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