A rich year for exhibitions, sales and auctions

A rich year for exhibitions, sales and auctions

JAKARTA (JP): The following is a list of art activities and a
brief commentary. Unless otherwise noted, most of the events were
held in Jakarta.

In January, a handful of artists, including Teguh Ostenrik,
showed their works at Cemeti Gallery in Yogyakarta. On Jan. 10,
artist Kaboel Suadi presented his Sketches from West Berlin 1968-
1969 at Galeri Kafe Cemara 6. Russian-born artist Yuri Gorbachev,
known for his Russian icon-like paintings, appeared in Jakarta
for the third time with paintings inspired by Bali and Balinese
icons. Otto Djaya, a member of Persagi, the first art association
in Indonesia established in 1938, exhibited paintings full of wit
and character. On Jan. 20, the opening of the Singapore Art
Museum was marked by the Modernity and Beyond exhibition, which
highlighted a century of art in Singapore and Southeast Asian
art.

The latter show included works by many Indonesian
artists. Also in January, a van der Sterren exhibition was held
at the Darga Fine Arts Gallery.

In February, Paul Husner presented his painting exhibition
Indonesian Memories at the Erasmus Huis. On Feb. 8 and Feb. 9,
Christie's held its first charity auction in Indonesia, with the
auction of the estate of banker Adrian Noe. The sale, which
included works by Walter Spies, Donald Friend, Affandi and other
painters, as well as antiques, fetched US$1.7 million. Pandu also
had show at the Darga Fine Arts Gallery.

In March, Hedi Haryanto mounted installations at Cemeti
Gallery in Yogyakarta. On March 31, Raden Saleh's Deer Hunt at
Christie's auction of Southeast Asian Paintings in Singapore,
sold for a hammer price of S$2.8 million, a record for a Raden
Saleh. The paintings by foreign artists who worked in Indonesia,
such as Hofker and Le Mayeur, also fetched high prices. Dadang
Christanto's installation 1001 Earthen Men was set up at Ancol
Beach, North Jakarta, while Sudaryono showed his works at the
Darga Fine Arts Gallery.

In April, Galeri Kafe Cemara 6 featured sketches of the late
painter Nashar. April 12, Syahnagra exhibited his paintings,
watercolors and etchings at Taman Ismail Marzuki. On April 20,
young artist Belinda Rosalina exhibited her works at the Holiday
Inn Hotel. April 25 Galeri Linggar opened with an exhibition
called East Meets West. On April 30 Widayat 77 opened at Galeri
Santi. The exhibition, which included the productive artist's
most recent works, celebrated his 77th birthday.

In May, an exhibition of works by Austrian artist Emil Rizek,
who painted for a short period of time in Indonesia, was
exhibited at Duta Fine Art Gallery. On May 4, painters Nasirun
and Putu Sutawijaya exhibited together at the Bentara Budaya in
Yogyakarta. On May 10, young artists Acep Zamzam Noor and Diyanto
exhibited together at Taman Ismail Marzuki. On May 10,
Galeri Lontar opened its doors with an exhibition of the drawings
and silkscreens of artist Firman. On May 12, a small exhibition
of Guruh's paintings was held at Puri Fatmawati.

Also in May, painter Nyoman Gunarsa displayed Women in the
paintings of Nyoman at Galeri Santi, Jakarta. He presented many
expressive works, but some critics were anxious to see entirely
new images from this artist.

Bali Art Festival

In June, numerous art exhibitions and festivals were held
around the country. On June 8, the Bali Art Festival opened at
Taman Budaya in Denpasar, Bali. The Agung Rai Museum of Art also
opened in Ubud, Bali. This monumental museum offers a display of
the development of Indonesian art through the collections of
young art entrepreneurs.

Another significant art festival, and a sale of paintings, was
held in Yogyakarta from June until July.

Works by young artists including Erica Hestu Wahyuni, Eddie
Hara, Arifien, Juni A. Wulandari, Faizal, Entang Wiharso, Salim
M. and Tresna Suryawan were shown together in an exhibition at
the Jakarta Fair in Kemayoran.

In June, painter Yanuar Ernawati exhibited at the Galeri Kafe
Cemara 6. Her paintings, which are rich in symbolism, were well-
received in the intellectual circles of Jakarta.

An Affandi and Family exhibition was held this month at The
Regent. The show featured the works of Affandi, his wife
Maryati and his daughters Kartika and Rukmini.

On June 21, the Japan Foundation sponsored Asian Modernism,
which focused on the development of modern art in the
Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

On June 28, 20 painters, including Awiki, Benny Setiawan,
Hening Purnamawati, Marah Djibal, Narko Hanjaya, Sihong and
Suyadi, showed their works at the Hotel Radisson.

In July, the Indonesian Fine Arts Foundation displayed the
winners of the Philip Morris Indonesian Art Awards 1996 at the
ASEAN Secretariat building. Agus Suwage, Agung Kurniawan, Chusin
Setiadikara, Hening Purnamawati, and Sugeng Restuadi were award
recipients.

Also in July, Tisna Sanjaya's etchings and drypoints were
featured at Galeri Lontar.

August was the month of hectic art festivals.

On Aug. 9, the Neka Museum in Ubud, Bali, held an exhibition
celebrating the golden anniversary of the National Police. The
exhibition featured works by Balinese, Indonesian and foreign
artists working in Bali.

On Aug. 14, the Yayasan Seni Rupa Indonesia held another
successful auction, which brought in Rp 2.6 billion.

On Aug. 22, a member of the Jakarta Arts Council, M. Sulebar
Sukarman, exhibited his diverse works at Galeri Ardiyanto in
Yogyakarta.

On Aug. 28, an art exhibition of artists from Jakarta,
Yogyakarta and Bali were displayed at the Monas exhibition hall.

No less important were exhibitions by Balinese children at the
Erasmus Huis in Jakarta, Suyatna's ceramic exhibition at Galeri
Lontar and an exhibition by the Association of Indonesian
Watercolorists at the Ministry of Education and Culture's fine
art gallery.

September started out with a painting exhibition by senior
artist Rusli. The artist's minimalist paintings and watercolors
were presented in an intimate exhibition at Taman Ismail Marzuki.
Rusli comes from the same generation as other Indonesian
pioneers of modern art such as Affandi, S. Sudjojono and Hendra
Gunawan.

An exhibition of Iriantine Karnaya, which was said to be the
first solo show of an Indonesian female sculptor in Indonesia,
enriched the local art world.

On Sept. 10, photography, watercolors and etchings by German
artist WOLS (1913-1951) was exhibited at Taman Ismail Marzuki. An
exhibition of painters Nana Banna, Popo Iskandar and Yus Rusamsi
opened at Galeri Nusantara on Sept. 12.

The Third Asia-Pacific Triennial, held at the Queensland
Gallery of Art in Brisbane, featured Indonesian artists Agus
Suwage, Anusapati, Arahmaiani, Marintan Sirait and Nindityo
Adipurnomo.

In October, works by Indonesian artists received international
recognition. In early October, Sotheby's and Christie's held
their auctions of Asian art on two consecutive days in Singapore.

On Oct. 4, Contemporary Art in Asia: Traditions/Tensions
opened at the Asia Society in New York. The ongoing show
features, among others, Indonesian artists Arahmaiani, Dadang
Christianto, Harsono, Heri Dono, Nindityo Adipurnomo and Wayan
Bendi.

The 23rd Bienal Internacional de Sao Paulo in Brazil included
works by artists Marintan Sirait and Heri Dono of Indonesia.

Oct. 28 and Oct. 29, Glerum and Christie's held auctions
in Amsterdam.

In Jakarta, exhibitions by Made Wianta, Bonny Setiawan, Mas
Dibyo, Bagong Kussudiardjo, the 34 women painters grouped in
Seniwati Gallery in Ubud, Bali, as well as Parvathi Nayar Narayan
enlivened the local art scene.

A special exhibit displaying Jusuf Wanandi's impressive
collection of paintings at the CSIS building was a big
attraction.

In November, an exhibition of society's contribution to
painting marked the 20th anniversary of the Museum Seni Rupa
Jakarta.

On Nov. 15, paintings by Chinese artist Wu Guanzhong were
auctioned, fetching US$2.23 million. Proceeds of the auction went
to the Bimantara Foundation.

On Nov. 12, an exhibition of four sculptors -- Edith Ratna,
Dolorosa Sinaga, Iriantine Karnaya, Anusapati and
Pintor Sirait -- was opened at The Regent.

On Nov. 14, Gregorius Sidharta Soegiyo exhibited his paintings
and sketches, and his brother Paul Gutama Soegiyo performed his
music at the CSIS Building.

On Nov. 20, Biennale X was opened at Taman Ismail Marzuki. The
exhibition displayed works by young and established artists from
around Indonesia.

On Nov. 22, an exhibition of works by disabled painters
organized by the Indonesian Fine Arts Foundation was staged at
the ASEAN secretariat.

The Sudjana Kerton retrospective was also opened on the same
day in Jakarta. This exhibition displayed the painter's works
since 1949, his brief European experience, works painted during
his life in the United States, and his witty observation of life
back in Indonesia, where he died in 1994.

Apin's paintings

In December, Mochtar Apin's paintings of women at Galeri Kafe
Cemara 6 marked the opening of the gallery's extension. The Apin
exhibition traced the entire artistic development of the artist.

On Dec. 15, Biennale X closed with an auction of some of the
exhibited works. Proceeds from the sale went to a fund that will
support future biennials.

On Dec. 17, Galeri Saraswati was opened, adding yet
another facility for fine art in Jakarta.

Art activities slowed down during the Ramadhan fasting month
around February. The art scene never really picked up until
Christie's auction at the end of March.

After the record breaking sale of Raden Saleh's Deer Hunt,
art activity picked up. The two galleries that opened were Galeri
Linggar at the end of April and Galeri Lontar in May. Galeri
Sarawati will open soon. Exhibitions increased in quantity; every
week at least one art exhibition opened in Jakarta, and there
were a couple of times that more than three openings happened on
the same day. While some artist's works showed progress, the
quality of art still needs to be improved.

This year in particular witnessed the advancement of three
trends, which are certainly indicative of the development of
schools of artistic thought. These can be seen particularly in
the works by artists from Yogyakarta.

The works of Eddie Hara, Erica Hestu Wahyuni, Juni Wulandari,
Faizal seem to be derived from children's drawing, and are akin
to what I call the "Yogya Wayang Painting" style propagated by
Heri Dono.

The second trend coming out of Yogya can be seen in the
painting of Entang Wiharso, Nasirun, as well as a group of
Balinese painters who studied in Yogyakarta. Made Sumadiyasa,
Made Sukadana, Made Sukari paint in an incredibly dynamic style,
while their images appear rather gruesome and morbid. I call this
the "Depressive Expressive" style of Indonesian painting. The
paintings of Frans Najira are also reminiscent of the style.

The third trend seems to be propagated by Agus Suwage, as well
as Yogyakarta artists Agung Kurniawan and Hanura Hosea. They
present caricature like figures with a certain cynicism in their
outlook toward the current political situation in Indonesia. The
images presented in their paintings remind one of Matt Groenig's
Bart Simpson. This I call the "Cynical Cartoon" trend in
Indonesian painting.

Certainly these trends did not develop out of the blue in
1996, but there seems to be a clear sign that they are starting
to become recognized as styles in Indonesian art. We will see if
they endure in 1997.

Next year, regardless of the outcome of the general election,
we can expect another increase in the amount of art activities in
Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Bali as well as other major
centers in Indonesia. I suspect that we will see more local
auctions to be held, as well as the appearance of fakes and
questionable paintings. The general public will be
more aware about art appreciation and start to become more
selective and cautious in buying. Auction houses operating in
Singapore will notice a shortage of good Indonesian paintings,
while a few exceptional pieces may appear on the auction market.
Hopefully they will start to realize that they should start to
promote and market Indonesian art, and not only art about
Indonesia.

The intellectual community in Indonesia and around the world
may use the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Persagi, the
Indonesian art association which was established by Sudjojono and
his friends in 1937, to introduce Indonesia to the art world.
Many more publications on Indonesian art are due to be published.
By next year, Indonesian art will become more recognized
internationally.

-- Amir Sidharta