Art market fetes 21st anniversary
Art market fetes 21st anniversary
By Gedsiri Suhartono
JAKARTA (JP): It was in July 1977 under a full moon that the Ancol art market building project (Pasar Seni) was inaugurated by the then Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin.
The event was the birth of what has become the Full Moon Bazaar. By December of that year, 17 artists had brought life to the market, then consisting of 114 kiosks.
Today, Pasar Seni celebrates its 21 anniversary with dozens of artisans and craft entrepreneurs working in the market which now has 228 kiosks on its 5.8 hectare site.
Various forms of fine arts, sculptures, handicrafts, paintings, and souvenirs are can be found in the compound, but has the market progressed? Has it really supported artisans in their work and developed their talent?
Opinion is divided. Some artists contacted by The Jakarta Post expressed dissatisfaction with the market's management especially within the last five years.
Eugene Vlug, owner of a handicraft shop, felt that most artists' skills and reputations are being exploited by the management.
"We used to be given more attention before the Dreamland expanded into the huge entertainment complex it now is and before Ciputra diversified into other infrastructure businesses."
He lamented the lack of coordination, as well as communication, between the artistic community and the market's management. "There is no place for us to vent our frustration the way we used to when this place first started."
Improvements need to happen, in Eugene's opinion, in how management funds are being handled.
"Instead of being so profit-oriented, the management should pay attention to helping economically disadvantaged artists," he said and added that, nowadays, problems need to be individually brought to the management's attention instead of everyone seeking a solution together.
A painter, Al Badar is of a similar opinion. "It isn't quite fair to say that the management is doing absolutely nothing. But perhaps they have stagnated at the moment," Al said.
Sardion Saragih, Pasar Seni's manager, disagreed. "We need to honestly assess the problem from various angles together, if we want to seek any solution at all," he said.
Since the public's appreciation of the arts and handicrafts has increased over the years, he said, it is inevitable that competition is tougher now than it used to be, leaving many artists impatient to have a turnover of their products.
The management are willing to discuss problems with the artists, Sardion said. "The meeting sought by artists and the management essentially evolves around how to create marketable high quality art."
Disappointment occurs, he believes, when artists' expectations are not met and both parties need to be realistic about their ability to implement the ideas they have.
Management, on the other hand, feel that they have tried their best to accommodate all the artists, "but there is always rooms for improvement," Sudiro Pramono, head of the Taman Ancol Dreamland management department, said.
The management has been doing its best to attract a high number of visitors by scheduling daily events at the open arena in Pasar Seni, he said.
Sardion said the Dreamland has an average of 3,000 visitors a day. The number of visitors, however, does not necessarily boost the sales of handicraft at Pasar Seni.
"Many people come here just for window shopping and enjoy the great atmosphere," said a worker.
But Ully Sigar Rusadi, a noted folk singer and prominent environmentalist, said that she is obsessed with Pasar Seni.
"The aura, color and variety of the market has given me inspiration for my writings," Ully said, and added that she often recommends Pasar Seni to her foreign guests.
Others are attracted by more than just the art on display. "Interesting people hangs out here," Lila, a frequent visitor to the market said.
An anniversary ceremony will be held at Pasar Seni tonight, followed by the Black and White exhibition and a Thank You Handicraft bazaar inaugurated by Jakarta's Deputy Governor R.S. Museno. As a token of gratitude, the Thank You bazaar will offer handicraft products at reduced prices.
Tonight's program marks the start of a series of anniversary events that will last until May. (14)