German painter acknowledges challenges in painting Indonesian landscapes
Jakarta (ANTARA) - German painter Christopher Lehmpfuhl has exhibited a collection of works painted outdoors on the spot as part of the SBY Art Community (SAC) exhibition titled ‘Art for Peace and a Better Future: Collaboration’.
Collaborating in the SAC exhibition and painting at various locations alongside SAC artists, he admitted to being impressed by one of Indonesia’s historic buildings, the Borobudur temple, and acknowledged there are particular challenges in depicting the landscape of Jakarta.
‘Painting here in Jakarta is an extraordinary experience. The view from the city hall is stunning. I tried to capture the shape of this city, it is a complicated thing to explain. I mean every city has its own shape, colour and light. Jakarta is certainly a city that is a little more polluted compared to other cities,’ he said at a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Christopher, who represents Kornfeld Galerie Berlin, presented visual recordings that he depicted using a finger-painting method and a distinctive technique of applying thick layers directly onto the canvas.
Over two weeks, he painted together with SAC artists in Jakarta, Cisarua, Borobudur and Pacitan, turning each location into a space for dialogue between lived experience, light, weather, materiality and the physical presence of the painter.
He translated his experiences in Indonesia into painting surfaces rich in texture, colour, movement and light.
Jakarta presented the atmosphere of a metropolitan city, Borobudur radiated spiritual resonance as a world heritage site, while the mountain landscape of Cisarua and the southern coast of Pacitan offered equally compelling experiences in showcasing the diversity of Indonesia’s landscapes.
As one of Germany’s leading contemporary plein air painters, Christopher Lehmpfuhl’s presence in Indonesia in July-August 2026 formed an important part of an artistic and cultural collaboration under the Jakarta-Berlin sister city partnership.
He also presented portrait paintings in the form of sketches of several Borobudur temple reliefs, which he found memorable thanks to the stupas and distinctive curves of the world heritage building, rich in history and religious value.
The ‘Art for Peace and a Better Future: Collaboration’ exhibition is the second exhibition theme since the SBY Art Community (SAC) was established by Indonesia’s 6th President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), and runs from 18-30 August 2026 at the Emiria Soenassa and Oesman Effendi Gallery, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta.