Ark Galerie Puts the Focus Back on Art

Contemporary art tends to shine brightest when shown in a clean setting that puts the art at center stage. Jason Gunawan, the owner of Ark Galerie in South Jakarta, knows this and has made a point of stressing the ambience and look of the showplace in the gallery’s recent revamp.

Jason decided to renovate the gallery after a brainstorming session with co-owner Ronalk Akili.

The goal was to reduce the boundaries of the gallery to provide a more open space where the art would better be able to make an impression on visitors.

Read More

Is it the End of the Reel for the Jakarta International Film Festival?

For 11 years the annual Jakarta International Film Festival, or JiFFest, has played an important role in rekindling Indonesia’s interest in quality cinema. The event’s discussions and workshops have also provided a platform for young Indonesian filmmakers to explore new horizons and meet big names in the industry.

So the industry was dismayed last week when organizers said that this year’s event, scheduled to run from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3, may have to be canceled because of a funding crisis. Organizers have been forced to launch a public appeal for donations to keep it afloat.

Read More

Solo’s Operatic Soul

The city of Solo in Central Java, Indonesia, was once known as a center of culture, religion and royalty. More recently, however, it has been associated with something much more menacing.

“I was sad and angry that people started labeling Solo a ‘haven for radicals,’” said Atilah Soeryadjaya , referring to an article in Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper last month. The article detailed the killing of terrorist Noordin M Top on the city’s outskirts.

A true-blue Solo native, Atilah is the granddaughter of Sultan Mangkunegara VII, a direct descendent of the Mataram dynasty’s royal line, which ruled Java between the 17th and 18th centuries.

Read More

Angki Purbandono: The art of scanography

One may at first think the exhibition of noodle art at the Garis Artspace here is some kind of food promotion. But the opposite holds true.

Angki Purbandono, Indonesia’s most prominent artist specializing in scanography – the process of producing artistic digital images by means of an ordinary flat-bed image scanner – has now taken his scan-art to the realms of noodles. 

Placing noodles directly onto the scanner’s glass is like setting up a mini stage where the artist plays the stage director. Such a thought comes to mind as one looks at the works currently on show at the Garis ArtSpace.

Entering the space, one is first struck by images of elegant dragons seemingly playing with noodles. In the Western tradition, dragons are often thought of as awful monsters, but in the Chinese tradition, they carry with them the meaning of luck and welfare. The dragons in his scan-art, he says, are descendants of the Chinese Golden Dragon, raised in Europe. 

Read More

Balinese: Between decline and transformation

Am I prejudiced? This is the question I asked myself a few days ago while arguing with noted Balinese scholar Nyoman Darma Putra.

I had missed the launch of his new book: Tonggak Baru Sastra Bali Modern (New Facts about Modern Balinese Literature), but I now found myself, two days later, sitting with him at the Pomodoro Italian restaurant in Northern Denpasar and discussing this very same book. 

In fact, I had accepted his invitation only because I wanted confirmation of a “hunch”, which I deemed a certainty: I was sure the Balinese language is under threat. 

Hasn’t UNESCO announced the probable extinctions of hundred of languages in the coming century? Isn’t it also true too that Balinese is now rarely spoken in Denpasar?

Read More

Ababi’s ritual of warriors

The sun had almost disappeared into the horizon when the usually peaceful village of Ababi, Karangasem, was taken over by a bastion of proud warriors.

Dozens of men swarmed the village main street with krisses drawn on their hands. Bare-chested, they wore sarongs draped with poleng (checkered black and white cloth) and blazing red udeng (headgear).

Their upper torso glistened under the scorching sun as they rushed along the road. In unison, they repeatedly raised their hands, their krisses pointed at the sky, to show their readiness to attack.

Following them was a procession of a less aggressive character. Hundreds of men and women carried various offerings and sacred objects, such as jempana (wooden thrones of the deities), pratima (statues) and the

Read More

Fab Cafe: A perfect rendezvous

If it stands alone, Fab Cafe may remain a stranger. But when you says Fab Cafe, Gramedia, Grand Indonesia East Mall, it will no longer be anonymous. 

Instead, located just across the road from the iconic Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, the cafe is a perfect rendezvous.

Upcoming author Ahmad Fuadi, who recently spoke about his bestselling novel titled Negeri 5 Menara (Nation of 5 Towers) during the Meet the Authors and Photo Exhibition to help needy students held by the Singapore International Foundation (SIF)-ASEAN Fellowship Indonesian alumni at the cafe, commented: “Having a gathering in here reminds me of a famous book store with a cafe abroad.”

Read More

Long live the King

Last Sunday, the people of Klungkung hailed their new king. 

Photos by Agung Parameswara

Hundreds of people dressed in traditional costume flocked the courtyard of Klungkung palace as the court’s high priest Ida Pedanda Gede Putra Tembau of Aan crowned Tjokorda Gde Agung Semaraputra as the new King of Klungkung. 

The elderly priest also bestowed a new name on the king: Ida Dalem Semaraputra.

Kings, princes and princesses from all over Bali and across the country, including members of the Nusantara Keraton Friendship Forum (FSKN), an umbrella organization cum lobby group for the country’s royalty, attended the coronation ceremony, which involved elaborate Balinese Hindu rituals and majestic sacred dances.

Read More

A Year of Artful Delights in Yogya

When German national Claudia Seise studied at the Yogyakarta fine arts school Institut Seni Indonesia in 2005, she experienced the dynamic contemporary art scene there firsthand. She was so fascinated by it that she returned to Indonesia from her homeland in 2008 to look at the cultural scene more closely.

The result of her exploration was recently published in “One Year on the Scene: Contemporary Art in Indonesia.”

The book offers valuable insight into Yogyakarta’s vibrant art community, including its background and problems.

Color photographs of gallery artworks and exhibitions emphasize the diversity of the province’s creative culture.

Read More

Batik represents RI in London Festival of Architecture

A swirl of giant batik with the theme “Landscape of Diversity” flows through South Molton Lane in central London’s exclusive Mayfair district.

The sight is rare, not only because batik is hard to come by in London, but also because instead of fabric, the creation is made of plywood.

The installation was the work of six enthusiastic Indonesian architects who called themselves Alur Design, representing their country in the 2010 London Festival of Architecture (LFA2010). Five of the group are among the top students from AA (Architectural Association) School of Architecture: Ardes Perdhana, Kuncara Wicaksana, Prama Milyardi, Rizki Nindito and Olivia Putihrai. Monique Suksmaningsih, the sixth, is a graduate from TU Delft, the Netherlands.

Read More

Tintin Wulia: ‘Attacking’ a wall

Visitors attending the opening of Tintin Wulia’s solo exhibition at Ark Gallery tonight are likely to be shocked when asked to partake in what may seem as an act of pure vandalism.

But to do so, they have to pay first: a colored grid a la Mondriaan will be projected on the wall, with one of its colored squares awarded to the highest bidder at the auction led by well-known auctioneer Amir Sidharta.

After the auction, only one visitor will be allowed to “attack” the wall — which involves making a hole in the selected square. By the eighth projected grid, the wall will be totally ruined, but probably still standing. The process will be recorded on three cameras — hung in three different sections of the ceiling — that will be taking pictures from different angles and time ranges, thus producing art of a different kind. 

Read More

Bringing the World to Jakarta

The list of complaints about living in Jakarta seems endless, with traffic and pollution easily taking the top spots. There are also others who criticize the capital for its lack of community-based evening activities.

The people who complain about the latter have probably never set foot in the Jakarta International Community Center, a meeting point for expats and locals, and a bustling center that offers a wide range of courses and activities for both children and adults.

Read More