CP Open Biennale's breakthrough visions

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta

On Sept. 3, CP Open Biennale 2003 will be officially opened, beginning a new tradition of valuing art in a more democratic manner. In a format that is unique in international exhibition practice, artists were not invited but selected from application. It is organized by the CP Foundation, which Djie Tjianan and Jim Supangkat founded in the wake of the new millennium in Washington D.C.

Supported by Bank Indonesia and UBS Swiss Financial Institution, the exhibition showcases 167 works from 128 artists, selected from over 600 "applications." The 167 works use visual arts media such as painting, drawing, sculpture, installation works, objects, photography, video, as well as ceramics, wood, metal, fiber and human hair.

Lead curator Jim Supangkat is of the opinion that Internationalism, which considers international art as existing in a homogeneous situation around the world, is no longer valid, for art developments outside Europe and America have a parallel significance.

This does not mean that art outside these two countries has not been affected by art development there, or may show similarities. Drawing a parallel with English that is spoken with an accent in countries outside England, Jim terms non-Western art as art with an accent. Just as English with an accent is English, art with an accent is real art and should be given due consideration.

Supangkat says: "International exhibitions must be set free from art institutions that always refer back to the Western institution of art as seen in Europe and America. There is no other possible valid way to look at international exhibitions than to view them as autonomous art institutions in themselves."

According to CP Foundation chairman Djie Tjianan, for almost a century the term "international world" in the arts has been the cause of too many misunderstandings.

"Now it is time to turn the scales and work together toward understanding the realities in a sense that is truly international.

"The CP Open Biennale is one attempt, which has received tremendous support from artists, curators, writers, collectors, business partners and international institutions."

That CP Foundation and the management of Galeri Nasional consider this biennale of great importance is evident in the comprehensive "renovation" that Galeri Nasional has consented to and which CP Foundation has been willing to undertake.

For CP Open Biennale, the participation of world-renowned Chinese artist Gu Wenda is confirmation of the significance of their undertaking. Gu Wenda, who consistently uses human hair as his artistic medium to symbolize our common humanity, and reworks traditional Chinese media, such as calligraphy, ink painting and carving to express ideas of universal concern, personally comes to Indonesia to install at Galeri Nasional the 21st artwork of his renowned United Nations series.

The importance of CP's undertaking is also marked by the International Symposium, titled Interpellation: Simultaneous Translation in Understanding Contemporary Art, on Sept. 4, with noted speakers like Kuroda Raiji from Fukuoka Asian Art Museum of Japan, and Akira Tatehatta, art historian/curator; Oscar Ho, art critic from Hong Kong; Els van der Plas, art historian from Holland; Christine Clark from the National University of Australia; and Ritzky A. Zaelani, Indonesia. The keynote speaker is Jim Supangkat, on Art with an Accent, while guest panelists will be Gu Wenda, an avant-garde artist from China and Li Xianting, art critic from China, with Goenawan Mohamad and Toshio Simizu as moderators.

The Indonesia focus is on Sept. 27, when a seminar titled Identification of Arts, and the International Art Forums discuss the Indonesian arts by way of identifying the existing developments and their relations with international art forums. Speakers will include Soewarno Wisetromo, Asikin Hasan, Anusapati, Tatang B. Sp, Agung Koechink and Tiarma Dame Ruth Sirait.

To facilitate understanding, selected artists and curators will guide a tour with explanations throughout the exhibition at the National Gallery on Sept. 7, 13, 20 and 28, at 11 am.

For children, a special children's workshop is held on Sept. 14 and 21. Participation is subject to registration.

The Open Biennale comes with an interesting catalog, which includes essays from respected art historians, as well as articles on every participating artist, written by various art critics.

CP Foundation was founded by Djie Tjianan, an Indonesia- Washington based entrepreneur, and Jim Supangkat, who founded the Seni Indonesia Baru movement in the 1970s, and is widely known as an art critic and curator.

Striving to break through the barriers of dominating hegemonies in the world of art, the foundation's activities are channeled through its CP Open Biennale Jakarta and CP Artspace in Washington DC.

Meanwhile, CP Foundation is expanding with an artspace in Jakarta, now under construction. An artists' residency in Bandung is under way and will be part of the Cultural Center under Parahyangan Satya Foundation.

The startup of this Open Biennale is certainly a solid base for great expectations. What is important, though, is that CP will be able to fulfill its aspirations in the longer term. Djie Tjianan and Jim Supangkat are convinced it will. As early as today, they are already thinking of the next in 2005. CP Open Biennale 2003: Sept. 4 through Oct. 3, 2003 Galeri Nasional, Jl. Merdeka Timur 14, Jakarta, every day except Mondays Opening: Sept. 3, at 7:30 p.m. (by invitation) International Symposium: Sept. 4 from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. (free entry) Art Seminar: Sept. 27, from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. (free entry) More at: www.cp-foundation.org, or contact Naning Sugeng, General Manager of CP Foundation at 0815-1821329.