Indonesian contemporary art developments

By Boudewijn Brands

JAKARTA (JP): With her dissertation The Ideal of Modern Indonesian Painting, 1900-1995, (see The Jakarta Post of 23-8- 1998), Helena Spanjaard has made an important contribution to the international acceptance and understanding of Indonesian contemporary art.

She has visited Indonesia frequently for research and also contributed to a number of publications. She has also acted as a curator of exhibitions, the last being Reformasi Indonesia held in Museum Nusantara in Delft last year (see also The Jakarta Post of Sept. 3, 2000). She has now returned to Indonesia for a six week stay.

Boudewijn Brands, an art collector and observer, interviewed Helena for The Jakarta Post.

What is the purpose of your visit?

First, this visit is meant to keep up with new developments in contemporary Indonesian painting. Second, I intend to do some research for future publications. The Indonesian art world is changing rapidly, and it is hard to follow this from abroad.

Yes, and this brings us to the question: how do you keep informed when you are abroad?

For me the two most important sources of information are the artists themselves and publications about Indonesian art in exhibition catalogs. Several Indonesian artists regularly visit the Netherlands. I also hear much from Dutch artists traveling or working in Indonesia. Practically, the international Biennials and Triennials of contemporary art are the best occasions to see contemporary art from all over the world, including Indonesia.

When I was organizing the exhibition Reformasi Indonesia for Museum Nusantara in Delft, I had the chance to visit the Triennial in Brisbane (1999). This was very inspiring, because you could see the art of Indonesia next to the art of other Asian and pacific countries. And I am also receiving e-mails on art distributed by Lintaseni e-groups, so I can follow the art discussions, news on exhibitions etc. wherever I am.

The number of galleries has substantially increased during the last few years. This is also the case in the Netherlands, but there this growth is associated with the growth of the economy. Can you explain this development in Indonesia?

It is indeed a surprising development. You don't expect this in a country with heavy economic problems. However, investment in art in times of an economic crisis is not new. It also happened in Europe before the Second World War.

As far as I understand, collectors now prefer to invest in paintings rather than money. If collectors start to buy empty canvases this will become a real problem for the artist. How can any artist work in peace and at his or her own speed if the canvas is already sold before it has been painted?

Especially in Indonesia, the seduction of money could be too strong. I prefer the opposite attitude of some artists in Europe. They often refuse to sell their works, even to important gallery owners or collectors. What is more important: a good painting takes time to produce. It is all about integrity, both from the side of the buyer and from the side of the producer.

Can Indonesian art have the quality needed to be internationally accepted?

This is a good question, but what do you mean by "Indonesian art"? The art world has many layers. I think you should discern between the older, already established artists and the rebellious (mostly young) artists. And between the young established artists and the old rebellious artists! It is not that simple.

Looking at modern Indonesian art nowadays it is a fact that the young avant-garde have received a lot of attention at international events (exhibitions, workshops). Most of these artists were abroad before and often worked with western colleagues. Their avant-garde style and critical content appeals worldwide (Heri Dono, Nindityo, F.X. Harsono, Anusapati, Arahmaiani, Dolorosa etc).

But of course, these artists are only a part of the total contemporary Indonesian art scene. For the others it is more difficult to become accepted "world-wide". This is not because of the quality, but because so far the promotion of modern Indonesian art outside Indonesia still has a long way to go. And one of the problems (for galleries in the West) is the high price.

For me there is a gap between the tremendous success of Indonesian paintings in Indonesia and their acceptance abroad, in museums and in the art-historical environment. To overcome this, one needs another sort of promotion, focussed on the cultural and educational sector. In this sense the publication of books and articles about Indonesian art in the English language plays an important role.

How do you see the taste of the Indonesian collector? The recent exhibition by Erica had big hype, would she have the same reception in Europe?

Of course it depends on individual preferences. But, generally speaking, most collectors prefer "beautiful" (sweet) and aesthetic paintings. If you look at the auctions of Christie's, Sotheby's and Larasati-Glerum, you see that Le Mayeur, Hofker, Bonnet and Basuki Abdullah fetch high prices.

The figurative and decorative paintings dominate. They please the eye and are easy to understand. Besides there is an interest in the more "symbolic" art from surrealist and magic-realist painters (Iwan Sagito, Sutjipto Adi T., Lucia Hartini). Symbolism and mysticism are an integral part of the Javanese art world. So it is in a way well known and well understood.

When the message becomes more psychological and individual, or critical (e.g. works by Entang Wiharso, Agung Kurniawan, Tisna Sanjaya, Arahmaiani), collectors will hesitate. These paintings are disturbing. They question human reality or comment on the political situation. Who would hang this in their reception room?

Referring to Erica: her work is easily accessible, it appeals to a big audience. Also, it describes daily life in Indonesia, a subject much admired by the general public in the West. Again the reception will depend on the place of exhibition: in which art circle will it be presented? For me, her work fits in the context of Yogyakarta. It belongs to the circle of Pak Widayat and his magic-decorative work. Many young artists follow this style. They will need to create their own individual visual idiom. If not, such styles become "trendy" and superficial. The same can be said about young abstract painters in Bandung following the traces of Sadali, Pirous, Umi Dahlan and Sunaryo. A good artist is one who finds his own way, tries out new things, experiments and takes risks. It is a danger to adapt too much to the taste of a gallery or collector.

If you live in Indonesia, would you go to get a haircut in a 5-star hotel and spend the same amount as in Amsterdam, or would you go to a local salon and pay a local price?

In art, there seems to be the same situation. Some galleries ask Rp 1 million for a drawing on paper by a relatively unknown young artist. This amount is still enough to rent a reasonable house in Yogyakarta for one year. Would you, in Amsterdam, pay a year's rent for a work on paper by a student of the academy in an exhibition?

Well, I once had a haircut in Bandung, outside in the street. It was done with big scissors and finished in five minutes. The result was rather striking, so I didn't try it again. I didn't go to the 5-star hotel because I couldn't afford it. Now, you ask about collecting and the high prices faced by new collectors in Indonesia? I think the process is different.

Collecting is not only a question of money. First you should know about art. You should inform yourself about the artists, try to find new talent, undiscovered talent. You should know about art history, about technical aspects, such as materials used and composition. Only after this will you be able to select the good from the bad and the real from the fake. If a collector does not involve himself seriously in these matters, collecting art will remain just a hobby.

As you know I am at the moment involved in the production of a book about the collection of Dr. Oei Hong Djien from Magelang. His collection is an example of a critical attitude toward the acquisition of paintings. He learned to discern the good from the bad through a long process of study and comparing paintings with each other. The result is a well-balanced collection, not only because of his financial possibilities. A collector should have a real interest in painting and in the process of artistic creation.

What, then, is the role of galleries? They, and experienced collectors, could act as advisors for people with less time to select art they like.

I will make some concluding remarks here. The art world in Indonesia is full of painters, galleries and collectors, however, very few art critics or art historians exist. In the West, art criticism is an important tool used to judge works of art and to give information to a general public.

I still hope that in time this situation in Indonesia will change. For example, publication of an Indonesian art magazine that is bilingual and can be read and obtained abroad as well. The sector is important enough to create employment and foreign exchange. As such, it deserves more attention by the government.

There would be a task for a National Gallery. Not only should it be a center for documentation and research, it should also have a collection representative for art in Indonesia. Then Indonesians as well as visitors can see what Indonesia has to offer.

No money? It is also common practice in the West that collectors give or lend works to museums. It is even considered prestigious. It could be done here as well. Another possibility is the creation of web sites: through the Internet, pictures are now available worldwide. If people like the work, they might become interested and come over to see it and maybe buy it.

If handled well, Indonesia can profit from globalization and new communication possibilities also in the field of art.