Edwin's Gallery celebrates 21 successfull years in Jakarta
Edwin's Gallery celebrates 21 successfull years in Jakarta
Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta
As Edwin's gallery in Jakarta celebrates its 21st anniversary,
its owner, Edwin Raharjo, deserves sincere admiration and
congratulations.
To survive amid a number of other galleries closing down is no
small achievement, but to do so with such significant
accomplishment is an achievement in the superlative.
He just did what he enjoyed, he reveals in between
construction activities at his gallery, which were scheduled to
be ready before D-day, July 21.
Collecting all things rare was what has marked his adult life:
from watches and vintage cars to historical plates and antiques,
and modern paintings.
Later in life, his hobby blended with business and, as time
has proven, his pioneering spirit and a fine sense of choosing
what "would do" has brought him the success that many in the art
business could only dream of.
Edwin Raharjo enjoyed his training to be an architect and
interior designer but ended up as a professional photographer,
training at the Hamilton School of Photography and the UCLA Arts
Center of Design at UCLA, U.S., where he graduated in 1980.
"I had 1,000 clients," he said. Soon, photography alone was
not enough -- he wanted more -- and stirred by collecting
antiques while trading in colonial lithographs and prints, and
making photo frames, his restless mind turned to paintings.
He set up his gallery, then in his parent's garage, and proved
once more his taste for rarities.
Except for Oet's gallery, there were hardly any other
galleries in town.
"Everyone wondered how I would do; they thought I'd gone
crazy," said Edwin. At a time that art and artists were not taken
into account at all, going into the art business was a big risk.
But "one must keep in mind what one wants to do, and things will
eventually fall into place."
From the garage he moved to a piece of land his father had
bought in Kemang. Of the 2,000 square meters at the time, he used
500 sq m for his exhibition space.
From there, Edwin climbed the ladder of success, benefiting
from the arts boom that rocked the market in the late 1980s. In
21 years, he has staged over 100 exhibitions at his gallery,
several showing his pioneering spirit of innovation, as well as
his ambition to do the extraordinary.
In his desire to bring quality exhibitions, he has asked
curators of repute like Sanento Yuliman and Jim Supangkat,
produced catalogs in both Indonesian and English, and ventured
into holding an all-sculpture exhibition at a time that paintings
were the preferred "commodity".
While some might think of Edwin's as a commercial gallery,
Edwin Raharjo states the gallery still thrives on external
support, which he has provided through other branches of his
business.
With an exemplary management system that has ensured his
continued success, and staff that have been with him from the
beginning, the existence of Edwin's Gallery in the capital city
is a landmark, signifying both the importance of personal passion
and managerial skill.
The exhibition of art works to accompany this celebratory
event displays work by artists who are held in high esteem in the
art world.
Not only are the "established" old guard, like Srihadi,
Dolorosa Sinaga, Sunaryo or Heri Dono, to be found, but also
"new" names like Yani Mariani Sastranegara, Awan Simatupang,
Rudi Mantofani, and more, as well as the very new like Ayu Arista
Murti.
Meanwhile, the exhibition is also displaying the work of seven
contemporary Chinese artists of international fame, indicating
Edwin's ventures into Chinese art, which he started with an all-
Chinese art exhibition before anyone else had the opportunity to
do so.
To further expand on this direction, Edwin invited Johnson
Chang to speak on International Art Practice on July 20.
Johnson, Edwin says, is the first curator to bring Chinese
artists outside China and is the Asian Art consultant of the
Guggenheim Museum.
To bring Indonesian artists to international forums may not be
Edwin's exclusive privilege, but he is certainly one who does so
with fervor and strategic planning.
As the gallery's extension opens and the new facilities
unfold, 52-year-old Edwin is also proudly unfolding a new phase
for his gallery.
His vision for the future is taking shape in the radical
extension, now occupying 70 percent of the land and encompassing
a larger space for exhibitions, plus function rooms for seminars
and conferences.
In addition there will be an auditorium, the provision of
space for artists in residence, an open space for performances
and light projections, a library, a special gift shop and --
ultimately -- a museum for the wealth of paintings he has
collected throughout the years.
It is now up to all parties to optimize the extraordinary
facilities offered. May Edwin's turn into a place of great
interaction, of vibrant art exchange and of solid art
appreciation.
Happy anniversary!
21st anniversary exhibition
of Chinese and Indonesian contemporary art
at Edwin's Gallery
Jl. Kemang Raya no. 21
Jakarta Selatan
tel. 7194721
website: www.edwinsgallery.com
exhibition runs through July 31