Woeful art appreciation rooted in education system

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): Most performances in the Art Summit Indonesia have been packed but it may not necessarily indicate that the capital is crammed with performing art lovers. The performances have been jam packed by many of the same goers.

Those who have regularly been going to the festival have, time and again, bumped into the same people.

Art observer Atika Makarim said, "This happens not only at this festival but also at other cultural festivals."

This fact has raised eyebrows. Why have such world-class performances failed to attract the bulk of educated Jakartans? Is it that Jakartans have a low appreciation of the arts?

Atika, who has watched three performances at the art summit -- Putu Wijaya's play Ngeh (Understand), French musicians Musicatreize and Indonesian Suka Hardjana -- said that one's appreciation of art and culture had to do with one's education.

Here in Indonesia, there is an absence of formal education in art appreciation at schools, she added.

"In other countries, people are taught about art appreciation from an early age. So, most of them watch cultural events because they like and need them," Atika said.

Apart from the lack of education, financial considerations also played a role.

"For some people, an entry ticket of Rp 25,000 or Rp 10,000 is a lot of money for a leisure activity ... especially during the crisis," Atika said.

For this second art summit festival, tickets cost up to Rp 25,000 each, while students pay Rp 5,000 to get in.

Atika is probably right. At present, there is no formal education on art appreciation at schools, and considering the crisis, many people give priority to buying basic necessities instead of leisure activities.

But many of the lucky few who can still afford to spend money on leisure activities are still reluctant to watch cultural events.

Outside the 21 Group theater at the Plaza Senayan shopping mall, 24-year-old Krisna said, "I think cultural events are too serious for me. I like more entertaining performances, like movies."

He was going to watch the comedy-action movie Dr. Dolittle with friends. Movie tickets cost Rp 17,500 each at this theater.

When told about the ongoing art summit festival, he claimed he did not know about the festival at all. "Where is it?" he simply asked.

People may have their own reasons for having no interest in watching art and cultural events but one man had his excuse.

He was sneaking out right in the middle of Putu Wijaya's play at the Graha Bhakti Budaya hall in Taman Ismail Marzuki, one of the performances for the second art summit. It turned out that he skipped the quality play to have a cigarette.

"I came to accompany my girlfriend. It's she who wants to watch the play, not me," he said, declining to be identified.

"I prefer watching action movies or hanging out in cafes listening to music," he added. He returned to his seat after smoking two cigarettes.

Communication for Arts Forum (Komseni) executive Debra Yatim said that some people were reluctant to watch cultural events because they regarded them as a "luxury".

"But that (assumption) is not true. Just see how many people pack movie theaters to watch Bruce Willis' Armageddon. Most of them have the same purchasing power for leisure activities (as those watching cultural events)," Debra told the Post.

And some people, she said, were reluctant to watch cultural events because they could not follow the rules imposed by the management of cultural event venues.

At the Jakarta Playhouse, for instance, it is not permitted to eat inside the hall, to wear thongs, or to come in late.

"Unlike those who are already familiar with such rules due to their good education, there are some people who don't feel comfortable with such rules. They don't like having to specially dress to watch an event or to arrive on time at the venues," Debra said.

But the venues' management, she said, should also find a strategy to educate and build the audiences of cultural events.

So far, she said, there is only one expert on performing arts management, Linda Hoemar, who is a lecturer at the Jakarta Art Institute. "It's impossible for her to handle everything on her own," Debra said.

At present, she said, most managements and artists worked on their own. The artists deal not only with creative processes, as they should do, but are also responsible for generating income, paying their employees, promotion and even doing clerical duties, she said.

As a result, when the artists present their works to the public, the quality is not as perfect as expected, she added.

"That's why most cultural events' audiences are a small circle of the same people, who have a real interest in art and culture. But new viewers, who feel disappointed by the quality of a performance, will not come again," Debra said.

In building the audience's interest, she said, there should be cooperation between the venues' managements, artists, the government and sponsors.

"We need to cultivate people's desire to appreciate art," Debra said.