Month-long Art Summit Indonesia opens
JAKARTA (JP): The month-long Art Summit Indonesia II 1998 opened at Taman Ismail Marzuki Art Center last night.
The summit will feature 15 groups from eight countries: Alvin Lucier and Jin Hi Kim of the U.S., Bremer Tanstheater of Germany, Musicatreize of France, Theo Loevendle of the Netherlands, Diez- Diez Danza SL of Spain, Tsuchitori Toshiyuki and Yukio Waguri of Japan, Kaija Saariaho of Finland and, from Indonesia, Gusmiati Suid, Rendra's Bengkel Teater, Tony Prabowo, Miroto, Suka Hardjana and Teater Mandiri.
Opened by Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Haryono Suyono, the event will last until Oct. 19.
Each group will perform in either Graha Bhakti Budaya at the art center or Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, both in Central Jakarta, for two consecutive nights.
Organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, the event is expected to be an international forum for artistic and cultural discourse on contemporary art.
In light of the ongoing economic crisis, the event takes the theme Enlightenment in the Crisis.
The first Art Summit Indonesia was held three years ago, also in Jakarta, in commemoration of Indonesia's 50th Anniversary of Independence.
Attending last night's opening ceremony were, among others, Emil Salim, a former cabinet minister and chairman of the steering committee for the first summit; Minister of Education and Culture Juwono Sudarsono, foreign diplomatic corps and prominent local artists.
Enlivening the ceremony was traditional Betawi tambourine music rebana.
The opening performance was Api Dalam Sekam (Tinderbox) by the Gumarang Sakti dance company led by noted choreographer Gusmiati Suid. Inspired by the economic crisis, the contemporary dance combined the dynamic pencak silat martial art with gentle Javanese dance movements.
The event was open amid rumors that some local artists would hold a demonstration because the summit is being held at a time when Indonesia is sinking further into crisis.
"The summit is actually an important effort by the art community to provide spiritual healing to the ailing society," said famous theater icon Putu Wijaya. (46)