Warming, the exhibition will be officially opened Saturday evening by Gianyar Regent A.A Bharata.Held at the spacious Tony Raka Art Gallery in Mas village, the exhibition features a total of 36 works of arts and will run until Jan. 8, 2008. “Bali has always been known as an island with a bustling and vibrant art scene. The exhibition is our effort to present, through art, the threat of global warming to our environment,” gallery owner, Tony Raka, said..(read More)
Yunizar’s scribble works reach new maturity, complexity
Features – December 06, 2007
Jakarta Post. Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Singapore
The work of Indonesian contemporary painter Yunizar is not easy to understand, but it evokes an unusual sense of rhythm and beauty. This is also true of the 19 paintings that make up his solo exhibition Coretan, which was jointly organized by the Gajah Gallery and the National Universe Museum Gallery in Singapore. Yunizar’s paintings appear like remnants of an old manuscript or letters stained and made illegible by the passing of time. Smudges and simple childlike drawings going over the text transform the impression of antiquity, infusing it with a sense of today, while light coloring gives his works a poetic appeal…( read more )
Artists, activists seek a little help for friends in need
Jakarta Post. Features – December 04, 2007
Margaret Agusta, Contributor, Jakarta
The issues at heart, like the ongoing Karya untuk Kawan III (Work for Friends III) exhibition tucked away in a poorly marked and ventilated exhibition space in the far back right corner of the sprawling National Gallery compound, are important, but far too easy to overlook in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, and certainly not talked about enough. This third biennial exhibition — the first two were held in 2003 and 2005 — to raise funds for the Women’s Fund (Pundi Wanita) of the National Commission on Violence against Women opened on Nov. 26 and will run through Dec. 6…( read more )
Ken Pattern: viewing the capital through black and white
Jakarta Post. Features – December 02, 2007
Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Watching ordinary people pass by — pulling gerobak, riding a motorbike and selling traditional herbs or jamu — while sitting in a warung may seem futile for many Jakartans. However, for Canadian artist Ken Pattern, this becomes a sublime inspiration.”When you sit there, you see a constant parade of people selling things, like the old traditional scene. I just think that we will see the end of that era soon,” said the artist…( read more )
Home Sweet Home’ examines notions of identity
German painter Sally Moira Busse stands in front of her painting Der Ritter (The Knight), a knight in medieval armor in front of a modern city. The painting was shown in the exhibition at Rumah Budaya Tembi in Yogyakarta. (JP/Christina Schott)Jakarta Post. Features – November 20, 2007
Christina Schott, Contributor, Yogykarta
Puss in Boots is in trouble. In a wall painting, the fairy-tale cat encounters men dressed in protective gear, fighting off all manner of germs. “This is my futuristic vision of ‘hygienic man’ and his phobia of every kind of bacteria”, German painter Sally Moira Busse explained, busily making the sketches for her work on a wall of the former School of Arts at the Indonesian Institute of Arts (ISI) in Yogyakarta. “The Puss in Boots symbolizes a traditional image that is deeply rooted in my home society, running against the high-tech, hygiene-manic modern society in times of bird flu. While these inhuman-looking men under their protective suits do not carry anything recognizable, or homey, anymore, it is the old, familiar symbols that really touch us”, the 28-year-old artist from Berlin said….( read more )
Art exhibit explores environmental hazards
Jakarta Post. Features – November 19, 2007
Ferdiansyah Thajib, Contributor, Yogyakarta
These are troubled times. In the last few years, Indonesia has experienced horrific floods, climate irregularities, the Lapindo mudflow disaster, increased carbon emissions from deforestation and other major environmental problems. From the vantage point of hindsight, these tragic events might be considered turning points, or opportunities for reflection and renewal. In Bocor #3 (Leaking 3#), the title of the group exhibition currently held at Cemeti Art House, seven artists in Yogyakarta have attempted to engage with this critical role…( Read More )
Metissages dances along line between textile design and contemporary art
Jakartapost. Features – November 17, 2007
Margaret Agusta, Contributor, Jakarta
An interesting experiment in the melding of diverse sectors, thought frameworks, discourses and cultures called Metissages: A Crossbreeding of Contemporary Art and Textiles is currently on display at the National Museum, more popularly known as Musium Gajah, in Central Jakarta through Nov. 23…(read more)
Haris Purnomo: Art scene’s comeback kid
Jakarta Post. Features – October 06, 2007
Aminudin T.H. Siregar, Contributor, Jakarta
One of the most actively discussed topics at the moment is the character or “personality” of Indonesian fine arts.It is easy to be dismissive and say, “What personality”? And this unalloyed pessimism about the arts scene has been around now for quite some time.What we should know is that the entire narrative of Indonesia’s history of fine arts can be summarized into one ambition: To seek and find a distinct personality or identity that belongs solely to Indonesian arts. This search began in the 1940s and was still going on in the 1970s. Discussions on this subject could still be heard in the late 1990s…(read more)
‘Metisagges’: When art forms crossbreed
JP. Features – September 29, 2007
Aminudin T.H. Siregar, Contributor, Bandung
Amid the crowded landscape of contemporary art shows in Indonesia in 2007, there have been few textile art exhibitions. Those that were held were run of the mill exhibitions that didn’t break any new technical or aesthetic ground. Textile art — or what most people perceive as and label as fiber art — has yet to fully develop in Indonesia, despite the presence of many local cultural artifacts, which could be used as the basis for such development. Up to now, the development of fiber art has been limited to tapestry works that put emphasis on motifs, patterns and ornamentation. The art of tapestry-making has yet to be developed with a more contemporary language of aesthetics. Tapestries in Indonesia are sadly just treated as mere wall hangings. That is why it is hoped that this stagnancy will end with the arrival of a breathtaking exhibition of new textile art…( read more )
‘Fire No Fear’ dares to go beyond cup and saucer
“My students were scared of the firing process because they did not understand the fire itself,” ceramicist Keng Sien said Tuesday. “When they saw how simple it was, they were so excited they wanted to do it too. So we called the show Fire No Fear.” The exhibition of the work of artists’ collective Tanahliat9 opened Sept. 9 at Gallery Hadiprana in Kemang. Except for Keng, the group’s teacher, the collective is all female…( read more )
Local culture inspires mixed-media collaboration
Jakarta Post. Features – September 06, 2007
Michele Cempaka, Contributor, Bali
The Ubud Impressions exhibition at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan marks the culmination of Gregory Burns’ and Angie Tan’s work together as artists. This is the couple’s first joint show featuring a collection of both their individual works as well as mixed-media collages, which combine Burns’ paintings with Tan’s photography. While this is clearly a collaborative effort, the two artists have their own distinctive styles…( read more )
Revisiting nationalism in Raden Saleh’s paintings
Jakarta Post. Features – September 02, 2007
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Raden Saleh (1807-1880), believed to be a pioneer of Indonesian painting, Jogja Gallery is hosting a painting exhibition titled The Illusions of Nationalism. Curator Mikke Susanto says there are several reasons why the theme was selected. “First, it is being held in August, the sacred month for Indonesians. Second, we want to ask ourselves whether we still have nationalism inside each of us these days or if it is just an illusion,” Mikke told The Jakarta Post… ( read more )
Indian Artists Network: Paintings that merge into global culture
Jakarta post.Features – September 02, 2007
Aruna Harjani, Contributor, Jakarta
The Indian Artists Network is currently holding its eighth exhibition from through Sept. 9 at Galeri Cipta 11, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), Central Jakarta.Network head and retired artist Ajit Vahadane is also a two-time state award winner for lithography and photography, and is in charge of the exhibition.Every year he collects paintings from different states of India by budding artists to help them promote their work. “I thought of bringing the paintings to Indonesia mainly because of the similarities between Indonesians and Indians. I believe that if there is a cultural interaction between people from different countries, then a close relationship will form, generating the power to prevent animosity between the countries,” he said…( read more )
‘Fire Boar’ explores symbolism, satire, comedy
Jakarta Post, Features – August 25, 2007
Tiffany Wan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In early 2006, when the director of Kupu-Kupu Art Projects Management, Arioseno “Ari” Wanandi, was unable to fill his exhibitions with more than a handful of patrons, he knew something was amiss. Forced to shut down operations last August due to poor attendance, Ari contemplated a way to reignite local interest in Indonesian artists.”We didn’t have any exhibitions for nearly one year,” said Ari. “For the last two years, collectors have really gone toward Chinese and Indian art.” Together with Penggerak Perupa Indonesia (PEPRIN) founder Irma Katimansah, Ari came up with an exhibit themed on the current Year of the Fire Boar. The result is Celebr’ART’e Fire Boar, a group exhibit that opened Thursday at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta….( More Info )
Silent Supper’ installations thrive on the sound of silence
JP. Features – August 23, 2007
Sascha Pries, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
“It was the paradox between the loudness of the compositions and the stillness of the content,” says Jim Supangkat, asked what struck him when encountering Ay Tjoer Christine’s artwork. He is the curator of Ay’s exhibition Silent Supper, currently on show at the Ark Galerie, South Jakarta.The violence in her works is unmistakable. Using digital print on canvas painted over with a reddish tinge, she seems to “deconstruct the readability of her work,” says Jim.To understand her oeuvre, one has to look deep into the warren of her past development…( More Info )
The real and unreal: Affandi revisited
JP. Features – August 23, 2007
Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta
As the centenary celebrations marking Affandi’s birth continues, yet another exhibition, The (Un)Real at the National Gallery, focuses on the great master artist. Rather than have select painters illustrate their imaginings on the master — as was the case in the exhibition at the National Archives in June — this time the curator has tried to trace Affandi in three painters who have made a name for themselves today. In curator Jim Supangkat’s view, the three selected painters, Nasiroen, Entang Wiharso and Putu Sutawijaya, share with the master the emotional and the expressive in their works… ( read more )
Exhibit presents religiously loaded sublimation
JP. Features – August 16, 2007
Arif Suryobuwono, Contributor, Jakarta
What do stones — framed with loosely hanging yarn — and naked bodies — male, and mostly obscured — have in common? This question dawns upon observing the paintings of two artists from Padang, West Sumatra, Tommy Wondra and Gusmen Heriadi, in Episodes, on display until Aug. 19 at Edwin’s Gallery in Kemang, South Jakarta. The former seems to be obsessed with stones, the latter attracted to predominantly male nudes. During the exhibition opening on Aug. 7, Tommy told The Jakarta Post that in the first instance, he was motivated to paint stones out of his desire “to know the form of God”…..( read more )
Neka pays tribute to master painter Affandi
JP. Features – August 16, 2007
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Ubud
Frail though she may appear, 73-year-old Kartika Affandi beamed with energetic delight the moment she began speaking about her late father, Affandi, one of Indonesia’s greatest 20th century painters. The sky over Ubud was cloudy on that Sunday afternoon and the breeze was chilly, a fitting atmosphere for an ode to a fallen hero. Kartika reminisced about her childhood in Ubud, including her sense of mischief and the warm friendship the people of Ubud extended to her family. Slowly, she turned her head and looked at her host, Suteja Neka, the founder of the Neka Art Museum (NAM)…( read more)
Le Mayeur maintains its charm
JP. Features – August 02, 2007
Michele Cempaka, Contributor, Sanur
The Museum Le Mayeur in Sanur is definitely a must-see place in Bali for the simple reason that some of Belgian artist Andrien Jean Le Mayeur’s finest paintings of his lovely wife Ni Pollok, who often modeled for him, are housed here. Located just steps away from Sanur Beach, the museum is flanked by the Grand Bali Beach Hotel to the south and Pura Dalem (Temple of the Dead) and the Diwangkara Hotel on the north..(read more )
Young students experiment with installation art
Jkt Post. Features – August 02, 2007
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
For an 11th-grader, Santiasa Putra had a very adult way of spending his free time: visiting Bali’s celebrated artist Wianta and, later on, creating a contemporary piece of installation art. “I loved visiting Pak Wianta, he is so intelligent and so passionate about his art,” Santiasa said. “He frequently shows me his works, explaining the creative spirits and rationales behind them. “He never treats me as a little boy, he freely shares his beliefs and his struggles to acquire such convictions during our conversation,” he said…( read more )
GM Sudarta’s cartoons tell the country’s history
JP. Features – July 10, 2007
T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor
An anxious-looking woman turns to the left and right, walking barefoot in the dark while holding her shoes in her hand.A wolf-headed man wearing a suit and a tie stalks her. His mouth opens, showing his sharp teeth.The woman has a handbag with the word HAM (human rights) printed on it, while the word PERDA (bylaw) is written on the sleeve of the man’s suit.This is a cartoon created by GM Sudarta to criticize the 2005 bylaw on prostitution issued by the Tangerang administration, which allows the authorities to arrest women suspected of being prostitutes. The bylaw has enraged human rights activists, as any woman walking alone at night could be arrested…( More ) also read GM Sudarta: Master of the art of criticism
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Exhibit of master painters mark Jakarta’s 480th
JP.Features – July 09, 2007
Pavan Kapoor, Contributor, Jakarta
The articulate, dancing figures of noted painter Nyoman Gunarsa catch the eye as one descends the graceful curve of the Ritz-Carlton Jakarta. The fluid movements of the dancers please the senses as the viewer is drawn further in by the large blobs of paint that not only add color, but also depth and perspective to the canvas. In conjunction with Jakarta’s 480th anniversary, Kemang-based Yulindra Gallery has organized a group exhibition — Celebrating Jakarta 480 — at the hotel showcasing select works from renowned contemporary Indonesian..( More )
Solo exhibits reveal hidden messages and visions
Jakarta Post, Features – June 21, 2007
Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta
Camouflage, masks, or veils and appropriation, these have existed throughout the ages to hide one’s real nature, moods and feelings. Even as democracy progresses in the country, uncovering the truth and uttering critical comments remain sensitive and liable to face sharp — or even harsh — repercussions that may be blurred as well, albeit no less poignant.Subtlety to the point of unclarity is therefore a key strategy, though it is one to which h those educated in a liberal atmosphere find hard to adhere. In the visual arts, artists have been able to vent their views in works that soothe the esthetic senses, despite the easily perceived sharp…( Read More )
Anti Aging’ exposes impermanence of existence
Features – June 14, 2007
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Sayan
Agus Suwage is known for his thought-provoking paintings; his recent creation, Mickey/Gold, is no exception.The white canvas is virtually empty aside from an image of an upright human skeleton, arms outstretched in a position that resembles the crucifixion. Two circular “ears”, painted in striking red, are planted on the top of the skull. Obviously, these ears are a reference to Disney’s most celebrated animated icon, Mickey Mouse. “In one simple, bare and unornamented painting, Suwage has succeeded in capturing the paradox of our time,” art connoisseur Marlowe Bandem said, referring to paradox characterized by our vigorous efforts to be immortal — or at least to..( read more )
Bambang Adrian Wenzer: Drawing the pain of Porong
Jakarta Post-Features – June 13, 2007
Duncan Graham, Contributor, Malang
The pain of Porong seems never-ending. Transport routes have been damaged and traffic disrupted, but the East Java village drowned by the continuously erupting Lapindo mud volcano has taken the biggest hit.Though the villagers’ problems haven’t been resolved their plight doesn’t pass unnoticed. There’s a regular parade of impotent officials, gawkers and picture snappers, tut-tuting about the unstoppable outflow of gas and grime, and the anguish of the unfortunates caught in the environmental and…( read more )
IKJ teachers show off artistic hand
Jakarta Post. Features – June 07, 2007
Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta
Teachers at art institutes may be good teachers in terms of instilling their students with the basics of art, which today would include new modes of making and creating art, understanding the new paradigms in esthetics and in particular, evoking the creative and the innovative in their students in order that they are able to meet the challenges of the present as well as the future. But to do so, art teachers are expected to possess and project a strength in creative dynamics that can rejuvenate, inspire and stimulate new visions for elevating the mind, the body…(read More)
Jogja Gallery reveals Borobudur’s 1,000 mysteries
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
These days, the scent of roses and burning incense permeates the interior of Jogja Gallery. The gallery’s latest visual art exhibition, The Thousand Mysteries of Borobodur, is all about recreating the mystique that surrounds the world heritage monument — the largest Buddhist temple in the world. In the middle of the exhibition room sits the ancient Unfinished Buddha statue, from inside the temple’s main stupa. It is here in front of the statue that the pungent odor of flowers and smoke originates.”We just wanted to show respect to the Unfinished Buddha while it’s here. This is how the statue was treated when it was at the Karmawibangga Museum at the temple,” exhibition curator Mikke Susanto told The Jakarta Post…( Read More )
Agus Suwage and Spectres of Civilization
Agus Suwage always lure and decoy critics with his works, recently, by transferring images of world legendaries on his canvass and in appropriation. The difference is the absent of his self image while depicting them, a signature that usually appeared in his earlier canvass. The current works create ironic, if not subversive, images of world figures holding cigarettes in their left hands. Among them are Nehru, Monalisa, Soekarno, Rembrant, Marilyn Monroe, Mahatma Gandhi, Yasir Arafat, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali and Bruce Lee. All of them are dead. But in Agus’ latest exhibition, titled “I/CON” (Nadi Gallery, Jakarta), their portrayal does connotes to other meanings as referred to its title. In his curatorial note, Agung Hujatnika reviews the tradition of portraiture in the history of Fine Art; from Leonardo Da Vinci to Affandi who was obsessed with the portraiture of himself; from mimesis of reality in paper and canvas to the emergence of photography. Modern civilization does acknowledge the significant of portrait as a reflection of one’s soul. Nonetheless, Suwage’s portrait presents a different kind of portrayal, one which fills with ambiguity…( Read More )
Ugo unveils blood-stained revelations
Features – April 16, 2007. Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta
The invitation to Ugo Untoro’s solo exhibition at the National Gallery could have stirred the recipient with horror or disgust, but could also have provoked a sense of curiosity.What would this Poem of Blood exhibition look like, presented by an artist whose emaciated figures and horses have filled many canvases? The daily news shows enough blood spilling through the world today, so would people willingly go to a presentation of more blood? Entering the exhibit, one is struck by the same sensation that arose upon receiving the invitation.The entrance is flanked by dead horses or horses crawling in pain, lying in the sand. Though these were only stuffed horse hide, they looked real, and the vacant, gaping holes that once held eyes made it even worse. It is certainly not something to look at for pleasure. Inside the gallery, paintings and three-dimensional works of horses, horse hide displayed in various forms and everything horse-like is arranged in a display that in some strange manner recalls scenes from Mexico, perhaps from long-forgotten films…( read more )
They Are Artists Who Are Women; Hear Them Roar
By Roberta Smith
……In “Politics” the work alternates between harrowing and oblique, and labels often trump art. On video Tania Bruguera hangs a dead lamb from her neck and eats dirt; Sigalit Landau makes a hula hoop out of barbed wire and twirls it till her torso starts to shred. Arahmaiani’s “Display Case” may look innocent enough, but when exhibited in Indonesia in 1994, its juxtaposition of religion and sex (evoked by a Buddha icon, the Koran and a box of condoms), set off such a furor that she fled the country for several years. Parastou Forouhar’s “Thousand and One Day” wallpaper is inherently hard-hitting, sprinkled as it is with schematic scenes, in a style that seems part Persian miniature and part Robert Gober, of women in burqas being tortured and killed. The wall label hits harder still: In 1998 her dissident parents were assassinated by Iranian secret agents in the family home in Tehran…( Read More)
Triennale II seeks market for graphic art
Features – March 11, 2007
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
Borax, mercury and formaldehyde are symbolically stuffed into a human body printed on a piece of paper measuring 113 cm by 83 cm. Agus Prasetyo created this piece of art using the intaglio printing technique, which is based on the principle of scratching images onto a copper or zinc plate to be printed. The name of this piece is Tumbuh dan Terkontaminasi II (Growing and Contaminated II). Agus’ idea is quite relevant with the increasing use of chemicals in the food we eat. Therefore, social criticism frequently appearing in the media can also be conveyed in a piece of art….(more info)
An easterly breeze hits Kiasma
Written by Matti Koskinen
Along with China’s economic miracle and recent development in the region as a whole, Asian contemporary art is on the rise as well. Biennials and art festivals are numerous and ever growing and there’s increasing international interest – enough to constitute something of a boom in Asian contemporary art. Kiasma’s exhibition brings an interesting selection of works to Helsinki. ”The purpose of this exhibition is not to cover the whole field of contemporary art in Asia, but rather to present visitors with perspectives on it”, says senior curator Marja Sakari from Kiasma…( read More )
Capturing the simple beauty of rice plants
Features – February 25, 2007. Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Beauty is often identified with complexity. Sometimes, however, beauty lies in sheer simplicity. In photography, simplicity means that you don’t have to go far to find the right object. You may come across a beautiful object right next door.At least, that is what comes to mind after looking at nearly 30 photographs by Austrian-born professional photographer Dominik at Cemara 6 Gallery, Menteng, Central Jakarta…( read More )
Past and Present Merge to Tell Our Stories
……There is one artist from Indonesia, 29-year-old Eko Nugroho, who comes from Yogyakarta. Eko’s gigantic 18 meter by 12 meter, black and white mural work is the first thing one sees on entering the main foyer.It is entitled It’s All About Destiny, Isn’t It? ….( More )
EXHIBITION OFFERS LOOK AT CONTEMPORARY ART IN INDONESIA
The Jakarta Post – January 11, 2007 by Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta
Nadi Gallery in Jakarta is hosting the launch of a new art book, titled Indonesian Contemporary Art Now, written by Marc Bollansee and Enin Supriyanto. At the same time, the gallery is hosting an exhibition premiering new works by artists listed in the book. Although the book and the exhibition do not provide a comprehensive view of Indonesian contemporary art, they do provide a look at some of the most highly esteemed artists in the art market today. These include artists with local recognition and those who have acquired international fame….( More )
Innovation and creativity characterize visual arts
…This year saw great artists passing away and leaving a large gap behind them.
Bali’s most outspoken female contemporary painter I Gusti Kadek Murniasih (Murni for short), died of cancer in early January at the age of 39. In October the 74-year-old artist of modern sculpture, Gregorius Sidharta Soegijo, passed away, also due to cancer. He was a proponent of modern art and chairman of the Indonesian Sculptors Association (API). This year also saw new initiatives and a vibrancy in art creations. For one, ….(More : http://www.thejakartapost.com/review/feat03.asp )
ICON Retrospective
Jogja Gallery opens amidst new dynamics
..On 19 September 2006, a new gallery by the name of Jogja Gallery was opened in Yogyakarta, an ancient Javanese center of culture in Central Java, where modern art emerged and developed amidst the quest for national independence and national identity…..( More : http://universes-in-universe.org )
Keeping Minerva Attractive
……In the fine arts category, we invited art critic Hendro Wiyanto to assist us in making our choices. Today fine arts are flourishing with exhibitions being held everywhere. Our criteria in making a choice was that they be solo exhibitions. An exhibition by Hardiman Radjab, lecturer in craftsmanship at the Jakarta Art Institute, at the Lontar Gallery, was a surprise in its exploration of a unique subject: suitcases. In Hardiman’s hands a suitcase could create a lot of imagination. Seldom was there a thematic solo exhibition so unique. Hardiman was chosen over other solo exhibitors which were no less interesting, including Rudy Mantovani at CP Gallery or Ay Tjoe at Edwin Gallery in Jakarta….(more : Asianviews )
A Note from the Performance Art Urban (Perfurbance)
By Nunuk Ambarwati (Head of Archive and Media Relations)
A so called festival, simply held but performed foreign performers with even inadequate things was what I noticed from the whole day event of Perfurbance #2 on the last April 30, 2006. Perfurbance is an acronym of performance art and urban. It is an annual festival initiated by PerformanceKlub that is chaired by Iwan Wijono focusing on the development of performance art in Indonesia and managed by a group of youths. It was established on July 31, 2003 in Yogyakarta. Perfurbance presents performance art in public spaces in Yogyakarta and sends out actual issues on urban life. The theme brought up by the organizer and approved by 27 performers of the event –two of them were foreigners from Australia and Japan– was “Launching: Education Industry in Indonesia”. The event was actually on the precise time which was a day before the ceremony of the National Education Day. It was strengthened by an article on a newspaper saying that…(read more)
A Band-Formatted Art Project
THE MILITARISTIC ACT PUNKASILA
Danius is an Australian artist carrying out a residency program in Yogyakarta in cooperation between Asialink Australia and Cemeti Art Foundation (CAF) Yogyakarta and also supported by Arts Victoria and the Australia Indonesia Institute. He has fulfilled his residency from December 1, 2005 until March 27, 2006. Although his basis is sculpture but he works more on site specific installation during his art career. Along with some colleagues in several occasions of residencies in other countries, he created bands namely Lion Grion, Slave Piano, and Histrionics by performing definitely different kinds of music one another; Lion Grion in ska music, Slave Piano with orchestra concept, and Histrionics parodying famous songs and inserting lyrics in visual arts theme. It is not the first time for Danius to visit Indonesia. About a previous year, he presented a visual arts exhibition at Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta with several Australian colleagues under the curacy of Stuart Koop. The impression on the life of visual arts and various phenomena on Indonesian politics have inspired Danius to work on an art project for his recent residency accompanied by Samuel Bagas Wiraseto or commonly called as Gentong as his assistant…( read more )
ORDE and ORDER: Which One is Powerful?
The exhibition entitled “Orde and Order” was held by Cemeti Art Foundation (CAF) from May 5 until June 5, 2006 at Kedai Kebun Forum (KKF), Yogyakarta. It attempted to show data, archives, visual and audio visual material on ideological arena by the rulers (either the government or capital holders) in Indonesia, the relationship between artists and the rulers, the model of relation among artists, public, and the rulers entirely using art as the media. The media used and socialized could be very massive and –whether we realized it or not– had affected personal areas from each of us. The model of power consolidation, the formation of nation-state identity, the economy development, and the social political relation are all the models of layers systematically repeated in every Indonesian government and each grows varied expressions including one in the form of cultural products. How does the power work and present in the art works or cultural institutions from time to time? How is the operation of power conflicted with the personal values of artists? How do the artists consume the power and manifest it in their art works consumed by public? How do these people make an interpretation on the political ideology ..( Read More )
DISTANCE UP CLOSE: THE ASIAN BIENNIALS……The situation for contemporary artists and curators in Indonesia remains hopeful, thanks to their own energies in organizing collectively and contributing to pan-Asian initiatives. An important and rewarding feature for me at the 2004 Shanghai Biennial was attending the international meeting of autonomous cultural centers held at the gallery BizArt just prior to the opening. It was like a mini art fair for small art centers and alternative spaces, with each collective presenting its projects and publications in booths made of cardboard. Like others before it, the occasion provided an opportunity for like-minded organizations working at the grass-roots level to share information. Cemeti Art House from Yogyakarta participated, as did Mercer Union from Toronto. It is at this level where international artistic dialogue is incubated, focused around shared positions but set against each collective’s local context….(read more : http://www.aapmag.com/features-1.html )
Fine arts community up in arms on morality bill
…..Indonesian artists have actually stood up against the FPI protest, but the support expressed by the artists had been sporadic and had not materialized into a solid and concerted movement. But, as the legislators are discussing the pornography bill, the incident has served as a lesson and triggered awareness among the Indonesian arts community ….( More )
CUBISM IN ASIA: UNBOUNDED DIALOGUES
Regional cubist artists come out of the box
…Cubism met with a mixed reception when it arrived in Asia, as it was considered, alternately, to be a reminder of Western cultural superiority or a pan-cultural visual language of modernity for newly independent countries. There was also the concern that Cubism, being born of a particular cultural, philosophical and scientific background in Europe, was an imported phenomenon not suited to the Asian worldview. Indeed, we can see in the exhibition examples where Cubism has been taken onboard without a full understanding of its underlying precepts. The Indonesian artist Handrio, for example, took the idea of “cubes” ridiculously literally in his depiction of the heads of musicians as square boxes in his painting Quartet…( More: http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/596/art.asp )
Or read:
Cubic Root :How Asians transformed a European movement (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11675825/site/newsweek/)
Multi-faceted Curator – The facet of Multi-culturalism
The role of the curator has expanded from simply being located in the arrangement of objects into a complex practice where multi-tasking is given full breadth of meaning. As a curator, the boundaries of one’s work is perhaps even arguably the attempt to defy its own definition, and view art practice from a different vantage, even its own…(more : http://www.culture-asef.org/english/txt/2006/curator_workshop )
Tobacco-Sustained Dreams for Visual Arts in Magelang
…Dr. Oei Hong Djien, renowned art collector and the proud owner of a private museum in Magelang, invited about 80 Indonesian artists to send in works to fill the 2,400 square meter hall, formerly a tobacco hangar, to liven up his son’s wedding reception. With art works of virtually every noted contemporary artist in this country, the wedding bash that went deep into the night was like the opening of a fantastic biennale for contemporary paintings and sculpture…( More )
Odyssey starts six-episode meditative paintings
Jakarta post. Features – October 16, 2006
Matdon, Contributor, Bandung
The success of his debut,Bio, at the French Cultural Center in Bandung some time ago led painter Aas Rukasa to launch his latest solo exhibition. Entitled Odyssey, the exhibition opened last month at the Hotel Gandasari, Bandung, as the first of six episodes scheduled to last from Sept. 25, 2006 to Aug. 25, 2007. Through this program, painting enthusiasts are invited to explore the various dimensions of his color-rich canvases that arouse individual imagination. Aas’ works reflect a process of his aesthetic and meditative struggle and assimilation in response to current issuesHis close friends describe the pictures as loaded with counsel, even with the psychological effect of soul healing.Those absorbed by the paintings of this 38-year-old graduate of the Bandung Institute of Technology are generally people interested in soul searching through meditation, as a means of transforming human awareness to access universal insight…( more )
Asian art show lights up UK
….Fukuoka set up its Asian Art Museum in 1999, and it was immediately acknowledged as one of the world’s best collections of contemporary Asian work.Now it has some 2000 exhibits from 21 nations and a policy of renewing its collection every three years…( More )
Re-Mapping Globalization through Third World Biennale
Albeit having garnered much criticism—along with, naturally, enthusiastic responses from the Indonesian art world—Jim Supangkat, Chief Curator for the CP Foundation, is optimistic for the second CP Biennale in Jakarta next September. The criticism he received as he held the CP Open Biennale 2003 was mainly about the selection system of the exhibited works. The second biennale, however, will be very different …(read : rifkyaap051.pdf )
RUANG PER RUANG: Spaced Out in Jogja
by Michelle Chin
Yogyakarta is simultaneously a centre of traditional Javanese culture and contemporary Indonesian art. Full gamelan orchestras create soundscapes from the past; classical and contemporary Javanese dancers exhibit beautiful control and poise; wayang kulit (shadow puppet) performances keep locals and visitors spellbound. It is as if the city itself has an extraordinary life force and captivating charm.Contemporary art has grown in the fertile soil of Yogyakarta’s sophisticated culture. The Indonesian Institute of Arts (ISI Yogyakarta) is an important centre of arts and Yogyakarta itself has given its name to an important school of modern and contemporary art in Indonesia. The Ruang per Ruang project in Yogyakarta showcases contemporary art in an alternative space…( Read More )
Hectic Indonesian Visual Arts 2005…In the early year, many art events like exhibitions to auctions focusing on charity programs and social themes to respond tsunami disaster hit Aceh by the end of 2004. From the data included, the tendency of exhibitions in 2005 was exhibiting art works of the young artists (young in terms of age). On some exhibitions like “Pra Bali Biennale” in Yogyakarta, and a series of exhibitions entitled “Omong Kosong” at Cemeti Art House intentionally had priority over young artists as the exhibition participants. From 222 exhibitions documented in Yogyakarta, 142 events were group exhibitions and the other 78 events were solo exhibitions. There were 87 exhibitions of paintings, 62 of visual arts, 13 of craft arts, 36 of photography, 5 of sculptures, installations, and three-dimensions),…(more : http://www.cemetiartfoundation.org/eng/profil_indonesia.htm )
LIE FHUNG’S VISIONS TAKE WING
Ceramics, as a form of art in Indonesia, dates back to the 1970s when the late Hilda Soemantri broke new ground while smashing a ceramic work to pieces and rearranging it as an installation that was the first of its kind in Indonesia. Lie Fhung’s installations of translucent porcelain wings in her current solo exhibition at CP Artspace may not carry that groundbreaking element, but there is a delicate subtlety that reminds one that she is among Indonesia’s foremost ceramic artists, and is dubbed “the Mother of Ceramic Art”…( More )
KARTINI DAY (April 21) this year was observed with overwhelming attention to the position of women vis-à-vis their rights and access to the country’s decision-making processes, and young women in the arts paid homage to Indonesia’s foremost heroine by taking their rightful place at the National Gallery. Titled “Women and the Dissemination of the Meaning of Space”, the exhibition was the first of its kind at the National Gallery and signifies the emergence of a new generation of women in contemporary art.
(more : http://eamusic.dartmouth.edu/~gamelan/javafred/rd_cb4.htm
FIONA TAN: The truth about human nature
The centrepiece of Fiona Tan’s first public gallery show in Britain is a project called Countenance, which takes its cue and follows on from the work of Sander. Tan, born in Indonesia and resident in Amsterdam, spent a year in Berlin photographing its people. She too is a photographer, but she is also a film-maker, and it is the fact that she exists on the cusp of the still and the moving image which makes this reprise of Sander so interesting because when human beings move any rigid attempt to categorise and define them begins to dissolve…( More )
Teguh Ostenrik shines in Singapore churches
When Teguh Ostenrik presented his “underwater” installation in the
early nineties, many saw him as a stunt maker. But those with a keen
eye were able to see his genius.Teguh’s exhibition of life-size sculptures depicting Christ’s passion and the Stations of the Cross, as well as terracotta etchings and paintings on the theme of Christ’s passion and resurrection, might
evoke similar views…( More )
Visual arts highlights of the year
The year 2004 will be remembered particularly for the emergence of the first-ever Indonesian art magazine, Visual Arts, which focuses on contemporary visual arts. Aimed at meeting the needs of the art community while evoking an interest in the arts for the “contemporary-art-ignorant”, its content covers a wide range of topics. (more: http://www.thejakartapost.com/yearender/feat01.asp )
Insight into Indonesia
….Revolution and then independence in the 60s resulted in only government-endorsed socialist art being allowed. With criticism becoming a dangerous stance, there was a rise in abstract work, which had previously been unpopular. Transindonesia may focus on more recent developments but these early legacies still linger just below the surface of much of the work. Since the fall of Suharto’s regime the socio-political commentary now common in Indonesian art has some uniquely sophisticated issues to explore….(more : http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/print.cfm?c_id=18&objectid=10010054 )
A Contemporary Cultural Olympics
As the Olympics returned to Greece, it came with a spirit that imbued the original Olympics as an act of homage to the gods. So what has become an arena for athletic excellence is being `refined’ by a meeting of world cultures. Indonesia therefore sent both athletes and Sanggar Seni Bajra Sadi, a traditional Balinese theater group, as well as artist Heri Dono, to participate in a multicultural performance…( More )
TRANSIT, 8 Views of Indonesia
by Francesca Berger , 2003
Transit, 8 views of Indonesia uses the new media of art video to explore globilization and the ever increasing movement of populations across physical and cultural borders, specifically Indonesia’s diasporic culture. The word ‘Transit’ is used here to describe contemporary culture as a continual ongoing process and crisscrossing discourse…( More )
Repetition, Deafening Din, Excess, and, Once Again, about the CP Open Biennale 2003
…The presentation of the CP Open Biennale 2003 (CPOB 2003) with the theme Interpellation at the Indonesian National Gallery through October 3, 2003, brings hope as well as concern. Hope ” because in the midst of a poverty of infrastructure for art in Indonesia, this activity brings form to the aspiration to develop a sustainable international art dialog and forum. The concern ” because when viewed from all aspects, this presentation and activities have turned out to have displayed a number of basis weaknesses, especially if we carefully and thoroughly analyze and compare the concept, the vision, and the curatorial goals of this exhibition with..
(more: http://www.biennale.cp-artspace.com/2003/media01.html )
Video Art Festival, the first of its kind
July 07, 2003
This week, Galeri Nasional in Central Jakarta will not be the same place as you may have imagined before, at least from the public perspective.Expect a room full of TV screens or walls reflecting huge images, like walking through a TV shop with loads of displays, as the Jakarta Video Art Festival goes on air. The main exhibition hall is divided into four different rooms with themed video art on politics, mass culture, private/public space and body/identity….(more : http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20030707.R01 )
Moving stories from Tino Van Dijk’s family portraits
by Farah Wardani , Jakarta Post
Between 1973 and 1983, a child exodus occurred in Indonesia, whereby a great number of Indonesian babies and children were taken by adoptive parents from foreign countries, mostly the Netherlands. These children were given away by their biological parents for many reasons, from escaping social and cultural restrictions for having an illegitimate child, to purely economic motives…. (more) or download : movingstoriesfromtino.pdf
Bandung artists explore the physique
…..The other three are Arin Dwihartanto, 25, Gusbarlian Lubis, 31, a graduate of the School of Fine Arts and Design, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), and Rudi St Darma, 38, a graduate of Bandung Teachers’ Training Institute – now being exhibited at Galeri Lontar in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta…. ( More )
