Ancol Art Market loses its color as affordable artistic place

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.