Yogyakarta, the city of painters, other artists

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta deserves to be dubbed the city of artists as it hosts 650 superb artists, 400 of them painters, not to mention numerous beginners or fine art students who have yet to make a name for themselves.

Being in the city enables one to enjoy painting or fine art exhibitions almost every day. It's not surprising as the city holds at least two exhibitions each week staged by art galleries, workshops or other institutions. Some hotels also hold painting exhibitions.

These exclude two major events involving numerous painters and artists held by the city biennially and annually. They are the Yogyakarta Annual Painting Exhibition during the Yogyakarta Art Festival every June to July and the Yogyakarta Biennial Painting Exhibition. Both events are organized by the Yogyakarta Taman Budaya art and cultural center.

Prominent galleries that regularly hold painting or fine art exhibitions are Cemeti Gallery, Yogyakarta Bentara Budaya, the Yogyakarta French Cultural Center, Galeri Benda and Vredenburg Museum.

Smaller and lesser known art galleries and workshops can be found in almost every corner of the city.

"Most artists and painters have their own groups, mostly based on ethnic or educational background. Those from West Sumatra alone have a number of groups here, not to mention Yogyakarta's Indonesian Fine Arts Institute (ISI) alumni who group themselves based on the year they were admitted to the institute," the head of Taman Budaya, Suprapto, told The Jakarta Post.

It is indeed such a multicultural setting that, according to art observer and ISI curator Dwi Marianto, it has made the ancient city what it is today.

"The condition has created a multicultural interaction that people here feel free to interpret aesthetics," said Dwi, who is also head of the institute's research department, adding that the multicultural condition originated in the mid-1940s, when Yogyakarta was the capital city of the newly independent republic of Indonesia.

Living in such a condition, according to Dwi, could encourage artists and painters to keep working and improving their work. "This, in turn, influences the development of art itself because they are not only creating art but also enriching each other's art."

Noted batik artist Amri Yahya shared Dwi's opinion, saying that Yogyakarta indeed provided painters and artists with a very conducive and friendly climate in which to work.

"Artists do need a certain climate to develop their creativity. That's what lured me here," Palembang-born Amri, who has lived in Yogya for 45 years, said.

Painter Hadi Soesanto also said that the city's atmosphere encouraged him to create more. He said the competition in his field forced him to keep improving his work.

"I once returned to my hometown, Jember in East Java, but could not find the same atmosphere as here. I finally decided to come back and start my career as an artist here," said Hadi, who came to Yogya in 1987 when he began studying at ISI.

The existence of ISI as well as the Yogyakarta Fine Arts High School, to some extent, is believed to contribute to the increasing number of painters and artists as well as to the emergence of new art villages in the city. Nitiprayan -- which is located near the fine arts high school -- and other surrounding villages, are examples.

"Villages around ISI's new campus like Sewon, Bantul, seem to be experiencing the same thing," Dwi said.

It's not surprising that many of the big names in the local art scene grew up here. Affandi, Soedjono Kerton, Itji Tarmizi, Djoko Pekik and Amri Yahya are but a few.