Sukarno collection on display

Sukarno collection on display

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's first president Sukarno was widely
known as a fine arts maniac. He collected many paintings and was
also known to be a good painter himself.

But who knew that Sukarno, Indonesia's founding father, also
created batik designs? Or composed songs? Perhaps, those were
just some of the many talents he possessed.

Well, part of his collection, starting with paintings, batik,
statues, China ceramics, keris (traditional Javanese daggers),
photographs of Sukarno at various events and even drafts of his
orations, will all be displayed in an exhibition at Gedung Pola
on Jl. Proklamasi 56, Central Jakarta.

The building's location was once where Sukarno's former
residence stood, the place from where he declared the country's
independence on Aug. 17, 1945.

The exhibition, staged by the Bung Karno Foundation, will run
for one month.

Guruh Sukarno Putra, the foundation chairman and son of
Sukarno, said the six-story Gedung Pola building can only
accommodate 10 percent of Sukarno's collection.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Guruh will also stage a
concert commemorating his father on Aug. 15 at the Assembly Hall
of the Jakarta Convention Center in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Guruh said that the foundation -- whose membership is
comprised of his brothers and sisters Guntur, Megawati,
Rachmawati, Sukmawati, Bayu, Kartika Sari and formerly the late
Taufan -- has decided to establish the Sukarno Center.

The center, which is planned to be built on a 10-hectare site
close to the capital, will not only accommodate Sukarno's
complete collection, but will also have facilities for a museum,
library, multipurpose hall, an archive and research center. The
complex is expected to be completed in 2004. (yan)