Biennale Jogja expresses concern over the city's heritage<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post\/Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Biennale Jogja 2005, Yogyakarta's biggest visual art event,
\nkicked off last week with a focus on the preservation of the
\ncity's heritage sites, which are disappearing at an alarming rate
\nand a call to preserve them for the benefit of the people and
\nfuture generations.<\/p>\n
As such, instead of taking place at only one venue as was
\nalways the case previously, it is now taking place at 14
\ndifferent heritage sites throughout the historical city of
\nYogyakarta.<\/p>\n
The sites range from the sacred to the profane, from a study
\nor office to a cultural site or tourist resort, which are in the
\nmain between 50 years to 100 years old.<\/p>\n
Among them are the compound of the ancient grand mosque of
\nMasjid Agung in Kotagede and St. Yusuf Church in Bintaran, the
\nold cigar factory PD Tarumartani, Benteng Vredeburg Museum, Sagan
\nneighborhood and Nitiprayan cultural village.<\/p>\n
\"We have the dream that someday artworks will become the
\nheritage sites,\" one of the biennale's curators Mikke Susanto
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Another curator of the biennale, Eko Prawoto, said that an art
\nevent indeed needed to be linked to the life of the city, which
\nwas currently facing a clash between tradition and modernism that
\nhad become a fight between the opposing sides for the city's
\npublic spaces.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta, according to Eko, is just like any other city in
\nthe world in terms of heritage preservation. The intensive
\nphysical development that the city is experiencing is happening
\nat the cost of its precious heritage sites.<\/p>\n
\"Some of the old buildings that have a significant
\ncontribution to the city's history are now just history,\" said
\nEko, who is also an architect and a lecturer at Yogyakarta-based
\nDuta Wacana Christian University.<\/p>\n
Unless something is done about it, he said, the city would
\nexperience what he called cultural amnesia. The city would lose
\nits roots for cultural development.<\/p>\n
\"Art, in this case, can function to open people's awareness.
\nThrough an art event we can reintroduce our tradition to the
\nyounger generation so that they can learn something from the
\npast,\" Eko said.<\/p>\n
Some of the 118 individual and group works of both domestic
\nand international artists participating in the biennale themed:
\nDi Sini dan Kini (Here and Now), indeed give a clear message.<\/p>\n
Installation work The Last Stars in the Night (2005) by
\nCanadian artist Deborah J Nolan is an example.<\/p>\n
Comprising of a main installation (90 x 90 centimeters square,
\nprinted map with lights, acrylic, silver paint) and street
\ninstallations (boxes of 13 x 9.5 x 7.5 centimeters each with
\nacrylic, battery-run lights, mixed media), the work carries a
\nmessage for the public to appreciate Yogyakarta's cultural
\nheritage.<\/p>\n
The boxes are installed in 40 different spots throughout
\nYogyakarta that represent the city's cultural icons such as
\ntraditional street eatery angkringan, traditional house, and the
\nnatural heritage of the rare Tanjung trees.<\/p>\n
According to the artist, her work explores the issue of
\nheritage by forming particular constellations of stars, namely
\nSagittarius (the archer) and Corona Australis (the constellation
\nof finding the meaning of life).<\/p>\n
Each of the boxes carries a different statement or question
\nthat are actually a call to think about the respective heritage
\nsites that are neither monumental nor written in textbooks on
\nIndonesian history, and how history has been recorded through the
\nsite.<\/p>\n
\"It is our consciousness of the past and now that will inspire
\nand help us act responsibly for the future,' wrote Nolan about
\nher work.<\/p>\n
Another example comes from the works of Dutch artist Frank van
\nden Ham that are exhibited at the hall of the Dutch cultural
\ncenter Karta Pustaka Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Comprising of two pieces of glassworks, the artworks are meant
\nto remind people of the importance of looking back at the past to
\nproceed to the future.<\/p>\n
\"If we are smart, we will always look back at the past. There
\nis always something that we can learn from the past,\" Van den Ham
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Officially opened by wayang artist Sigit Sukasman, who was
\nawarded the 2005 lifetime achievement award by the biennale's
\norganizing committee, Biennale Jogja 2005 will run until Dec. 22.<\/p>\n
Chairwoman of the organizing committee Anggi Minarni said the
\ncommittee initially received 312 proposals of works for the
\nbiennale and had also invited 70 foreign artists to take part in
\nthe event.<\/p>\n
However, after selection by the biennale's team of three
\ncurators (the other curator is Dwi Marianto of the Indonesian
\nInstitute of the Arts Yogyakarta), only 118 individual and group
\nvisual art works were selected to be exhibited.<\/p>\n
They comprise 32 paintings, 25 installation works and 23
\nsculptures. The rest are performance arts, textile works, video
\nart, ceramic works, graphic art, graphic designs, public art,
\ndigital printed arts, a photo work, and a glasswork.<\/p>\n
A series of supporting discussions and performances involving
\npeople of various backgrounds are also being held to make the
\nbiennale more meaningful to the community.<\/p>\n
Foreign participating artists come from Japan, Canada,
\nLiechtenstein, Australia, Malaysia and the Netherlands. National
\nparticipants are from Yogyakarta, Bali, Jakarta, West Java,
\nCentral Java, East Java, and Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
Biennale Jogja was first held in 1988. This year's is the 8th.
\nThe previous biennials were held in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1999,
\nand 2003.<\/p>\n
There was no biennale held in 2001. This was mostly due to the
\neconomic crisis and the implementation of a new government
\nregulation on regional autonomy that changed the structural
\nposition of the government institution Taman Budaya Yogyakarta
\n(TBY) cultural center that was tasked with organizing the event.<\/p>\n
TBY had taken the main role as the organizer of the biennale
\nup until 1999. However, since 2003 it has played the role of
\nfacilitator.<\/p>",
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