Ancol Art Market loses its color as affordable artistic place

Leony Aurora , Jakarta

The Art Market in Ancol Dreamland Park, North Jakarta, looks the same as it did when it opened on Feb. 28, 1975. Trees still shade the pathways and numerous stalls offer handicrafts, paintings and sculptures.

However, the market no longer lives up to its reputation as an artists' community, where the public can watch artists at work, as observed by The Jakarta Post. Only three painters and sculptors were at work on Saturday. A handful of visitors were seen browsing through the stalls in the area and most seemed to be more interested in the food stalls than the art shops.

"Visitors are supposed to be able to watch us at work, so they can better appreciate art," said Ruseno, a painter who has rented a kiosk there since 1977.

Artists pay Rp 110,000 (US$12.36) a month for a stall, measuring 3.5 meters by 3.5 meters, far lower than the Rp 600,000 a month paid by entrepreneurs for the same sized kiosk.

Now, many painters prefer to work at home and only use their kiosks as a showroom, Ruseno said as he skillfully put finishing touches on a painting of Mount Merapi in Central Java.

Another reason why the art community there has scaled down is the mushrooming galleries in the capital. "Naturally, people go to places closer to them," he said.

Back in the old days, the art market and Taman Ismail Marzuki art center in Central Jakarta were the only places where people could enjoy music and art.

Windra, 31, remembers going to the Ancol swimming pool and art market every Sunday with his parents and siblings in the 1980s. "The market had a crowded and lively atmosphere. I'd watch Krakatau or Karimata on the open stage," he said, referring to two jazz groups that ruled the era. "My mom would enjoy shadow puppet shows in the evening."

The stage was set up with drums and a sound system on Saturday for a performance after the sun came down. "But people prefer the dangdut show on Bende beach more," said Ruseno.

For the young, the absence of music dimmed the otherwise pleasant atmosphere in the market. "It's cool and pleasant, but it's too expensive just for window shopping," said Novalina, a first-year student of SMA 215 state high school in Cilincing, North Jakarta, who visited the park on a school field trip.

A ticket to enter the park for an adult is Rp 8,500 while a car is charged Rp 10,000.

Samirin, the school art teacher who supervised the annual trip, said students used to buy an art work as a souvenir. "But it's too expensive now," he said, referring to a small wooden cigarette box with a Rp 25,000 price tag.

Asyali, 38, a shopkeeper who also does wood carving, said the prices for wood sculptures in his shop were already low.

Before the monetary crisis in 1997, his 64-square-meter shop had a turnover of Rp 35 million a month, mostly from foreign tourists from Japan, Korea or Taiwan. "They stopped coming after the crisis," said Asyali. The shop's average turnover now stands at Rp 4 million a month.

"My boss has closed four of eight kiosks that he used to have here," said Asyali. "We only see customers on Saturday evenings and Sundays."

According to Ruseno, the art market was never meant to be a profitable enterprise. With the current prices and management, the Ancol Art Market appears doomed to be left behind in favor of other attractions in the capital.