Sri Astari'€™s Dancing The Wild Seas at the Indonesia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Arts 2013.

The Indonesian contemporary art scene is looking to the future with optimism following the completion of the 6-month long 55th International Art Exhibition organized by la Biennale in Venice, Italy.

Indonesia reached a milestone this year at the one of the world'€™s most important art events, which is officially known as 55 Esposizione Internazionale d'€™Arte entitled Il Palazzo Enciclopedico (The Encyclopedic Palace), with the establishment of its first official pavilion at the 110-year-old biennial exhibition.

Tourism and Creative Economy Deputy Minister Sapta Nirwandar said the biennale was an important step for Indonesia to make a bigger name for itself in the international contemporary art world.

'€œWe'€™re hoping to continue our participation in the future Venice Biennale. This is an important stage for Indonesia,'€ said the deputy minister, whose institution supported producers and artists participating in the Indonesia Pavilion.

Sapta led the closing and thanksgiving ceremony of the pavilion, which featured the traditional gesture of sharing tumpeng (cone-shaped rice and side dishes) at the pavilion a day before the official closing of the biennale.

The 500-square-meter Indonesia Pavilion '€” one of the largest pavilions in the exhibition '€” was produced by Restu Imansari Kusumaningrum of Jakarta-based Bumi Purnati and Franco Laera of the Milan-based Change Performing Arts.

The pavilion, curated by Carla Bianpoen and Rifky Effendy, featured the work of contemporary Indonesian artists Albert Yonathan Setiawan, Sri Astari, Eko Nugroho, Entang Wiharso and Titarubi, accompanied by musical arrangements by composer Rahayu Supanggah.

The artists presented installations revolving around the theme of Sakti, which was translated as divine energy and creative power.

Eko Nugroho'€™s Instigator of Storms.
Titarubi produced a number of burned benches and thick, open pages of tomes on wooden tables surrounded by the drawing of trees made from charcoal. Wiharso presented an installation of a dark colored gate and a dark life-size diorama of meeting presidents of Indonesia. Setiawan set up a labyrinth formation of hundreds of small
terra-cotta stupas (statuettes).

Nugroho displayed an installation of a raft of bamboo and used oil drum boarded by several comical figures made from resin. Sri Astari erected a century-old wooden Javanese traditional pavilion of pendopo and nine wayang-like bedoyo dancer figures fitted with Javanese traditional ballad (kidung) played on a loop.

Producer Restu said she was very grateful as the pavilion successfully made its mark at the biennale with an average of 1,500 to 2,000 people visiting each day.

'€œMore than 360,000 people have visited the pavilion in the past six months. We'€™ve also been receiving positive coverage and criticism in various international outlets,'€ she said.

Local monthly publication Venezia News put the pavilion as one of the top 10 recommended rooms to visit, describing it as '€œsurprisingly scenic [with] the possibility to move across different cultures and perspectives within one room'€.

Restu said Indonesia should continue to place a pavilion at the Venice Biennale. '€œWe have opened the door and created a network. It will be a waste if we don'€™t take benefit from that,'€ she said.

President of la Biennale di Venezia Paolo Baratta said he had seen a lot of improvement and impact from this year'€™s exhibition.

Italian elementary students listen to explanations about Titarubi'€™s Shadow of Surrender piece.
'€œThis chapter has come to a close with very positive results, which are a sign of a highly significant evolution in terms of contributing to the critical and cultural enrichment and sophistication of increasingly broad groups of visitors and young people,'€ Baratta said.

Baratta added that since 1998, the Venice Biennale had no longer been mere exhibitions organized by national pavilions, but had been structured by two main foundations: an exhibition composed by national pavilions, each with its own curator and project, and an international exhibition organized by la Biennale di Venezia, which appointed a curator for the specific task.

'€œThis duality has given rise to a plurality of voices and has generated new and very interesting stories,'€ he said.

The president also applauded Indonesia'€™s participation in the 2013 Venice Biennale of Arts and the planned 2014 Venice Biennale of Architecture.

'€œIndonesia is now part of those countries that [join the biennale] not to display [artwork], but to show that they can live in the world and be part of the world. These countries are not here to sell something but to come and give their voice and also find themselves among different voices,'€ Baratta said.

'€” Photos courtesy of  Indonesia Pavilion