THE WINNERS: This art installation, Para Pecundang (The Losers) by Djoni Basri, was one of the finalists for the newly revived Indonesian Art Award 2008. (JP/Ary Hermawan)
The classic question asked -- perhaps for the zillionth time -- by Indonesian art critics in 2008 was: What is art?
Certainly no one can give a succinct answer to such an open enquiry. To quote New Left thinker Theodor W. Adorno, "it is self-evident that nothing concerning art is self-evident anymore, not its inner life, not its relation to the world, not even its right to exist".
The aim of the question here is to acknowledge the importance of art criticism in developing Indonesian contemporary fine arts in the face of a market bubble triggered by the soaring prices of Chinese artworks from 2007 to mid-2008.
The market surely does not care less about the art and the artless, the obscure and the reputable: All artworks are mere commodities.
Art dealers and investors, Visual Arts magazine chief editor Yusuf Susilo Hartono said, were buying artworks even before they had seen them.
Art critic Enin Supriyanto found the situation alarming, calling for the establishment of better art infrastructure and superstructures to prevent Indonesian artworks from being in a "fragile position ... in the face of market speculation that might turn ridiculous".
The market boom, critics said, has brought Indonesian artworks onto the international market without any critical reference or parameter but the auction itself. "Auctions," wrote curator Aminudin TH Siregar, "are absurd."
"Mediocre works can fetch a rocketing price, while artworks that are taken into account and have historical value are drowned," he said.
While visiting the CIGE-China International Gallery Exposition 2008 in May, Aminudin described the price tags of Indonesian paintings in the expo as "abnormal". The painting of a young, inexperienced artist could sell for hundreds of millions of rupiah, he said.
"Amazingly," he quickly added, "almost all works by Indonesian artists were sold out at this art fair."
A discussion was held a few months earlier in Galeri 678 in Jakarta where artists, gallery owners and art critics gathered to talk about the issue.
There was the suggestion, as reported by Arief ash Shiddiq in Visual Arts, that "the new attention to fine arts (which came with fresh money) be seen as a chance to build (art) infrastructure".
An attempt to make a standard of what "good art" is was made by Yayasan Seni Rupa Indonesia (YSRI) in June by reviving the Indonesian Art Award competition, previously known as the Philip Morris Art Award.
The contest attracted more than 3,000 entries, with only 36 selected as finalists by the judges, even though the committee had asked them to select 100.
The panel of judges, led by Enin, spotted what they called "pervasive epigonism" in the local art scene, saying that novelty was a rarity, especially in paintings -- only one painting was among the finalists, even though the entries were predominantly on canvas.
Meanwhile, the grand art exhibition "Manifesto", which was held in the same month to commemorate the centennial of National Awakening, incited renewed debate on the nature and character of the country's fine art movement.
More than 300 of the best Indonesian artworks from the past 30 years -- paintings, sculptures, installations, photography and video arts -- were on display, but it was useless to expect "Manifesto" to give a clear picture of what Indonesian art is, or is like.
"The idea of seni (art) and seni rupa (fine art) in Indonesian art remains in the unconscious so it is hard to define, talk about or discuss," art critic Bambang Bujono said in an essay, underlining the prevailing confusion in determining whether Indonesian fine arts could be discussed according to Western categories.
Yusuf said that in the second half of the year the fine art communities had begun to feel the pinch of the global economic downturn with galleries canceling planned exhibitions and several artists failing to sell their artworks at the desired prices.
"We do not know how long the unfavorable economic conditions will last. We are just going to wait and see," Yusuf said.
In September, the pornography bill was approved, but this was strangely not an issue for the fine arts community. Sculptor Ibnu Nurwanto exhibited his works featuring nudity without any fear of criminal charges.
In fact, his exhibition was a blatant protest against the hypocrisy of Indonesian politics: that the enactment of the pornography law was perhaps politically motivated.
There has not yet been any indication the controversial legislation will change the face of Indonesian arts in general, particularly given its clear statement exempting art and traditions.
Actor and comedian Butet Kertarejasa, nevertheless, performed monologues of Sidang Susila (Moral Trial) in protest against the law, but he did it for the sake of the country's democracy and pluralism, not artistic freedom in particular.
The issue that sparked artists' concerns in 2008 was the revised taxation law, although it escaped the media spotlight. Under the new law, tax incentives are provided only for nonprofit organizations and donors in the fields of education, infrastructure and sport, leaving art communities out in the cold.
Artists, including noted poet and essayist Goenawan Mohamad, gathered a few days before the law was approved to demand art also be given special consideration, saying it needed more incentives to develop.
The demand, however, went unheard by the lawmakers who insisted that the bill's deliberation process was over, suggesting that art be simply considered as part of education.
The cash-strapped JakArt 2008 festival returned in August after a few years' hiatus from Jakarta with a satirically saddening theme "Forbidden, Forgotten, Forsaken". The message was clear: The government never pays heed to arts.
Despite lingering discontent, 2008 saw the opening of a new cultural center, Komunitas Salihara, in South Jakarta, which added to the city's few independent art communities.
With more art centers and galleries, people will have greater access to art and this is something art lovers badly need with limited government support.
Well, in any case, art is not supposed to be detached from society -- from and for which it is created.
