Indonesian contemporary art developments

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.