Fine arts exhibit: A momentous first for Jakarta

Fine arts exhibit: A momentous first for Jakarta

By Jason Tedjasukmana

JAKARTA (JP): More than just a grouping of important artworks
awaits the public at the Shangri-La Hotel. The Jakarta
International Fine Arts Exhibition is historical in scope,
unbridled in ambition and a first on many levels.

In short, it is perhaps one of the most significant cultural
events to take place in recent Indonesian memory.

Above all, the event marks the first time Indonesian painters
and sculptors have been exhibited concomitantly with their
artistic counterparts from Europe and America. The paintings of
Sudjojono, Basuki Abdullah and Affandi, to cite just a few
Indonesian masters, deserve a place in the pantheon of
established and acclaimed international artists and this exhibit
provides just such a venue.

In the development of an artist, the dealer -- from Ambroise
Vollard to Sidney Janis -- has always played a critical role.
Without their support and patronage, the meteoric rise of such
artists as Picasso, Chagall, Rosenquist and Lichtenstein (select
works from each are on exhibit) may never have occurred.

The Yayasan Seni Rupa Indonesia (the Indonesian Fine Arts
Foundation) has stepped in to fill this vacuum in Indonesia by
inviting 11 overseas galleries and 10 local galleries to display
their works in the serious context of an international art forum.
Their achievement, and hoped success, must be commended.

None of these ground-breaking firsts would have come to
fruition without the vision and energy of First Lady Tien
Soeharto, Minister of Investment/Chairman of Investment Planning
Board Sanyoto Sastrowardoyo and his wife, Minister of Education
and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro and his wife, President
Soeharto's daughter Titiek Prabowo, and the many other pioneers
that make up the Yayasan Seni Rupa Indonesia (YSRI), founded less
than six months ago on June 8, 1994.

Int'l player

The potential promotional and commercial benefits, however,
are not limited to the artists or the galleries that are acting
on their behalf. The exhibition is an essential first step
towards placing Jakarta on the map of the contemporary art world.

Cultural primacy is of immeasurable value to a city's image,
especially for one of this size. With over eight million people
and an economy developing at a breakneck pace, Jakarta, and of
course the country as a whole, is being recognized as a force to
contend with in the international arena. To stay the proper
evolutionary course, the arts must not only be supported and
preserved but also encouraged and nurtured to irrevocably ensure
their rightful place in urban development planning.

Promotion of the arts is no longer something relegated to
secondary status, as New York, Paris, Madrid and the many other
smaller cities hosting annual art fairs will attest to. Singapore
has taken the lead in Southeast Asia with their Tresors
exhibition, opening next week. And should the Jakarta
International Fine Arts Exhibition come off successfully, the
first steps towards an annual international art fair, and perhaps
even a contemporary art institution, will have been taken.

Investment

For younger Indonesian artists this occasion has meant an
opportunity not only to have their works exposed to a broader
audience but to also procure the financial support necessary for
their growth, development and, more importantly, their survival.
In conjunction with the Philip Morris Group of Companies, the
YSRI has established a competition with over Rp 23 million in
grant money to be awarded to various artists throughout
Indonesia.

For the public at large, this exhibition represents an unusual
opportunity to get a first-hand glimpse of such important
Impressionist and Modern painters as Cezanne, Renoir, Foujita,
Pissarro and Utrillo, in addition to works by Contemporary giants
like Jim Dine, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko and David
Hockney.

The rare viewing opportunity, however, is not limited only to
the work of Western artists. Magnificent works by Raden Saleh,
Harijadi, Wakidi, Hendra Gunawan and other Indonesian masters
have been borrowed from the Collection of the President of
Indonesia and are on public display for the very first time.

In keeping with the esteemed company of the other
international fine arts galleries present, Perovetz of London has
mounted a selection of works in silver, and the Harry Winston
collection offers a look at an impressive array of rare and
precious gems.

Residents of Jakarta will have the distinguished opportunity
to see for themselves the legendary Trump Tiara, the Garuda
brooch and dozens of other treasures that have established Harry
Winston as one of the most important fine jewelers of modern
times.

The exhibition of over 250 original works of art is open daily
from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. and will remain on display at the
Shangri-La Hotel until Oct. 23. Proceeds from the admission price
of Rp 5,000 will be donated to the YSRI.

Logistics

It is precisely with this heightening of awareness in all
realms of expression that the YSRI has triumphed. For the
scholar, businessperson, artist and museum visitor alike, this
awareness is not only an education about past and present
movements in the art world, but about the capital's ability to
commit resources and organize a world-class event.

The logistics behind the organization and arrangements for
this exhibit were undoubtedly mind-boggling in terms of packing,
shipping and insuring the overseas works and in the selection and
coordination of regional galleries. The successful realization of
the display proves that Jakarta is indeed prepared to undertake
projects of such stature and complexity.

The Jakarta International Fine Arts Exhibition underscores the
city's commitment to the preservation and advancement of the arts
in Indonesia. Hopefully this will establish contemporary art not
only as legitimate national patrimony but also as a tenable
engine of development and growth.