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Cover Story: In the realm of the Visual

Jacket by Alexander McQueen, styling by Ananda AdityasantiART DEALER VIVI YIP ON STRIKING A BALANCE BETWEEN IDEALISM AND THE MARKETWords Sebastian Partogi Photos Meutia AnandaVivi Yip had only recently returned from Singapore Art Week 2016 when JPlus caught up with the art dealer and curator at her eponymous gallery in Bintaro, South Jakarta

The Jakarta Post
Sun, February 14, 2016

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Cover Story: In the realm of the Visual

Jacket by Alexander McQueen, styling by Ananda Adityasanti

ART DEALER VIVI YIP ON STRIKING A BALANCE BETWEEN IDEALISM AND THE MARKET

Words Sebastian Partogi Photos Meutia Ananda

Vivi Yip had only recently returned from Singapore Art Week 2016 when JPlus caught up with the art dealer and curator at her eponymous gallery in Bintaro, South Jakarta.

'€œIt'€™s interesting to note that Singapore has a very small number of homegrown artists and yet is able to attract lots of people to their art fairs,'€ Vivi says. '€œMaybe it'€™s because they have great infrastructure when we talk about their museums'€“and they position themselves as an entertainment center.'€

Although Indonesia, in comparison, has to improve its arts infrastructure; local artists are superior to their counterparts in Singapore, qualitatively and quantitatively, she adds.

Vivi says she'€™s optimistic, given that President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo has installed doers, and not bureaucrats, at the Culture and Education Ministry and Creative Economy Agency. '€œI'€™m very hopeful that we'€™re going to see real progress.'€

It'€™s a professional concern for the 42 year old, who opened the Vivi Yip Art Room in June 2008.

Vivi currently represents a range of artists, from veterans such as former JPlus cover star and painter Sardono W. Kusumo and Davi Linggar to a younger batch of artists, including photographer Agan Harahap and Hendra '€œHeHe'€ Harsono.

She says her job is to play '€œmatchmaker'€ to artists and collectors'€“and to find homes for artwork.

PASSION FOR ART

Vivi, born in Cirebon, West Java, in 1972, said that she has had an interest in art from childhood.

'€œEver since I was very young, I have always been very interested to see and observe,'€ Vivi says. '€œI also liked to draw'€“I could draw before I could write. When I was at school, my notebooks were full of scribbles.'€

Graduating from Jakarta'€™s Trisakti University in 1995, Vivi went into public relations, getting her break in the visual arts in 1997, when Sotheby'€™s in Singapore tapped her to become a specialist in Southeast Asia paintings with a focus on Indonesia.

She jumped at the chance, she says. '€œI think they offered me the job because I had a background in graphic design and I also studied visual arts history and befriended lots of artists while still at college.'€

Vivi spent 10 years at Sotheby'€™s, developing its contemporary art department. '€œWhen you work for Sotheby'€™s, it'€™s easier for you to knock at people'€™s doors. I also formed a big network with important people in the art world.'€

Jacket by Alexander McQueen, styling by Ananda Adityasanti
Jacket by Alexander McQueen, styling by Ananda Adityasanti

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" most Indonesian artists, unfortunately, still find it hard to explain themselves in English'€“how can they even sell their works?"

Leaving the auction house in 2007, Vivi worked as an independent art consultant before opening a gallery in 2008. '€œI wanted to leave my comfort zone and try to apply what I had learned.'€

Vivi recently took on a new challenge and will be helming the 2016 Bazaar Art Jakarta, one of the nation'€™s biggest and most important art shows.

'€œWe plan to attract 55 to 60 galleries worldwide to join,'€ she says. Educational programs to develop local tastes for art and collecting are also on her agenda.

VIVI REPRESENTS

Vivi said that her response to an artist'€™s work, not their medium of choice, was more important when deciding who to represent.

'€œI represent artists who produce a broad range of works: Paintings, sculptures, installations, even photographs,'€ Vivi said. '€œI start my hunting process by going to lots of galleries and exhibitions. Personally, I like artwork that evokes feelings of joy within me, not ones that are depressing.'€

She adds, however, that nothing is wrong with art that takes a different approach. '€œMaybe [artists] are just curious about the dark side of things or want to explore their alter egos, which might be reflected by these kinds of paintings.'€
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"An ideal artist is one who can balance idealism, branding and market awareness so that they can still stay true to themselves while still creating a new market..."-

Another factor is a shared sensibility, Vivi says. '€œTake HeHe, for example. He always uses the Internet and the behavior of netizens as a starting point for his work. This is what contemporary art means'€“it reflects this time in their lives. I choose artists whose visions are aligned with mine.'€

Agan Harahap, a conceptual photographer known for attention-grabbing pictures of international artists in typical Indonesian setting-like one featuring the singer Rihanna walking past a Jakarta street food vendor-offers another illustration.

'€œHe talks about how information can circulate so seamlessly on social media so that we can no longer differentiate between what'€™s accurate and what'€™s not,'€ Vivi says.

Paintings and photographs are typically best sellers, with sculptures coming in second, Vivi says. Installations are typically bought by museums, galleries or institutions'€“and sometimes by collectors who have space.

The biggest challenge is helping artists sort out their ideas'€“which they have plenty of'€“to set some priorities, Vivi says.

'€œWe have to help them balance their idealism against the market,'€ she adds. "An ideal artist is one who can balance idealism, branding and market awareness so that they can still stay true to themselves while still creating a new market through their distinctive identity and visions.'€

Wardrobe private collection, styling by Ananda Adityasanti
Wardrobe private collection, styling by Ananda Adityasanti

VIVI ON THE MARKET

Local scene

'€œWe are better than Singapore, but unfortunately our infrastructure is still lacking'€“something which Singapore is very good at. Our closest competitor in terms of artists quantitatively and qualitatively is actually the Philippines, but their artists possess excellent English-language proficiency'€“something that helps them to get better international exposure. Meanwhile, most Indonesian artists, unfortunately, still find it hard to explain themselves in English'€“how will they even sell their works?

In the region

'€œIndonesian and Vietnamese collectors are the most adventurous, because they collect artwork from artists with diverse national backgrounds. Chinese and Korean collectors, in contrast, typically collect artwork from national artists only.'€

Economic slowdown

'€œFortunately, the Indonesian economy hasn'€™t collapsed'€“we'€™re just undergoing a slowdown'€“so the art market is still viable. The crisis, however, still impacts collectors, who have to reduce their frequency of buying art, especially of pieces from foreign artists. At the Bazaar Art Jakarta 2015, when our exchange rate touched Rp 14,000 per dollar, local galleries did exceptionally well in selling their artwork.'€

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VIVI on COLLECTING

For would-be collectors

According to Vivi, new collectors need to gauge prices by visiting galleries and exhibitions as well as by surfing the Internet. The learning process, however, is not one-sided, she adds. Curators, gallery owners and artists need to educate the public to groom a new batch of collectors and keep the market alive. '€œDon'€™t hesitate to ask questions of experts when you visit exhibitions.'€

Collectors, she says, are typically driven by two motivations: investment and decoration, although which drive is paramount can vary, even for an individual collector, depending on their mood or situation.

'€œWhen you collect art for an investment, then you can'€™t just follow your personal taste without considering the return on investment,'€ she says. '€œWhile when you do it as a decorator, you can choose whatever you want.'€

Vivi suggests that would-be collectors pick up Michael Findlay'€™s The Value of Art, which explains the intricacies of putting a price on art.

Trend tracking

As a collector or dealer, you don'€™t always have to follow trends, but should keep apprised of the latest developments, according to Vivi.

'€œTrends reflect a kind of taste that happens to be dominant at a particular time. It'€™s devised as a yardstick. Beginners or those who want to play it safe usually choose to comply with whatever trends are happening at that time,'€ she says. '€œThere are, however, those who are confident enough to stay true to their own choices'€“although these choices might not align with the trends.'€

There'€™s also a niche for every piece of art, Vivi says. '€œAs long as the product is out there, there will be someone who is crazy enough to buy it.'€


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