Art galleries more than just storage houses

Art galleries more than just storage houses

Bambang Asrini Widjanarko, Contributor, Jakarta

Art galleries are no longer just places to stock paintings or
other artwork. Numerous art events -- exhibitions of painting,
photography, sculptures, installations and other new media art --
are frequently held at galleries as the venues.

It is interesting to see how these thriving galleries operate
and how they try to contribute to the development of art here.

When considering the many art galleries, the first one that
comes across the mind must be the Galeri Nasional, which is
located on Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur in Central Jakarta.

Recently, this (supposedly) prestigious national gallery has
been receiving criticism from local mass media.

The criticism is mostly over the fact that their activities
are considered woefully inadequate in promoting art appreciation.

Sculptor Dicky Tjanda, the gallery's new director, explains
that, "Galeri Nasional is under the Ministry of Tourism and
Culture. It is run by government bureaucrats, so the whole policy
is merely to further the government's agenda."

Dicky said that despite its limited budget, Galeri Nasional
should still be able to change for the better by making better
use of the available staff to fix the weak art programs planned
at the gallery.

Dicky, who also lectures at the University of Makassar,
conceded that some improvements have been planned for the coming
years, including broadening its network with overseas galleries
and also updating the online service of the gallery.

"We can offer mutual cooperation with overseas art
institutions and review the old curatorial system by picking the
committed curators for our programs," he said.

Dicky also hopes the gallery will someday be able to function
as an art education venue for citizens, by working together with
the private sector in publishing art books and holding
educational seminars or travel exhibitions throughout the
country.

And what of the other art galleries around, some of which are
located within foreign countries' cultural centers?

The Jakarta Post met Janny Bourdais, the director of the
French Cultural Center (CCF) located in Salemba, Central Jakarta.

"As a gallery that plays a role in helping the cultural
development and mutual understanding between the two countries,
Indonesia and France, we welcome young, local curators and
artists to exhibit their artwork," Bourdais said.

"Sometimes we have a special occasion, where we also invite
local artists to exhibit their works in France too."

She explained that its Carte Blanc program which is offered to
young Indonesian curators or artists to participate in
exhibitions, discussions or performances at CCF and also invite
local artists to co-produce artwork with visiting French artists.

"If we plan to hold bigger events, or present collective
exhibitions of noted French artists like the popular figures from
the Impressionist genre, we will cooperate with Galeri Nasional,
because we need more space and more guaranteed security," she
said.

Other art galleries available for are enthusiasts are the
independent, non-profit ones often founded by reputable foreign
foundations.

The Lontar Gallery in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta is included in
this category. Asikin Hasan, curator/gallery manager, said, "The
Lontar Gallery was founded as an alternative gallery in the hope
that it would give a better picture of how art is developed and
managed."

The gallery focused on the depth of art understanding and how
art usually can be intimately linked with social context so
people can enjoy the beauty and at the same time get an
alternative reading of what they observed.

Asikin gave an example of one of recent exhibition they just
held "Sejarah dan Seni Rupa" (History and Art), which showed the
historical course of the Dutch colonialization period portrayed
in drawings produced during the period.

In the display, he said, the role of painters was explored as
it showed how the artists struggled to record the social and
political upheavals of the time.

Private galleries are those that are fully financed by
individuals and mostly have a commercial orientation.

Biantaro Tanjung who owns Nadi Gallery in Kedoya, West Jakarta
said, "Ideally, a private gallery can help foster appreciation
and education by presenting contemporary art by emerging artists
and not only the already popular names."

"My most frequent visitors are middle- and upper-class
collectors and have a good appreciation for the latest
developments in fine art."

When asked how he selected the artwork to be put in his
gallery, Biantoro explained, "Our selection is based more on the
names of the artists, their history, their technical
capabilities, their ideas and, of course, their work that shows
new kinds of aesthetics."

There are also galleries that have branches opened in
neighboring countries, like Galeri Taksu in Kemang, South
Jakarta. Taksu has branches in Singapore and Malaysia.

The gallery's chief director, Australia-born Christ Fong,
said, "Our gallery was just established two years ago, but we aim
to have a long-term investment in this business."

As a relatively new gallery, Taksu, is considered very
progressive and productive in holding exhibitions of mostly
contemporary artwork.

"We create events with particular concepts that are not only
intended to sell the artwork, but also to show our appreciation
of the artists' creative process," he said.

This gallery has ambitions to be a partner with are
enthusiasts in judging the quality of artwork.

The varied galleries, along with their different missions,
should all work for the benefit of the artists and the
development of art here. However, when commerce collides with
art, it will be up to the public to decide.