RI, Dutch museums revive past glories
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesian and Dutch museums have called the exhibition Shared Cultural Heritage, although the artifacts on display all hailed originally from the archipelago's ancient kingdoms: Singosari, Majapahit, Gayo and Karangasem, to mention but a few.
Let us not dwell on the puzzling title because the exhibition itself is much more interesting.
Displaying 329 ethnographic and archeological artifacts, the three-month exhibition at the National Museum is a resourceful and extraordinary event.
The rare and magnificent articles in the exhibition are collections of the organizers of the exhibition: 151 articles from the National Museum of Indonesia (MNI), previously Bataviaasch Genotschaap, and 178 others from Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde (RMV) in Leiden.
For the event they have highlighted the collection from the Singosari kingdom, Malang, East Java.
They decided to focus on Singosari because artifacts on display now are masterpieces of the period, the secondary peak in arts achievement after the Syailendra era in Central Java.
From a total of seven in its Singosari collection, RMV sent five statues, of which two, Arca Durga Mahisasuramardini and Arca Ganesa, belonged to the main temple of Singosari.
From MNI's Singosari collection, there is the most beautiful arca (statue), the Arca Prajnaparamita.
The handiwork is refined, showing deft craftsmanship of the artists concerned.
The statues are magnificent works of Javanese ancestors from the 13th century, showing the high cultural achievement of Indonesian ancestors.
Besides the Singosari collection, the front of the exhibition hall also houses a collection from the Trowulan site, Mojokerto, East Java, which is considered the center of the Majapahit Kingdom, as well as a collection from Borobudur Temple, Central Java.
The exhibition is quite well arranged: After seeing the artifacts and the useful information in the front hall, patrons may stroll inside, where collections are categorized according to place of origin.
Other collections comprise royal jewelry, antique cloth, household equipment, ceremonial gear and decorative items.
The explanatory text attached to each article is quite informative. However, the organizers have provided two types of catalog for further information.
The most complete catalog is sold at 25 euro or Rp 319,000 (US$32).
MNI and RMV have had a close relationship since the 19th century.
During the 350-year Dutch occupation, Dutch missionaries, military officers and government officials often acquired the artifacts of the archipelago's kingdoms and communities.
In the 19th century, the Dutch gathered artifacts from individuals and institutions, subdividing them into items for RMV in Leiden and the then BG (MNI) in Batavia (as Jakarta was known).
In Jakarta, the exhibition was opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and visiting Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot on Aug. 18.
After the exhibition in Jakarta, the artifacts will be sent to De Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam, to be displayed in another three-month exhibition from December 2005 to February 2006.
in box
Shared Cultural Heritage through Nov. 15 National Museum Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No. 12 Central Jakarta
tel. 3868172