Ubud and Batuan paintings need proper appreciation<\/p>\n
By Amir Sidharta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): What do you expect from exhibitions? A museum
\nexhibition should contain an element of muse. It should provide a
\nmeditative or contemplative mood for a visitor. A visitor should
\nbe able to walk out of an exhibition and feel like he or she has
\nlearnt something new, acquired a different insight into a certain
\nsubject matter, or at best achieved an enlightenment on life.<\/p>\n
Visitors to the exhibition of Ubud and Batuan paintings at the
\nBentara Budaya need not expect much in terms of acquiring new
\nwisdom. The show was a mere display of works by 80 painters.
\nAlthough many were brilliantly executed, the exhibition does
\nlittle to draw people to the works, and much less to provide
\ninformation about the significance of the painters.<\/p>\n
Not one interpretive label appears in the exhibit. There are
\nonly labels that tell you the title of a painting, the artist's
\nname and the dimensions of the work. There is not even any
\nindication as to the origins of the artist. Visitors are left to
\nwonder if the works they are viewing are done by a painter from
\nUbud or Batuan.<\/p>\n
Enlarged photographs of the highly publicized Ida Bagus Made
\nand Ida Bagus Belawa of Tebesaya, I Made Gatra of Pengosekan, and
\nI Dewa Nyoman Tjita of Batuan are displayed in the center of the
\nexhibition, as if they are the focal point of the show. However,
\nonce again, the photographs are not accompanied by any kind of
\ninformation about these prominent figures in the Ubud artistic
\nscene. It is uncertain why their portraits were presented with
\nsuch reverence.<\/p>\n
If anything, this display of photographs is misleading, if not
\nconfusing. It suggests that Ida Bagus Made is among the artist
\nwhose works is on display. In fact, none of his work can be found
\nin the show.<\/p>\n
An essay by Ipong Purnama Sidhi in the catalog accompanying
\nthe exhibition delineates the general development of Balinese
\nart, but only devotes a brief discussion about the role of the
\nexhibiting Ubud and Batuan artists in the development. Hence,
\nalbeit quite impressive, the essay contributes little to the
\nexhibition.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the show can only be seen as nothing more than an
\nincoherent display of works by Ubud and Batuan artists. What you
\nsee is what you get. And that's about it!<\/p>\n
Support<\/p>\n
Since 1970 Kompas, according Bentara Budaya Executive Director
\nGM Sudarta, as written in the foreword to the catalog, has
\nsupported the development of art in Ubud, Bali, by means of
\ndistributing paints, paint brushes and canvases, and by buying
\nand collecting the artists' works. Many of the works of masters
\nsuch as Anak Gunung Gede Sobrat, Ida Bagus Made, and I Gusti
\nKetut Kobot are currently maintained in the collection of the
\nKompas' Bentara Budaya.<\/p>\n
Presently, Kompas continues to support young artist from Bali.
\n\"Apart from providing them with painting implements, we also
\noften exhibit their works, so that their expression of ideas and
\nfeelings can be communicated and interact with the public,\"
\nSudarta adds.<\/p>\n
The intent is indeed noble. However, perhaps one of the
\nproblems of the show is that there seems to be no attempt of
\nselection. This indiscriminate display of 170 works by 80 artists
\nbecomes overbearing. There are simply too many images for a
\nviewer to appreciate. In the end, viewers will no longer remember
\nthe images they liked.<\/p>\n
Presenting a smaller selection of works would better serve the
\npurpose of exhibiting. After all, less is more. And in this case,
\nI am sure that Gropius is right.<\/p>\n
Lack of selection seems to be the rule rather than the
\nexception in art exhibitions in large cities in Indonesia. There
\nseems to be a general need to present quality in guise of the
\nlack of quality.<\/p>\n
Apart from that, there is also a tendency to treat exhibitions
\nas marketplaces. When I asked students at the Jakarta Institute
\nfor the Arts why people go to exhibitions, the common responses
\nwere \"to see the methods of the exhibiting artist\", \"to learn\",
\nor \"to enjoy\". But one student answered jokingly \"to collect\".
\nAh, I forgot about that! Of course, some people do go to
\nexhibitions with the intention of buying works of art.<\/p>\n
It seems that this exhibition is also meant to be a
\nmarketplace to sell the works of the Ubud and Batuan artists.
\nSudarta's statement confirms this intention. \"For a newspaper
\nlike Kompas, the minimal support that can be provided to the
\npainters are in the form of reportage or review. But the most
\nrealistic aid is to buy their works,\" he adds.<\/p>\n
The works exhibited are for sale, with price tags that range
\nfrom Rp 200,000 to amounts that are by no means modest. The most
\nexpensive painting is priced Rp 20 million.<\/p>\n
I doubt that the most realistic support we can provide to
\nyoung emerging artists is to encourage people to buy their works
\nwithout the appreciation of their artistic value. How
\nsuperficial. To the contrary, in the long run, such an approach
\nmay prove detrimental to a painter's artistic career. Without an
\nactual appreciation of the works, a buyer will have no true
\ninterest in the paintings. It will only be a matter of time until
\nthe buyer will forget about them.<\/p>\n
What I am sure exhibitions need, is sound interpretation which
\ncan offer viewers the means to further appreciate the art works
\npresented. Although the exhibition was also intended to heighten
\npublic appreciation for Balinese art, nothing has been done to
\nachieve this goal.<\/p>\n
The exhibition should be able to inform the public about the
\nsignificance of Ubud and Batuan paintings in the context of
\nBalinese art and Indonesian art. It should have enabled its
\nviewers to see that there is a difference between Batuan and Ubud
\npainting styles, and even help them to distinguish between the
\ntwo. Or the show could have evinced that difference. The
\nexhibition could also have offered some answers as to why this
\ndifference exists, if it in fact does. Instead the show is
\nactually a gross over-generalization.<\/p>\n
The show also could have identified the outstanding works and
\nthe reason for this distinction. It could have and should have
\nnoted the artistic accomplishments of I Wayan Rajin of Batuan,
\nfor example, and evaluated his works in the context of Balinese
\nart.<\/p>\n
The show could also have been a great opportunity to introduce
\nlesser known painters such as I Made Sadru of Tebesaya. Although
\na few works of this artist is shown, a panel of words would help
\ndirect a stray visitor who has become lost in the ocean of
\npaintings.<\/p>\n
An analysis about how female artists such as Ni Wayan Warti,
\nNi Nyoman Remin and Ni Wayan Ratiani fare in the world of art in
\nUbud and Batuan, could have been an interesting section in the
\nexhibit. Last but not least, what could be expected from young
\npainters such as I Wayan Supartha and I Nyoman Murdana could also
\nhave been included in the exhibition.<\/p>\n
Visitors to the exhibition should be offered the insight of
\nthe curator in observing the works of art. The exhibition should
\nmention how the curator perceives I Wayan Pendet's depiction of a
\nform of an elephant composed of intertwined figures forming the
\nvarious parts of the creature. After viewing the show, viewers
\nshould be able to say, \"Oh yes, I see! \" and \"Isn't that
\nwonderful\".<\/p>\n
In conclusion, the exhibition of Traditional Balinese
\nPaintings in the Ubud and Batuan style offers not much more than
\nwhat is presented in any art shop in Bali. The organizers missed
\na great opportunity to stage what could have become a quite
\ninteresting and even significant show.<\/p>\n
Frankly, unless really outstanding works of paintings comprise
\na show, it is impossible to expect viewers to truly connect to
\nthe paintings. Kompas and Bentara Budaya are capable of
\npresenting the best of exhibitions, so there is no reason for
\nthem to present mediocre shows.<\/p>\n
We can and should start to dismiss exhibitions which do not
\nhave much to say as boring and worthless. An exhibition should
\nfirst give its viewers the means of observing and appreciating
\nthe works of art that are displayed. After an appreciation of the
\nartistic works has been fostered, the commercial value of the
\nworks would emerge as an inevitable by-product. If a buyer is
\nexpected to pay Rp 20 million for a painting, he or she should
\nknow why it is worth that much.<\/p>",
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