`Pak' Ombo, his unique gallery and painting collection

`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.