Jakarta's Art Summit

With the third month-long Jakarta Art Summit moving into its last week, it is interesting to take stock of the degree to which the organizers have succeeded in achieving their set objectives -- which is to instill a greater understanding of the development and problems in contemporary arts against a multicultural background. In addition, the triennial event also endeavors to present artistic creations through a variety of alternative media.

Besides, as Indonesian dancer-choreographer Sardono Waluyo Kusumo said in one of the discussions at the start of the event, the summit could help younger artists to tune into the contemporary artistic developments that are taking place in the world.

One can only hope that the Art Summit can help Indonesians achieve these worthy ideals -- and moreover, that it will help to make the arts more accessible to the public at large. For the fact is that although no one has ever been able to prove that there is a correlation between the tendency toward violence among Indonesians and the aridity of the cultural and artistic climate that prevails in Jakarta, and possibly in other major cities in the nation as well, there is nevertheless a strong impression that it does exist.

Regrettably, no government in Indonesia so far -- on the national plane as well as on the provincial or city level -- has ever shown a significant interest in the development of the arts. Jakarta, with a population estimated at more than 12 million inhabitants, has less than a handful of theaters that are specially designed for the performing arts. The number of art museums and galleries that can compare with those of some of the big cultural centers of the world is equally insignificant.

Surely, it is no exaggeration to say that Jakarta, being the capital city of the biggest country in Southeast Asia and one that is known for its cultural wealth, deserves at least one such venue, and preferably more. Considering the unique facilities that some of the traditional Indonesian performing arts require, any architect of such a center should keep its requirements in mind. A classical Javanese dance drama performed on a small stage instead of in a pendopo (open hall), for example, would look cramped.

It is a pity that more Indonesians have not had the opportunity to watch the performances that are being presented by some of the world's most renowned groups during the third Art Summit. Perhaps next time a way can be found to somehow bring those performances closer to the people at large. After all, the underlying theme of the Art Summit is multiculturalism and it is the masses of people who would benefit most from getting a chance to be educated in this respect. Also, this would eliminate any impression that the Art Summit, or the arts, is an elitist affair.

It was the French existentialist novelist, essayist, dramatist and philosopher, Albert Camus, who said that an artist could either make a success or a failure out of his work. But if he can tell himself that, finally, as a result of his long effort, he has ceased or decreased the various forms of bondage weighing upon men, then in a sense he is justified and, to some extent, he can forgive himself.