Hong Kong outdoes Jakarta with its art facilities
Hong Kong outdoes Jakarta with its art facilities
By Helly Minarti
HONG KONG (JP): Two of Asia's bustling capitalist hubs, Hong
Kong and Jakarta much something in common. Driving from Kai Tak
or Soekarno-Hatta airports to the city's downtown areas, one sees
similar signs of regional metropolitan life; from towering
skyscrapers, long toll roads, and glittering malls to bleak slums
and densely populated residential areas.
But the similarities end when it comes to another facet of big
city life -- the arts scene. Hong Kong has put much more effort
into building up its cultural infrastructure, even though it did
not start working on it until 25 years ago. Impressive arts
venues are found within walking distance of rows of shopping
malls and stores, the most renown are the Hong Kong Cultural
Center in Tsim Sha Shui (established in 1989), the Academy of
Performing Arts (APA) in Wanchai (opened in 1984) and the older
City Hall (opened in 1962).
And it seems there is never a dearth of arts festivities in
the former British colony. The Hong Kong Arts Festival recently
filled the above venues with first-class groups like the Los
Angeles Opera playing Richard Strauss' Salome, the Lincoln Center
Jazz Orchestra, and Bacchae, a joint production by the China
National Beijing-Opera Theater and the New York Greek Drama
Company.
Organized by the Hong Kong Arts Festival Society, it saw 34
local and international groups perform from Feb. 10 through March
8.
"Two years ago we invited (choreographer) Sardono from
Indonesia and maybe we will invite Boy G. Sakti (of Gumarang
Sakti Dance Company) in the future," said Grance Lang, the
festival's program director.
Ticketing and promotion began a year before the festival.
Prices started from HK$50 (US$6) for students to HK$840 for the
best seats in upscale shows.
Developing a love of art in the younger generation was also on
Lang's agenda. "We encouraged students to appreciate the arts by
giving them free tickets," said Lang.
Forty-five percent of the funding came from grants from the
Hong Kong government through the Hong Kong Arts Development
Council, the Provisional Urban Council and the Hong Kong Jockey
Club, 37 percent from ticket sales and the rest from private
sponsors.
The overall budget for the 1998 festival was around HK$6
million.
Since the end of the 1970s through the early 1980s Hong Kong's
upstage arts scene was enriched by the founding of performing
companies such as the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong
Kong Dance Company, the Hong Chinese Orchestra and the Hong Kong
Repertory Theater.
The key to ensuring art continues to flourish lies in the
collaboration between the government -- which plays a mainly
facilitating role -- the artistic community and the people.
The government develops local theater groups by providing
venues -- more than 20 of them. All nonprofit arts organizations
can get 65 percent off their venue's rent.
Hong Kong also gives room for new talent to blossom. Two
independent arts centers -- the Hong Kong Arts Center and the
Fringe Club -- are among the most well-known alternative forums
for this purpose.
The Hong Kong Arts Center, which generates funds by renting
its building to cultural organizations like the Goethe Institut,
has a Board of Governors consisting of around 10 government-
appointed members from the arts community, business sector, and
government departments related to culture. Each serves for
between two and four years.
"Their role is to monitor the overall direction and financial
situation of the center -- not the day-to-day operations and
program selection. So if they want to control us they have to do
it indirectly," said Louis Yu, the center's performing arts
director.
"If they want to interfere with our programs, they can. But
thus far they never have," she said.
Even though she doubts whether the Chinese government, which
took over Hong Kong last year, will stick to that policy, she is
certain that arts in Hong Kong has a liberal future.
Compared to Hong Kong, Jakarta's art scene seems gloomy.
It has no international-standard venue. The two main
facilities, Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center and the historical
Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, are struggling with eternal financial
problems. Audiences have to wait for months to see a good
performance.
"The rents are high and the bureaucracy is complicated," said
Sitok Srengenge -- a curator of Teater Utan Kayu -- an
independent arts center founded last August.
Moreover, the issue of censorship hovers above everything.
Even though artists basically do not need permits to perform, the
security forces can ban anything they want.
Many arts events -- like Composers' Week -- cannot occur
continuously because of a lack of funds. Organized by the Jakarta
Arts Council, the annual festival was first held in 1979, but
then halted in 1988, mainly because of financial problems. It was
held again last month after the council received fresh funds from
the National Development Board.
Council member Otto Sidharta said the city administration
provided small subsidies for its programs. "I can't disclose the
figure, but it is not enough."
Last year, the National Development Board allocated Rp 1
billion (US$117,000) for the council's activities from April 1997
to April 1998.
"We didn't receive the funds until last December... so we
had to utilize them in such a short time. We distributed them to
every department -- music, literature, dance, theater and fine
arts."
"We hope to get the funds for the next term from the same
source, but we don't know yet." he said.