Sulawesi Expo makes RI arts known in Tokyo

Sulawesi Expo makes RI arts known in Tokyo

Yusrianti Y. Pontodjaf, Contributor, Tokyo, Japan

The Indonesian Cultural House (GBI), an independent institution
in Tokyo, has often hosted exhibitions featuring paintings and
cultural items from various regions in Indonesia. GBI is an
independent institute set up by Japanese journalist Seiichi Okawa
in 1998.

This time, the exhibition held at GBI Tokyo from Sept. 17 to
Dec. 17, 2005 has the theme of Kokoro Sulawesi, the heart of
Sulawesi, kokoro being a Japanese word meaning the heart.

This art exhibition, which features 22 works of artists from
Sulawesi, one of Indonesia's major islands, is expected to
express the feelings and emotions of the Sulawesi people.

Symbolically, the "k" in "kokoro" represents the k-shaped
Sulawesi island.

"Oh, this is what Sulawesi dress looks like, then?" said a
visitor, Hiroe Onda, referring to a painting depicting an old man
wearing traditional dress with a Toraja house in the background.

Although in general Onda found the exhibition interesting, he
was surprised that dark colors dominated in the paintings
exhibited.

Browns, grays and blacks, he said, symbolize sorrow.
Meanwhile, he added, Japanese prefer bright colors like red,
golden yellow or purple.

This Sulawesi expo, which Seichii Okawa said was the first
ever held in Japan, features 22 paintings, 21 of which were made
by artists from South Sulawesi. The other painting was made by an
artist from Palu in central Sulawesi.

As Onda had said, the uniquely Sulawesi paintings, among
others, those depicting the Sandek boat (the boat of the Mandar
ethnic group) and an old man donning traditional dress with a
water buffalo and a Toraja house in the background, were indeed
dominated by browns and grays. All these paintings will be sold
at prices ranging from Rp 3 million to Rp 7 million.

Okawa said that the atmosphere and the site of the exhibition
were adapted to the Sulawesi theme of the exhibition. The items
and paintings placed in the room are neatly arranged to represent
a unique picture of Sulawesi.

"This is my way of bringing news about Indonesia to Japan,"
said Okawa, who is also a Japan-based correspondent of an
Indonesian television stations.

A documentary is screened in the main hall, where there is
also a collection of compact discs of songs from Makassar, Bugis,
Mandar, Toraja and Manado.

Free Toraja coffee is also served there. From mid-October up
to the end of the month, there will be cultural lectures and
courses on Makassar cooking. These courses will be held to ensure
that the exhibition will be as successful as the Aceh tsunami
exhibition held here in January and April 2005.

In this regard, Okawa is assisted by Kazuhisa Matsui of the
Institute of Developing Economy (IDE-JETRO), a Japanese
independent institution that has undertaken many activities in
Indonesia, as well as by a number of students from Makassar now
studying in Tokyo.

"We have contacted Makassar people now staying in Japan. Even
a Japanese who once stayed in Makassar has expressed his
intention of taking part in this event because of his longing for
Makassar," Okawa said.

Regardless of whether or not the exhibitions on Indonesian
culture that he has organized since 1998 have drawn a lot of
visitors, Okawa deserves great appreciation for his indefatigable
efforts in introducing Indonesia to the Japanese, especially when
one takes into account that he has started all these activities
as just a hobby.

Why has Okawa been so tenacious in his efforts to introduce
Indonesian culture to his country?

The answer is simple: he admires and loves Indonesia.

Man behind the exhibit

It was back in 1980s, when Okawa was still a correspondent for a
leading news weekly in Indonesia, that an idea struck him to hold
an Indonesian expo in Japan.

In May 15, 1998, using his own money, he set up an institution
called Graha Budaya Indonesia (Indonesian Cultural House). The
office was located next to Tokyo Fuji University, not far from
Tokyo's Takadanobaba railway station.

"Indonesia is the Paris of Asia. As a Japanese I can see this
comparison. But why does the Indonesian government and our fellow
journalists rarely expose this?" he inquired.

"I have brought news from Japan and other countries to
Indonesia. How about the news about Indonesia published in Japan
by the Japanese media? Most seem to be unfavorable," he said.

As a Japan-based correspondent of Indonesia's leading news
weekly, Okawa wrote a lot for the Jakarta media publication he
worked for.

As a journalist, he often visited various places in Indonesia.
In his trips across the country, he saw another aspect of
Indonesia. He fell in love with Indonesia and as a journalist he
wanted to bring to his country news about Indonesia in art forms.

He established GBI because of his love and admiration for the
works of Indonesian artists. He wanted to introduce to his fellow
Japanese what he had seen in Papua, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and
Aceh.

He regretted that his people, like the people in many other
countries, knew only Java and Bali when they talked about
Indonesia.

At present, GBI has two Indonesian employees.

This institution not only organizes exhibitions featuring
Indonesia's handicraft and art works, but also gives courses on
Indonesian language and culture, organizes writing contests, and
holds film shows and lectures on Indonesia. So far it has held 34
photo, handicraft and film exhibitions and organized 54 courses
and lectures on Indonesia.

Not long after the tsunami struck Aceh, GBI held an exhibition
on this theme and raised funds to be donated to disaster victims
in Aceh.

Okawa hoped that Aceh would be remembered not only because it
had been devastated by a massive earthquake and the deadly
tsunami, but also for its beautiful dances, unique language and
culture.

Likewise, unfavorable news about the sectarian and communal
conflicts in Papua, Sulawesi and other regions in Indonesia can
be counterbalanced by reports conveyed in the language of art and
culture.

"I have said many times that Indonesian artists are found not
only in Java and Bali. There are many other artists in other
regions and they are highly gifted. It is regrettable, however,
that the government is yet to give them much opportunity," he
stressed.

It is only natural that Okawa was rather irritated with the
Indonesian government. In his efforts to introduce Indonesian
culture to Japan, he has several times invited regency and
provincial administrations to promote and support artists from
their regions.

Unfortunately, however, the response he gets is usually either
"Your idea is interesting" or "OK, we'll think about it."

The ongoing exhibition on Sulawesi is a case in point. It is
Okawa and the artists whose paintings are included in this
exhibition who have paid for the expenses to transport these
paintings to Japan.

Earlier, Okawa asked the South Sulawesi governor and the
province's tourism service to help print a catalog of the
paintings and provide him with a welcoming speech to be read
during the opening ceremony. Until now, when the exhibition is
already under way, the catalog and the welcoming speech from the
South Sulawesi provincial administration has not arrived.

Okawa has approached regional administrations and the central
government in Indonesia several times in his efforts get more
attention paid to Indonesian culture as a means of strengthening
bilateral relations.

As a Japanese person who loves Indonesian art, Okawa hopes
that Indonesia appreciates its arts and culture more than he
does.

"Japan has become an advanced country," he said, "Because
Japan appreciates and promotes Japanese arts."