Opie's Tribe Art on its way to capital

Opie's Tribe Art on its way to capital

Setya Masriyanti, Contributor, Jakarta

Julian Opie refers to his work as Tribe Art, but it is not traditional, nor is it ethnic. The tribespeople that Opie refers to are those bound by a common occupation or interest -- whether in Formula One racing or art.

The term is no doubt familiar to art lovers in London, Tokyo and Milan as Tribe Art shows have been held in those cities since 2002.

And now, Jakartans have the chance to discover for themselves what makes a graphic work Tribe Art. Head of brand of PT BAT Wahyu Indrawanto said as Jakartans are known to be great fans of Formula One, the tobacco company had decided to bring Opie's work to those who would most appreciate it.

"This project aims to introduce to the wider community the emergence of artistic and creative initiatives from the Formula One racing world. In other words, this is an effort to marry contemporary art and sport," Wahyu said.

In addition to the Tribe Art show, PT BAT is also responsible for bringing to Indonesia the Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda Formula Racing Team.

The British Opie "paints" a portrait with minimum fuss. These are comic strip characters -- not intended to look three dimensional.

And his subjects include Jacques Villeneuve, Olivier Panis, Ryo Fukada, Jenson Button and Takuma Sato.

He also does landscapes, but frame by frame, so that if they are viewed as a series, the sense of being inside a racing car speeding around a circuit is conveyed.

Tribe Art Commission1 is mostly funded by the Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda Formula Racing Team.

Opie has been called a true original and has a preference for displaying his works outside traditional art spaces. However, some museums in Europe and the Museum of Modern Art in New York have used his name and eye-catching works to encourage the public to walk in off the street and see for themselves what is inside. In 2001, Opie was also awarded for his album cover for music group Blur.

Indonesians who visit his website, www.julianopie.com, may be surprised that the sound of Balinese traditional music is featured with his work Bali Landscape.

For his Jakarta show, Opie will display a wallpaper masterpiece that is 67 meters long and the informative Tribe in a Box.

Tribe in a Box is essentially the works of creative talents within the race team itself and the professionals who support them during the racing season.

"It (Tribe in a box) aims to give the visitors a glimpse behind the scenes of our F1 team," Wahyu said.

Tribe in a Box includes photographs that capture the build up to the race, the thrill of the pit stop and the racers hanging out off season. There are also sharks made by a mechanic from racing car spare parts.

Others who have gained international recognition for their works "in a box" include racing circuit filmmaker Philip Albera, spare part sculptor Alastair Gibson and fashion photographer Hannes Schmid. If you are a Formula One fan or a lover of art, come join the tribe at the National Museum, you will not regret it.

Tribe Art Commission1/Julian Opie/Jakarta, National Museum on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, from March 24 until March 27.

Photo caption: Credit photo : KaryaKu

Julian Opie (wearing suit) poses in front of a portrait of Takuma Sato.