Exploring Yogyakarta's alternative galleries

Exploring Yogyakarta's alternative galleries

By Bodewyn Brands

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Although Yogyakarta is the home of the
National Art Academy, and with about 80 universities a center of
art and education in Indonesia, there are not many galleries
where one can see what artists produce today.

This is in comparison with a city such as Amsterdam where 150
galleries are to be found with a population of about one million
inhabitants. According to Neni of Kedai Kebun, "There is no place
to exhibit here in Yogyakarta." A gallery also has an related,
educational task: it should show the public what an artist does."

Regarding this, Neni added that people usually see mass
produced goods in shopping malls. In an art gallery, they can see
individually created works. Some of these can make our brain work
harder to understand the work or confront us with fundamental
questions about life and other issues, so the mental experience
is very different.

When asked how many additional galleries could be opened in
Yogyakarta, given the number and quality of artists, Neni answers
"No Idea." We concluded that an additional 20 would be welcome
and really make Yogya a center for contemporary art.

Oda Teda Ena, an artist, is not of this opinion. According to
him, there are ample opportunities to exhibit. Besides, the
galleries there are public places such as Taman Budaya, Bentara
Budaya, Museum Vredeburg and a number of hotels that are
available too.

If, for an individual artist, the cost of organizing a solo
exhibition is above his budget, he can always join a group where
the contributions of many can lead to a group exhibition.

An example is Kelompok Sepi in which 30 painters cooperated
and held a group exhibition in Museum Vrederburg last year. Oda
himself will exhibit his work in combination with Philip Morris
Award winner K. Dhaffy Dhoa's paintings in Bentara Budaya for one
week starting on Saturday, Feb.10. What Ouda really misses,
however, is a gallery where one can see the art history of
Yogyakarta.

With galleries that we describe here, we mean places that show
"high brow" art, not painting shops. The easiest way to tell the
difference is that what we usually consider to be a good gallery
provides documentation and an explanation about the artist's work
and describes the art formally in conformity with
internationally-adopted styles.

Furthermore, such a gallery may take the risk of showing
something that it feels to be good art more than a handsome
picture that looks good above the sofa in a living room. The
final choice of what can be seen in a gallery is obviously
determined by the owner and here idealism, as in Neni's case, may
match the need to create income.

The number one gallery to visit in Yogyakarta is Cemeti Art
House on Jl. DI. Panjaitan 41, Yogyakarta 55143 (close to
supermarket Maga (Phone and fax: 0274 371015,
cemetiah@indosat.net.id). This gallery was founded in February
l988. Opening hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except
Mondays. There are eleven monthly exhibitions per year, well-
planned in advance.

A good number of works are kept in stock so any collector with
limited time has a good chance of finding something to his
liking.

Very close to Cemeti (around the corner on Jl. Tirtodipuran 3)
and a good place to review the books and documentation bought
there is Kedai Kebun, a place that combines a Gallery with a cafe
and restaurant and where one can also buy very reasonably-priced
woodcuts. The gallery contains not only an exhibition but also
literature, music and a theater. In March there are literary
activities and in April and May exhibitions by artists Nandang
Gawe (from Bandung) and Bob Yudhita Agung (Yogyakarta). Kedai
Kebun also edits a magazine to which one can subscribe, Halte
(kedaikebun@yahoo.com). Opening times: 9-3 p.m. and 6 to 11 p.m.

Jl. Tirtodipuran is an interesting street to walk along as it
connects with Jl. Prawirotaman, a tourist center, where there are
many different styles of houses to be seen. Also one can check
out the new location of Galeri Astuti (phone: 0274-372987).

This gallery set up by the artist of the same name has existed
already for 30 years and is now run by the artist's children, one
of whom, Andy, has also studied at the Indonesian Fine Arts
Institute (ISI). Some works of promising young artists can be
found here but documentation is very scarce.

In Jl. Prawirotaman itself you can find the small Via-Via cafe
that also exhibits contemporary arts.

This former location of Cemeti Gallery was rented by a Dutch
art collector who wanted to make the place available for young
artists as well.

Potential collectors can check this place out when they go to
the same street to visit the Cemeti Foundation. Here one can find
documentation on contemporary Indonesian art.

The Foundation has just issued a book Outlet which discusses
the role taken by Yogyakarta in contemporary Indonesian art.

Galeri Gelaran, Jl. Manukan MG III/273, Karangkajen,
Yogyakarta (same street and same side of the road as Yogya
Village Inn and as such not far from Prawirotaman) is a gallery
opened first in December l999. It was set up by painters Dipo
Andy, Nugroho Wantoro and other artists.

The manager, Rain Rosidi, studied at ISI to be a sculptor but
now spends his time organizing his small business art group,
Gelaran. Besides the gallery, it also consists of a bookshop
(Kubuku) and a publishing house named Artiline, which among other
things, translated Claire Holt's book Art of Indonesia into the
Indonesian language.

Galeri Omah Dhuwar, Jl. Mondorakam 252, Kota Gede, Yogyakarta
(0274-374952) is mainly an antique shop housed in an ancient and
interesting building. You might go there should you wish to
combine the trip with a visit to the many silver shops in that
area.

Air Art house, Jl. Puntadewa, Gg.Malabar 5, Sorowajan Baru,
Yogyakarta: the first exhibition opened on 30 January 2001 with
works by Syahrizal Pahlevi, Bob Yuditha Agung and Alpha Tejo.

Galeri 9, Jl. Pringgodani 9, Demangan Baru, Yogyakarta: this
gallery looks like one that will last and will change the gallery
scene in Yogya. The soft opening was in November last year with
an exhibition of photographic works, the reason being that the
owner feels that photography, as fine art, is not yet accepted as
such in Indonesia. So, Agus Leonardus, a photographer and
initiator of this gallery, combines idealism with clean
commercial thinking.

To enable the gallery to survive and make it possible to
exhibit "difficult" art or art by good but unknown artists, he
also sells works of already famous artists.

This works well as he also networks effectively and can
persuade the best collectors to come to his gallery. As such it
might become the "Santi-gallery" of Yogyakarta, but in a more
modest way.

Commercial success is not the most important thing for the
last gallery discussed here: Gallery Benda, Jl. Kemetiran Kidul
62A (east of Malioboro), phone 0274-512010, benda@angelfire.com.
The gallery is run by Satya Brahmantya who chooses the artists
and then discusses with others about his choice. The space was
allocated by Bram's grandfather who wanted the house to have a
social-educative purpose. The gallery specializes in "difficult"
three dimensional art.

The writer is an art collector based in the Netherlands