2003, a dynamic year for visual arts

2003, a dynamic year for visual arts

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta

The year 2003 may well enter history as one of the most dynamic
in terms of visual arts. At the same time, it also deserves to be
called the year of the private sector in the arts.

Marked by at least four events that sought to bring a new wind
into the world of art, it saw private individuals and collectors
invest large amounts of their own money into the development of
the visual arts.

If collectors had their own private agenda in the past, this
year they saw the light and, breaking out of the limited desires
of personal preferences, followed a greater vision for
art.

Arguably, the CP Open Biennale, announced in January and held
in September 2003, set the tone. The first of its kind
in Indonesia -- pluralistic, national plus and arranged through
private finance and organization, it aimed to place Indonesia on
the international map of fine arts, with curator Jim Supangkat
launching a new concept -- "Art with an Accent" -- and collector-
cum-entrepreneur Djie Tjianan sponsoring the event out of his own
pocket.

Whether it can be considered a success remains to be seen, but
while there was severe criticisms in regards the quality of the
exhibited pieces, the public raved over the event as a whole for
setting the scene for unusual dynamics and expectations.

In the wake of this event came the Yogyakarta Biennale, not
comparable on an equal scale because of its being restricted to
the Yogya sphere, but noteworthy in itself and evoking heated
discussions on its curator's vision and selection process. The
virtually installations-only event was made possible by the
private purse and lots of goodwill.

The Philip Morris Awards returned as the Indonesian Asian Art
Awards (IAAA) and now a biannual event, to select the five best
works for the regional art competition in 2004.

Increasingly prominent, the Indofood Awards this year stood
out by making selections based on the actual work, and not on the
basis of portfolio pictures only.

Interestingly, apart from the Yogya Biennale's orientation
toward installation art, the CP Open Biennale, the IAAA and the
Indofood Awards shared the same vision of aesthetic pluralism and
included photography, hanging installations and what would
usually be categorized as crafts in their exhibit line-up.

An artist of note in the last genre is I Made Sujana (Suklu),
who evolved from basketry in the CP Open Biennale to mixed media
-- looking like craft transposed on canvas -- for both the IAAA
and Indofood Awards.

Likewise, Yusra Martunus, who created hanging installations of
aluminum forms arranged in seemingly monotonous, repetitive rows
along an entire canvas, made an impression at both the CP-OB and
IAAA.

Gender-wise, works by women artists tended to be very strong,
with outstanding pieces by Yani Mariani Sastranegara, whose
stirring stone installation left an enduring impression on
whoever gazed upon it; Astari Rasjid, whose heavy iron sculpture
of an incised bag reflected the current human condition;
Arahmaiani, who made a simple but telling video about
disappearing love; and Mella Jaarsma's down-to-earth installation
capturing the most pertinent issues facing mankind across the
world at the CP-OB.

Among the best five at the IAAA was Ayu Arista Murti, with her
conspicuous digital photographic work, while the Yogya Biennale
showed Mella Jaarsma's stirring pieces, Sekar Jatiningrum's
beautiful drawings and Bunga Jeruk's clever way of creating mood
and atmosphere in her installations.

Meanwhile, although the Women Art exhibition organized by
Institut Ungu may not have been significant in terms of quality,
it revealed a growing dynamic among women artists and sculptors,
spreading to cities outside Jakarta.

Likewise, the first-ever Indonesian women photographers'
exhibition was a clear sign of the changing times and trends.

An increasing openness and acceptance in public opinion marked
the first exhibition of gay photographers here.

While the market-oriented trend of previous years seems to
have subsided, this does not mean such orientation was overtaken
by pure idealistic visions -- as was evident from Agus Suwage's
controversial solo exhibition, in which the work to be displayed
sold out before the exhibition opened. This was also evident in
the fervor of the association of Indonesian sculptors (API), who
desire a slice of the art scene mostly consumed by painters, and
of other non-painter artists, as revealed in the catalogs of
auction houses like Larasati.

But commercialism need not exclude benevolent, idealistic
actions in the name of art development. Local collector and
entrepreneur Tjahyadi Kumala, for instance, had a desire to share
the wealth of his personal collection -- and thus established the
Art Retreat in Singapore this year, the first private museum
featuring a collection of 1,500 pieces, including those by
Indonesian masters.

The only notable Indonesian auction house, Larasati, which is
fast becoming Sotheby's match in Singapore, works along a vision
for establishing Indonesian art within the Asian and Asia-Pacific
realms.

Meanwhile, a group of Indonesian collectors saw the need to
improve their knowledge of genuine art, and founded the Indonesia
Art Lovers' Association (ASPI), which offers workshops and
lectures with prominent speakers on art and art development. It
is also in the process of publishing an art magazine.

A very encouraging sign also came from the malls, with Plaza
Senayan and Plaza Indonesia giving due attention to familiarizing
the public with works of Indonesia's foremost contemporary visual
artists.

The ripples of these great dynamics spread beyond the national
borders, as Indonesians were also active abroad. After a long
absence, the Indonesian pavilion appeared again at the Venice
Biennale, while Heri Dono's conspicuous painting The Trojan Cow
appeared among the works of international artists at the
Arsenale.

Individually or in a group, our artists went international,
with the last group of the year exhibiting at the 18th
International Art Exhibition in Hong Kong.

While Indonesian artists made a name abroad, foreign artists
were no less active in Indonesia. For instance, the Russian
Contemporary Artists exhibition introduced the Indonesian public
to the splendors of Russian Realism bordering on
Surrealism.

Chinese artists also continued to mesmerize the public, as in
"From China with Art", an exhibition presenting the works of 16
contemporary Chinese artists and a stunning depth of meaning and
philosophy. Likewise -- but of yet another genre -- were the
works of Shi Hu, whose traditional roots were tangible in pieces
marked by a touch of the poetic and the grotesque, the absurd and
the ambience of mystical fairy tales.

Last, but not least, four Chinese avant-garde artists gave the
CP-OB a necessary boost, exposing a unique way of translating
traditional knowledge and critique into the world of art.

As the year closes, many may ponder the extraordinary
artistic, aesthetic and genre-related dynamics of the year. Will
this newfound joie de art continue into the next year?

Let's just wait and see.