Biennale highlight of November Festival '98
By Yudha Kartohadiprodjo
JAKARTA (JP): Nov. 10 has long been an important date for the capital. While the rest of the country is indebted to the heroic incident in Surabaya 53 years ago when locals fought the Allied troops, the residents of Jakarta have another event to celebrate. Of course, we are not talking about the People's Consultative Assembly's Special Session, but a more culturally refined event, 30th anniversary of Taman Ismail Marzuki, the Jakarta Arts Center, in Central Jakarta.
Inaugurated by Jakarta's famed Governor Ali Sadikin in 1968, the center has lured the talented from various artistic disciplines to its performing stage, galleries and plaza. In the past, holding an exhibition or performance in the center would symbolize the community's recognition of artists.
The list of past performers of the center would read like an Indonesian arts Who's Who; W.S Rendra, Taufiq Ismail, Teater Koma, Farida Feisol or Made Wianta, all could recall their own, distinct memories of the center.
As in the following years, the commemoration will be organized as a part of November Festival '98, which will be opened today and lasts until Dec. 10.
Inaugurated with a cultural speech entitled "Authority and Culture" by the chairman of the National Mandate party (PAN) Amien Rais, the festival will reflect the achievements of the center.
While the festival's roster is filled with names from among up-and-coming young choreographers to internationally acclaimed painters, it also includes Biennale XI, a painting exhibition that could become a showcase of how art should be managed in order to survive.
A prestigious Indonesian painting exhibition, Biennale has introduced unknown young painters who later went on to become prominent names in the art community for more than 20 years.
With 10 exhibitions already to its name -- Biennale is biennial -- the exhibition has contributed to the fame and the fortune of these artists as well as to Indonesian fine art.
As a part of the festival, Biennale is an important part of the celebrations that is in need of additional funds.
Due to Indonesia's monetary crisis however, funds available to organize the event from past patrons, corporate sponsorship or the government, could be hard to come by.
It is to the past participants, and others who see the benefits of such an event, the organizing committee of Biennale XI now turns.
Prestigious auction house Sothebys, has come to the rescue of the event. The British auction house's branch in Singapore offered to raise funds for the exhibition through an auction of paintings.
The proposition seems too good to be true: paintings of Indonesian artists were auctioned in Singapore; Sothebys passed the usual 30 percent commission to the organizing committee of Biennale. The rest of the sales proceeds went to the artists.
The idea received positive reactions from the artists approached by the organizing committee from The Jakarta Arts Council. Most were participants of past Biennales; many of them feel a strong attachment to the event.
"Enthusiastic upon hearing of the plan, some of the artists even wanted to give up a greater portion of their earnings for the cause," said Sulebar M. Sukarman from the council's fine arts Committee.
Painters with works included in the auction were Made Wianta, Kartika Affandi, and Dede Eri Supria.
A controversy arose prior to the auction on the basis of the rumor that the auctioned paintings were part of the Council's famed collection. Not only was the rumor false, the auction is actually beneficial to artists.
"The auction actually opened a bigger market for them," said Pia Alisjahbana, a trustee of Jakarta Arts Council.
In the past a painting had to go through art dealers or collectors before it ended up in an auction house. Through this mechanism, painters could only see how much their work was worth, without getting a penny out of it.
In total the auction raised Rp 70 million, more than half of the funds needed. The rest will be covered through the proceeds of an auction from Biennale X, 1996 and from private sponsors, according to Pia.
This year, Biennale's theme will be "Evaluation of Development of Indonesian Art Painting 1974-1998, from Biennale I-X Jakarta".
Unlike the past exhibitions, this year's exhibition will feature 68 painters from past Bienniale participants.
"This year's participants were past participants who still create consistently good works but did not receive any awards in the past Bienniales," said Sulebar.
Painters from 10 cities will participate in the exhibition. Among them are Dede Eri Supria, Popo Iskandar, Srihadi, Melodia and Wayan Sika; each participant will submit two of their recent works.
"Many of them are so excited that they have given their best and biggest paintings, and we nearly ran out of space," said Wisnu M. Ardjo, Managing Director of The Jakarta Arts center.
The exhibition will be held in Cipta I and II Gallery, the same venue that held the first Biennale 24 years ago.
Biennale will also host a seminar on Indonesia's fine paintings, an exhibition on nine deceased famous painters including Affandi, S Sudjojono and Ahmad Sadali, and painting appreciation workshops for high school students.
Programs
Besides Biennale, a mix of art discipline performances: dance, music, films and literature will fill the month-long festival.
The festival this year will attempt to break the unseen barrier that used to bar common people from literature. An event where common people can read poetry will be organized in the center's parking yard on Nov. 11.
On Nov. 24, three principals of contemporary Indonesian poetry: Rendra, Taufiq Ismail and Sutardji Calzoum Bachri will read their poetry.
Aristokrat Theater performed Perhiasan Gelas, an adaptation of Tenessee William's Glass Menagerie by Teguh Karya on Nov. 7. From Nov. 16 to Nov. 18, Teater Koma will perform a drama about a society where excrement is a sought commodity in Opera Sembelit (Opera of Constipation).
To commemorate its 50th anniversary, from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22, The British Council will sponsor Waterwill, a well known English theater group. The group will perform William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors.
Five young choreographers will perform their works on Nov. 13 and Nov. 14, followed by a discussion on Indonesian dance. Another discussion with the topic: "Will Indonesian film rejuvenate?" is also to be held with George Kamarullah, a well known cinematographer, as a speaker on Nov. 16.
Young musicians from the Indonesian Youth Orchestra will perform their repertoire which consists of familiar children's tunes on Nov. 26.
New Jakarta Ensemble will perform five compositions of Epi Martison using traditional musical instruments. Toni Prabowo, a well known contemporary composer will be the music director of the performance which will be held on Nov. 28 and Nov. 29.