Bentara Budaya celebrates birthday in low-key manner
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Over the past twenty years, Bentara Budaya Jakarta has become a cultural oasis in the capital for its indispensable role in exhibiting the output of artists of national and international renown.
Considering the reputation of the sprawling art center and gallery, it was heartbreakingly sad to see that the management held only a modest, if not inferior, event to commemorate its 20th birthday last week.
Starting on June 9, it hosted an event it called Pesta Seni Rakyat (People's Art Party).
Invitees might have expected to see colorful festivities showcasing the country's diverse artistic traditions.
Instead, it was a major let-down to learn that the People's Art Party turned out to be an exhibition of handicrafts produced by artisans from various locations in Java and Bali.
Handicrafts that were put on display and offered for sale ranged from traditional ceramics, Javanese leather puppets, Sundanese puppets and glass paintings drawn by Cirebon and Balinese artists.
Visitors would think that to lend some credibility to the exhibition so that the event would not be reduced to just an art market, organizers could have attached higher prices to the handicrafts on sale.
However, most of the goods were offered at relatively low prices. A 1982 glass painting by Cirebon-based artisan Rastika for instance, was priced at Rp 600,000 (US$65).
A leather puppet of Gunungan (a model of the Universe that appears in the opening and closing scenes of Javanese shadow plays) was available at Rp 2 million ($220) -- about the same price offered by artisans at any handicrafts market in the centers of Javanese culture, Yogyakarta and Surakarta.
The event organizers also held a workshop on basic graphic art techniques for beginners. Dozens of people took part in the event, attracted by the prospect of becoming an instant artist -- and, of course, free souvenirs.
When The Jakarta Post paid a visit to the exhibition on Saturday a bleached blonde-haired woman was seen jabbering on her glossy mobile phone while simultaneously paying attention to the course and keeping an eye on her daughter.
Bentara Budaya management said that the event was aimed at revisiting the roots of the art center.
Exhibitions in its early years often displayed the works of traditional artists from the country's provinces, who were sidelined by unchecked modernization in the early 1980s.
The event could have drawn more visitors if it had been held for long enough, but the management decided to wrap it up on June 12, leaving little positive impression in the minds of visitors, let alone the arts community in general.