Agus Suwage's Luxury Crime

On March 18, 2010, the yearly ART PARIS fair will open as ART PARIS + GUESTS. As you may guess from the title “art fair + guests” this will be a fair that will be different in many ways. It could even be a turning point in the local art market.

For Indonesia and other less-known geographic and cultural entities such as Africa, Finland and Ukraine, this is a unique opportunity to introduce their fascinating contemporary art.

Organized by Lorenzo Rudolf who has led Art Basel to where it is today, and who has also been the organizer of the Shanghai ShContemporary, the design of the fair could be imagined as a global meeting place of art and culture, opening the door to otherwise less familiar art forms, styles and modes.

Giving each of the “guests” their own specific platforms, the fair intends to integrate emerging scenes and new creative values.

Whereas strong French and international galleries will be the major participants, a number of what are called “guests” have also been invited and will add a different touch to the Fair. This spirit of hospitality is also found in the call for galleries to bring guests, which could be another gallery, industry or design artist. So this introduces the entry of fashion, architecture and other branches of creative arts to the art fair.

Indonesia will be represented by Deddy Kusuma who was invited as a private collector of large collections of Indonesian art. Assisted by project director Suprajitno Sutomo and Inge Santoso, and curators Enin Supriyanto and Agung Hujatnikajenong, Deddy will bring the works of 20 selected artists to the fair. They represent the diversity of the prevailing Indonesian contemporary art practice.

Sri Astari, for instance, brings one of her iconic works of internationally “branded” bags that usually critiques modern fetish habits with humor, including Petruk, a figure in the Javanese Wayang stories who as servant and clown fulfilling tasks of the most difficult nature. In this case, Astari imagines the clown as The Peacekeeper.

Heri Dono, known for his caricatural commentaries on political situations, presents Wayang images in contemporary format, while Entang Wiharso who is also heavily inspired by his Javanese roots, pours his comments on experienced cultural misunderstandings with fantastic images on canvas, aluminum relief or installations, that some say remind them of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno in La Divina Comedia.

There is also Masriadi, whose blown-up cartoonish figures with commentaries in local slang refer to the local to street culture in his native environment and to contemporary computer games, and whose works have enticed collectors willing to pay soaring prices.

Of quite another genre is Ay Tjoe Christine, an artist whose innovative works represent her complex inner struggles with a heightening variation of themes, styles and modes.

Initially known for her signature dry point style and fascinating drawings, her work in this exhibition takes an utterly contemporary shape, which in its original form earned her a prize from the panel of Art Futures exhibition.

There is also Agus Suwage, who brings an installation and a work on paper. While the skull is an image that often emerges in contemporary art, Agus’ emanated figure in a pail actually refers to the natural wealth of the country that is leaving massive parts of the population in poverty. At the same time he remembers the time of his childhood when he used to be bathed in a pail, while linking this memory to the modern spa.

These are just some examples of works that will be part of ART PARIS + GUESTS. It will be interesting to see how the Guests in this art show make a mark.

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