`Pak' Ombo, his unique gallery and painting collection

Bambang M., Contributor, Yogyakarta

Art galleries are usually designed with strong aesthetic nuances in its architecture and interior. Galeri Ombo in Yogyakarta, however, simply looks like an ordinary house.

Located in the village of Ambarketawang, five kilometers west of Yogyakarta, Galeri Ombo was established in mid-February this year and is only identifiable as an art gallery because of its sign on the front of the house.

The 81-square-meter house, which is over 100 years old, is a typical limasan-style Javanese house. Inside, most of the space is used for exhibiting works of art, excepting the living quarters and workshop of the gallery's owner, Boudewijn Brands, a Dutchman who has lived in Indonesia since 1995.

"Artists are free to develop their skills and exhibit their work here in the gallery," said Brands, who is popularly known among young artists in Yogyakarta as Pak, or Mister, Ombo.

Brands, who holds a Ph.D. in economic development, set up the gallery as an alternative for young artists in Yogyakarta, which is home to numerous artists, particularly since the city did not have enough exhibition space for its artists.

"I call it an alternative gallery, because it is not set up to merely gain commercial profit, but more to express the ideal of 'art for art's sake'," Brands said.

He added that the gallery would also make it possible for him to enjoy the exhibited works right in his own home.

"This is another benefit that I get from setting up the gallery," said Brands, who is a lover of abstract art.

The gallery, which is integrated into a local residential neighborhood, said Brands, also offers him a different kind of experience. For example, he can welcome local children to his gallery to view the latest painting exhibitions, as when he organized the Personal Perception painting exhibition of artists Kadafi Dhowo, Tulus Sujoko, Yani Halim and Susanto in February.

"It's good. Such a scene could never take place in a painting exhibition held at an art gallery located in the middle of the city, would it?" he said.

Brands also keeps his own private collection at the house, which consists of works by Yogyakarta's up-and-coming young artists who are, as of yet, unknown nationally.

Of the 1,200 paintings he has collected since 1996, most are paintings on paper, his favorite medium.

"I like the paper paintings of young artists because they are much cheaper than the canvas paintings of noted artists. Why should I spend Rp 100 million for an Affandi painting, for example, and then run out of money? I'd rather spend money to buy young artists' works, and that way, I can also help them make a living," he said.

Among Yogyakarta's young artists, Brands is known as a guardian angel, because he buys their work. Kadafi Dhowo, one of the young artists who frequently sells his work to Brands, said that most of the time, Brands bought the works of his contemporaries, especially those in need of money.

"Usually, as he's handing over the payment, he cautions us not to spend all the money on cigarettes and drink," said Kadafi, who was selected as one of the 100 greatest artists in a Philip Morris Contest in 2000.

Some, however, consider Brands to be stingy, since he prefers to buy paintings at a low price. What is also considered no less annoying is how he decides upon the price, which he bases mainly on the size of the painting.

It is said he measures the painting in square centimeters, and then multiplies the area with a fixed rate to calculate its price.

"Some of the artists cannot accept the way he prices a painting," Kadafi said.

Brands, however, says that every rupiah he pays for a painting includes the production cost and living expenses incurred during the time it took the artist to complete their work.

Local artists whose works are already part of the gallery's collections include Bob Yudhita Agung, Surajija, Ugo Untoro, Susanto, Kadafi Dhowo and Ugeng Mutijo. Brands also collects some canvas paintings by noted artists such as Bunga Jeruk, Entang Wiharso and Budi Ubruk.

"With these collections, I think I can hold solo painting exhibitions for 20 different artists," Brands said.

And he apparently means what he says, and has already exhibited some of his collections several times.

In October 2001, for example, he held an exhibition entitled Challenging the Indonesian Collector at Rumah Seni Air, Jakarta. In September of the same year, he had also displayed his collections at the British Council in Jakarta in an exhibition entitled Personal Perception in cooperation with Galeri Cemara 6, Jakarta.

He has also held exhibitions back home in the Netherlands, featuring the works of young Indonesian artists at Bremmer Gallery in Tilburg. In June 2000, he exhibited the works of artists Sutrisno, Surajijah, Agung Kurniawan, Tisna Sanjaya and Ahmad Syahari and in 2002, he exhibited artist Tulus Sujoko's work.

"Indonesian politics and economy are ruined. It is only the arts that will be able to mend the country's image abroad. ... I hope I can also be of some help in introducing Indonesian artists to the international art world," Brands said.