romancing indonesia (1-10 november 2012)

ROMANCING INDONESIA 1

INDONESIAROMANCING

Modern and Contemporary Paintingand Sculpture

1-10 November 2012Royal Opera Arcade Gallery,Pall Mall, London

16 ROMANCING INDONESIA ROMANCING INDONESIA 17

Gregorius SidhartaFreedom1958BronzeH 52 cm

The title of this sculpture refers to the freedom of expression in the ‘new’ Indonesia of the 1950s. It carries with it the irony that, at this time, the general consensus was that higher education should not be a priority for women since their most important role was to look after their children. Sidharta went to study in Holland in 1953 (Jan Van Eijk Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten) and remained there until 1957. Freedom was made a year after his return to Indonesia in 1958.

The Development of Modern and Contemporary Indonesian Art

INDONESIA

It is certainly a most happy occasion for the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in London to learn that One East Asia is organizing an Indonesian Arts Exhibition: Romancing Indonesia, as part of the Asian Arts in London, from 1 to 10 November 2012.

With its beautiful landscapes, pristine scenery and its rich cultural heritage, the Indonesian archipelago is often nicknamed ‘The Emeralds along the Equator’. Bursting with history and tradition, Indonesia has a rich and varied past to create not only a distinctly Indonesian cultural heritage but, through interaction with its neighbours, has also influenced the region.

The long journey we traversed into becoming the nation we are today continues to be inspired by our rich history and traditions. This continuum embraces the diversity within our society, religion, language, culture and art, while at the same time being receptive to occidental and oriental influences.

The British public may be familiar with some aspects of Indonesian arts and culture, such as the officially UNESCO recognized Indonesian batik as intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the enchanting traditional Javanese gamelan or the dynamic sound of the Balinese gamelan, and the serenity of a Balinese dance. However, following the 1998 reform process, this has brought forth many new creative minds and resourcefulness particularly among Indonesia’s youth.

Intent at promoting awareness and closer relations between and amongst our peoples, the Indonesian Embassy therefore commends and congratulates One East Asia, whose efforts have succeeded in bringing Indonesian art to the heart of London through the Romancing Indonesia exhibition.

I sincerely hope that everyone who experiences and acquires a glimpse of Indonesia’s contemporary art through this exhibition will leave with a greater understanding and appreciation of the history, power, and journey and of the people behind them.

His Excellency T M Hamzah ThayebAmbassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Kingdom

Foreword

Man, Fung-yi & Mok, Yat-sanIn The Mood For Intimacy2012Brass, stainless steel and painted stainless steel168 cm x 480 cm x 30 cm

This work was specially commissioned through One East Asia for Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS), Singapore.

It is certainly a most happy occasion for the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in London to learn that One East Asia is organizing an Indonesian Arts Exhibition: Romancing Indonesia, as part of the Asian Arts in London, from 1 to 10 November 2012.

With its beautiful landscapes, pristine scenery and its rich cultural heritage, the Indonesian archipelago is often nicknamed ‘The Emeralds along the Equator’. Bursting with history and tradition, Indonesia has a rich and varied past to create not only a distinctly Indonesian cultural heritage but, through interaction with its neighbours, has also influenced the region.

The long journey we traversed into becoming the nation we are today continues to be inspired by our rich history and traditions. This continuum embraces the diversity within our society, religion, language, culture and art, while at the same time being receptive to occidental and oriental influences.

The British public may be familiar with some aspects of Indonesian arts and culture, such as the officially UNESCO recognized Indonesian batik as intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the enchanting traditional Javanese gamelan or the dynamic sound of the Balinese gamelan, and the serenity of a Balinese dance. However, following the 1998 reform process, this has brought forth many new creative minds and resourcefulness particularly among Indonesia’s youth.

Intent at promoting awareness and closer relations between and amongst our peoples, the Indonesian Embassy therefore commends and congratulates One East Asia, whose efforts have succeeded in bringing Indonesian art to the heart of London through the Romancing Indonesia exhibition.

I sincerely hope that everyone who experiences and acquires a glimpse of Indonesia’s contemporary art through this exhibition will leave with a greater understanding and appreciation of the history, power, and journey and of the people behind them.

His Excellency T M Hamzah ThayebAmbassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Kingdom

Foreword

Man, Fung-yi & Mok, Yat-sanIn The Mood For Intimacy2012Brass, stainless steel and painted stainless steel168 cm x 480 cm x 30 cm

This work was specially commissioned through One East Asia for Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS), Singapore.

I am often asked by people new to buying art how they should go about creating their collections: what to look for, how much to spend, which names to watch. Behind these considerations is the question: how does one cultivate tastes that are both personal and informed, and select works that will bring pleasure and, perhaps, financial benefit?

Drawing an analogy with wine connoisseurship, my answer is this: in order to develop a palate one must taste plenty of wine. In other words, the only way to form a collection is to look at as many works as possible and have the confidence to judge them using instinct and intellect, while remaining open to unfamiliar aesthetics.

Romancing Indonesia is, I hope, the start of a love affair between our viewers and Southeast Asian art. The aim of the exhibition is to introduce you to the art and culture of Indonesia as it is today, offering a glimpse of the development of contemporary art in the country over the last four decades.

So let the love affair begin. We may never agree on everything, nor experience the same feelings standing before the same artworks. However, once our knowledge and sensibilities are sharpened, our debates and deliberations will come from genuine aesthetic considerations, not from politics, prejudices or fashions.

One East Asia is extremely proud to be part of the prestigious Asian Art in London 2012 and to present this small collection of modern and contemporary Indonesian fine art.

I would like to thank all our working partners, the General Hotel Management (GHM) in particular, for their generous contributions in support of this exhibition.

Finally, I would like to extend my gratitude to His Excellency T M Hamzah Thayeb, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Kingdom, for his encouragement of our efforts to bring the art of Indonesia to London.

Daniel KomalaFounder and Chairman, One East Asia

ONE EAST ASIA is a Singapore-based international art management company. It aims to enrich the appreciation of Asian art, especially Southeast Asian art, through diverse programs and educational activities. Located in the heart of Singapore’s premium shopping belt of Orchard Road, One East Asia aspires to connect Asian art to the world, providing avenues for collaboration, discussion, education, communities, networks and links.

I am often asked by people new to buying art how they should go about creating their collections: what to look for, how much to spend, which names to watch. Behind these considerations is the question: how does one cultivate tastes that are both personal and informed, and select works that will bring pleasure and, perhaps, financial benefit?

Drawing an analogy with wine connoisseurship, my answer is this: in order to develop a palate one must taste plenty of wine. In other words, the only way to form a collection is to look at as many works as possible and have the confidence to judge them using instinct and intellect, while remaining open to unfamiliar aesthetics.

Romancing Indonesia is, I hope, the start of a love affair between our viewers and Southeast Asian art. The aim of the exhibition is to introduce you to the art and culture of Indonesia as it is today, offering a glimpse of the development of contemporary art in the country over the last four decades.

So let the love affair begin. We may never agree on everything, nor experience the same feelings standing before the same artworks. However, once our knowledge and sensibilities are sharpened, our debates and deliberations will come from genuine aesthetic considerations, not from politics, prejudices or fashions.

One East Asia is extremely proud to be part of the prestigious Asian Art in London 2012 and to present this small collection of modern and contemporary Indonesian fine art.

I would like to thank all our working partners, the General Hotel Management (GHM) in particular, for their generous contributions in support of this exhibition.

Finally, I would like to extend my gratitude to His Excellency T M Hamzah Thayeb, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Kingdom, for his encouragement of our efforts to bring the art of Indonesia to London.

Daniel KomalaFounder and Chairman, One East Asia

ONE EAST ASIA is a Singapore-based international art management company. It aims to enrich the appreciation of Asian art, especially Southeast Asian art, through diverse programs and educational activities. Located in the heart of Singapore’s premium shopping belt of Orchard Road, One East Asia aspires to connect Asian art to the world, providing avenues for collaboration, discussion, education, communities, networks and links.

ROMANCING INDONESIA 98 ROMANCING INDONESIA

The Indonesian artist Gregorius Sidharta Soegijo (1932-2006) was a door maker: he would assemble an entrance and leave it wide open for anyone who wished to come through to enter at any time. Everything beyond would be in its right place; the ideas and possibilities of art emerging from the creative ferment of Indonesia could be sampled, or become part of a dialogue . ‘Mr. Dharta’, as people usually called him, was the catalyst for the development of contemporary art in Indonesia. With his faith and passion, he moved beyond the traditional conventions of ideas, forms, materials and techniques.

He transcended commonality. When he didn’t ‘believe’ in the character of a sculptural matrial, such as wood – which he thought had the potential to be employed in many more ways than those for which it had generally been used – he would paint it, sometimes only on one or two sides. He also used traditional elements within his sculpture, painting and graphic work, eventually diverging from contemporary mainstream ideas about fine art to explore traditional forms. This can be seen in the coloured teak sculpture Tangisan Dewi Bathari (The Crying of Bathari Goddess) 1976 (h.210 cm) at the Fukuoka Museum of Art, Japan, and Salib Berdaun (The Leaf Cross), 1986, made of coloured polyester, in the collection of Bentara Budaya, Jakarta.

He was clear about his creative drive, saying: “I want to reconnect with tradition while staying in the present; I hope to make the distance between traditional and modern life disappear. To do this I continuously and intensely stay in touch with objects, forms, stories, ideas, and so on, that have been a result of, and expression of, traditional life and norms”1. His fascination with the values and soul of traditional art also appeared in his monumental public works, such as: Tonggak Samudra (The Ocean Poles), 1980 (Tanjung Priuk, Jakarta); Keseimbangan dan Toleransi (Balance and Orientation), 1996-97 (Fukuoka, Japan); Tumbuh & Berkembang II (Grow and Develop II), 1988 (Seoul, Korea); Tumbuh dan Berkembang III (Grow and Develop III), 1991 (Pakubuwono Park, Jakarta); and Tarian Tradisional (Traditional Dance), 1962 (Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, Jakarta). Not only were the foundations and inspiration of Sidharta’s works clear, but also the forms and concepts were strong. He kept on experimenting,

Sidharta’s Door, and A Room of Possibilities...

using different possibilities of configuration, materials and techniques.

Another ‘door maker’ is Srihadi Soedarsono (b.1931), a senior artist who presents himself as an intellectual and cosmopolitan religious leader. He was born and raised in the religious community of Solo, Central Java, but went to study Fine Art in Bandung, and taking his Masters’ degree in the United States. His Javanese sensitivity fuses with the modern intellectual world and he produces works that are filled with soul; he has never been seduced by the superficial or artificial. Consciously choosing grand visual themes – the panoramic seascape, temples at Borobudur, palace dancers – he infuses them with emotion.

What I call Sidharta’s ‘possibilities of the open carved door’ have been vindicated by the new generation of contemporary artists. These people are endless wanderers. They are not faced with the challenges experienced by Sidharta and Srihadi’s generation: material and intellectual needs are easily met and the artistic ethical code has been loosened to the point where any theme and style can be taken up, and the use of artisans in the execution of works is common practice.

Ivan Sagita (b.1957), for example, is able to realise his three-dimensional works through the skilled hands of his technicians without compromising his claim as the originator of the ideas, emotions and soul expressed, and to remain the rightful owner of the final physical forms. By contrast, the authority of ideas and manual execution are fully the hands of Sumatran artist Yunizar (b.1971), who takes amorphous forms and assembles them into a wild panorama. Passionate and skilled artist Stefan Buana (b.1971) explores the possibilities of materials such as sand and soil, charcoal, rubber, used tyres and so on.

Younger artists such as Samsul Arifin (b.1979), Soni Irawan (b.1975), Yudi Sulistyo b.(1972), Dhanang Pambayun (b.1978), Dita Gambiro (b.1986), Maria Indriasari (b.1976) and the collective Indieguerillas (founded in 1999) illustrate the importance of the craft approach to fine art in their attention to detail. Yudi Sulistyo, for example, executes imaginary forms (such as robots) with extraordinary manual skill using

Suwarno WisetroromoArt Critic, Curator and Lecturer at the Indonesian Art Institute, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The Crying of Bathari Goddess,Dewi Bathari

Grow and Develop II, Tumbuh & Berkembang

Gregorius Sidharta in his studio, 1970s.

The Indonesian artist Gregorius Sidharta Soegijo (1932-2006) was a door maker: he would assemble an entrance and leave it wide open for anyone who wished to come through to enter at any time. Everything beyond would be in its right place; the ideas and possibilities of art emerging from the creative ferment of Indonesia could be sampled, or become part of a dialogue . ‘Mr. Dharta’, as people usually called him, was the catalyst for the development of contemporary art in Indonesia. With his faith and passion, he moved beyond the traditional conventions of ideas, forms, materials and techniques.

He transcended commonality. When he didn’t ‘believe’ in the character of a sculptural matrial, such as wood – which he thought had the potential to be employed in many more ways than those for which it had generally been used – he would paint it, sometimes only on one or two sides. He also used traditional elements within his sculpture, painting and graphic work, eventually diverging from contemporary mainstream ideas about fine art to explore traditional forms. This can be seen in the coloured teak sculpture Tangisan Dewi Bathari (The Crying of Bathari Goddess) 1976 (h.210 cm) at the Fukuoka Museum of Art, Japan, and Salib Berdaun (The Leaf Cross), 1986, made of coloured polyester, in the collection of Bentara Budaya, Jakarta.

He was clear about his creative drive, saying: “I want to reconnect with tradition while staying in the present; I hope to make the distance between traditional and modern life disappear. To do this I continuously and intensely stay in touch with objects, forms, stories, ideas, and so on, that have been a result of, and expression of, traditional life and norms”1. His fascination with the values and soul of traditional art also appeared in his monumental public works, such as: Tonggak Samudra (The Ocean Poles), 1980 (Tanjung Priuk, Jakarta); Keseimbangan dan Toleransi (Balance and Orientation), 1996-97 (Fukuoka, Japan); Tumbuh & Berkembang II (Grow and Develop II), 1988 (Seoul, Korea); Tumbuh dan Berkembang III (Grow and Develop III), 1991 (Pakubuwono Park, Jakarta); and Tarian Tradisional (Traditional Dance), 1962 (Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, Jakarta). Not only were the foundations and inspiration of Sidharta’s works clear, but also the forms and concepts were strong. He kept on experimenting,

Sidharta’s Door, and A Room of Possibilities...

using different possibilities of configuration, materials and techniques.

Another ‘door maker’ is Srihadi Soedarsono (b.1931), a senior artist who presents himself as an intellectual and cosmopolitan religious leader. He was born and raised in the religious community of Solo, Central Java, but went to study Fine Art in Bandung, and taking his Masters’ degree in the United States. His Javanese sensitivity fuses with the modern intellectual world and he produces works that are filled with soul; he has never been seduced by the superficial or artificial. Consciously choosing grand visual themes – the panoramic seascape, temples at Borobudur, palace dancers – he infuses them with emotion.

What I call Sidharta’s ‘possibilities of the open carved door’ have been vindicated by the new generation of contemporary artists. These people are endless wanderers. They are not faced with the challenges experienced by Sidharta and Srihadi’s generation: material and intellectual needs are easily met and the artistic ethical code has been loosened to the point where any theme and style can be taken up, and the use of artisans in the execution of works is common practice.

Ivan Sagita (b.1957), for example, is able to realise his three-dimensional works through the skilled hands of his technicians without compromising his claim as the originator of the ideas, emotions and soul expressed, and to remain the rightful owner of the final physical forms. By contrast, the authority of ideas and manual execution are fully the hands of Sumatran artist Yunizar (b.1971), who takes amorphous forms and assembles them into a wild panorama. Passionate and skilled artist Stefan Buana (b.1971) explores the possibilities of materials such as sand and soil, charcoal, rubber, used tyres and so on.

Younger artists such as Samsul Arifin (b.1979), Soni Irawan (b.1975), Yudi Sulistyo b.(1972), Dhanang Pambayun (b.1978), Dita Gambiro (b.1986), Maria Indriasari (b.1976) and the collective Indieguerillas (founded in 1999) illustrate the importance of the craft approach to fine art in their attention to detail. Yudi Sulistyo, for example, executes imaginary forms (such as robots) with extraordinary manual skill using

Suwarno WisetroromoArt Critic, Curator and Lecturer at the Indonesian Art Institute, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The Crying of Bathari Goddess,Dewi Bathari

Grow and Develop II, Tumbuh & Berkembang

Gregorius Sidharta in his studio, 1970s.

Srihadi SoedarsonoKrakatau1984Oil on canvas100 x 200 cm

Notes:1Sanento Yuliman dan Jim Supangkat, G. Sidharta di Tengah Seni Rupa Indonesia, Jakarta: PT Gramedia, 1982, p1.2See John Clark, Modernity in Asian Art, Wild Peony, University of Sidney East Asian Studies Nuber, terutama paparan Helena Spanjaard ‘The Controversy Between the Academics of Bandung and Yogyakarta’, 1993.

Dear My Country Leaders, Please Be Transparent!, Stefan Buana

Are You Pure?, Maria Indriasari

Looking Through My Feet, Rudi Hendriatno

hardboard, which he assembles to create unique forms that are similar to rustic steels. ‘Imagination’ and ‘craftsmanship’ skills are the keywords to his success.

The theme of changing forms, which derives from traditional tales and mythologies, is also pursued by some younger artists. Indieguerrillas’ Coexisting in Multiple Stagnant, 2012, starts with the world of play and playfulness as represented by toys, puzzles and cartoon-style figures, which they rearrange into a colourful eyecatching maquette. Similarly, Rudi Hendriatno (b.1980) transforms imaginative shapes into sculptures with a toylike appearance. Artists like Maria Indriasari and Dita Gambiro play with the concept of changing forms through creating images of their observations of everyday life, whereby a multitude of activities are presented in a single unified picture.

The works of Samsul Arifin (b.1979) exhibit a different spirit. His work stems from critical views about education and social issues, which he voices in the form of dolls, both in his paintings and his three-dimensional works. For example, with his dolls he includes pencils, erasers and other everyday objects used by schoolchildren in order to comment on the world of education, and thereby succeeds in transforming common objects into meaningful metaphors.

The clear division of artistic styles associated with the two main Indonesian art schools, Bandung and Yogyakarta, which was defined by the late art critic Trisno Sumardjo in 19542, is now blurred. It is no longer easy to pinpoint specific characteristics of the work that comes out of these establishments. Yogyakarta-Bandung is a creative and competitive arena for its artists; each of them are shaped by their chosen environment. One thing that is certain, however, is that artists in both centres now carefully consider the importance of ‘craftsmanship’ in order to conquer material and techniques. They believe that it will enable the to communicate their ideas through their chosen forms.

Sidharta’s door can be walked through easily: the art world beyond is full of possibilities and challenges.

Srihadi SoedarsonoKrakatau1984Oil on canvas100 x 200 cm

Notes:1Sanento Yuliman dan Jim Supangkat, G. Sidharta di Tengah Seni Rupa Indonesia, Jakarta: PT Gramedia, 1982, p1.2See John Clark, Modernity in Asian Art, Wild Peony, University of Sidney East Asian Studies Nuber, terutama paparan Helena Spanjaard ‘The Controversy Between the Academics of Bandung and Yogyakarta’, 1993.

Dear My Country Leaders, Please Be Transparent!, Stefan Buana

Are You Pure?, Maria Indriasari

Looking Through My Feet, Rudi Hendriatno

hardboard, which he assembles to create unique forms that are similar to rustic steels. ‘Imagination’ and ‘craftsmanship’ skills are the keywords to his success.

The theme of changing forms, which derives from traditional tales and mythologies, is also pursued by some younger artists. Indieguerrillas’ Coexisting in Multiple Stagnant, 2012, starts with the world of play and playfulness as represented by toys, puzzles and cartoon-style figures, which they rearrange into a colourful eyecatching maquette. Similarly, Rudi Hendriatno (b.1980) transforms imaginative shapes into sculptures with a toylike appearance. Artists like Maria Indriasari and Dita Gambiro play with the concept of changing forms through creating images of their observations of everyday life, whereby a multitude of activities are presented in a single unified picture.

The works of Samsul Arifin (b.1979) exhibit a different spirit. His work stems from critical views about education and social issues, which he voices in the form of dolls, both in his paintings and his three-dimensional works. For example, with his dolls he includes pencils, erasers and other everyday objects used by schoolchildren in order to comment on the world of education, and thereby succeeds in transforming common objects into meaningful metaphors.

The clear division of artistic styles associated with the two main Indonesian art schools, Bandung and Yogyakarta, which was defined by the late art critic Trisno Sumardjo in 19542, is now blurred. It is no longer easy to pinpoint specific characteristics of the work that comes out of these establishments. Yogyakarta-Bandung is a creative and competitive arena for its artists; each of them are shaped by their chosen environment. One thing that is certain, however, is that artists in both centres now carefully consider the importance of ‘craftsmanship’ in order to conquer material and techniques. They believe that it will enable the to communicate their ideas through their chosen forms.

Sidharta’s door can be walked through easily: the art world beyond is full of possibilities and challenges.

London has some of the most scholarly and respected dealers of Asian Art in the world. Asian Art in London (AAL), now in its 15th year, is an event that showcases the very best of their collections. Therefore the opportunity for One East Asia to exhibit Southeast Asian works of art as part of AAL – in only the second year where dealers based outside the UK have been eligible to apply – is a great honour.

Last year One East Asia held an independent exhibition, Indonesia’s Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons, at Artspace Galleries, Mayfair (9-20 November 2011). We dipped our toes in the London art market to assess the reception of a selection of Indonesian artworks dating from the mid-19th century to the present day. It was most encouraging and we started planning the second show soon after.

Romancing Indonesia is the result. Where last year we selected work to show a narrative overview of 170 years of Indonesian fine art, this year the aim is to look predominantly at contemporary work set against the developments of the previous four decades. The title of the show is perhaps anachronistic, redolent of the idealised exoticism that characterised the Western view of the East in 19th and early 20th centuries. ‘Romancing’ in this case means the process of cajoling out the true character of fine art produced in this enticing country today.

The majority of works in the catalogue have been executed over the last five years, at a time when Indonesian artists have never been freer in terms of choice of subject, style and material; when personal choices have grown in a country becoming more confident after the overthrow of the Suharto regime in 1998; and when the trickle effect of the boom in Chinese contemporary art has started to reach the Indonesian market. Galleries, art fairs, biennales and triennials, and, increasingly, auction houses have all served to whet the appetite for up-to-the-minute works.

In the show there are only a handful of works that were not made between 2007 and 2012. These include Soeparto’s Cat, 1992 and Agus Suwage’s My Heart, 2002, but the most obvious exception in terms of date is Gregorius Sidharta’s bronze head Freedom.

This was cast in 1958, the year after the artist returned to Indonesia after studying at the Jan Van Eyck Academy in the Netherlands. It has been included not only because Sidharta was a master whose ever-evolving style influenced generations of Indonesian artists, but also as a reference point to demonstrate how much contemporary art practice has changed in the last forty years.

When Sidharta made this sculpture, his practice was at what Dr. Andrew Leng calls the ‘Adapt’ phase of post-colonial art, where Western models were modified by Asian artists rather than adopted wholesale (in this case no attempt has been made to westernize the woman’s features)1. Sidharta’s ‘Adept’ phase, which Dr. Leng classifies as a period of cultural independence in which the artist ‘remakes the form to [his] own specification’ is explored in Suwarno Wisetroromo’s incisive essay published in this catalogue.

There are three un-catalogued works by which we hope to demonstrate the social and political history of the country and artists’ reactions to its twists and turns, which laid the foundations for recent contemporary art practices: Hardi’s 1979 screen print President of the Republic of Indonesia 2001, Suhardi; Sucipto Adi’s Racing, 1986; and Future Dialogue, 1998, by Heri Dono.

Hardi (whose given name was Suhardi, b.1951) executed President soon after founding, with other artrists, the New Art Movement (Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru) in 1975. Other notable members included Jim Supangket (b.1948) and Nyoman Nuarta (b.1953). The group rearranged the face of art in the archipelago, focusing critically on political and social issues affecting Indonesian society. While encouraging work that drew distinctly upon Indonesian culture, it concurrently introduced contemporary concepts such as installation and performance to practice. It also marked the beginning of true art criticism and discussion in Indonesia, of which artist-turned-curator Jim Supangket is still a leading figure.

In President, Hardi superimposes his own face on a military style figure in a graphic style reminiscent of the posters of Revolutionary China. This is no accident: Sukarno, the first president of independent Indonesia (and himself a passionate art collector), was a friend of

Mao. However, the political system against which Hardi is venting spleen is that of President Suharto, whose New Order government (1968-1998), an anti-communist dictatorship, suffocated freedom of expression in every walk of life. Hardi’s dangerous transgression resulted in a stint in jail.

The irony revealed by hindsight is that Hardi was right in his vision of greater freedom: by the titular date of 2001 the Reformasi – the overthrow of the Suharto regime – had taken place and Indonesia had its first freely elected leader, President Abdurrahman Wahid, popularly called ‘Gus Dur’.

The unfolding story of social change during the 1980s is told in Sutjipto Adi’s (b.1957) painting, Racing, 1986. The rich attend the races, indulging in a pastime that has traditionally been associated with the social elite, while those less fortunate scream from disembodied heads. It was executed at a time when the boom in oil prices of the previous few years, fuelled by the oil crises of 1973 and 1979, saw oil-rich Indonesia go from relative poverty to wealth – but only for the few.

Indonesian Contemporary Art:Four Decades of Change

Viv LawesCo-Curator of Romancing Indonesia, Lecturer and Arts Journalist

1 Dr Andrew Leng, ‘Pragmatism and the Arts- An Awkward Embrace’, Painting and National Identities, 1999. http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg/arts/uar2299a/studnwriting/pearlin.pdf

Social divisions grew significantly wider, and continued even when oil prices declined in the mid-1980s and the government diversified into manufacturing and export of non-oil products, resulting in increasing industrialisation.

New wealth spawned new collectors. Although a platform for local artists had been created in 1968 with the Pameran Besar Seni Lukis painting festival, which morphed into the Jakarta Biennale in 1994, the Indonesian commercial art scene really took off in the ‘80s. The number of exhibitions and new commercial galleries, especially in Jakarta and then Yogyakarta – the location of one of the two most important art schools in Indonesia (the other being in Bandung) – mushroomed. Art was no longer the exclusive realm of the art lover, as investors joined the game, mainly pursuing the acknowledged modern masters of Indonesian art, such as Affandi (1907-1990), Hendra Gunawan (1918-1983) and Sudjojono (1913-1986).

The art boom reflected the wider art market at a time when Japanese money pushed Impressionist and

Pelukis Hardi

President of the Indonesian Republic Year 2001, Suhardi

Serigraph

58 x 44 cm

Sutjipto Adi Tjitrosampurno Racing1986Oil and pencil on canvas46 cm x 36 cm