T

he international contemporary fine art exhibition Artjog 9, to be held at the Jogja National Museum (JNM) from May 27 to June 27, is aiming to reap Rp 20 billion (US$1.46 million) in transactions from the annual event.

Themed “Universal Influence”, the exhibition will involve 27 fine-art creators from Indonesia and abroad, including Japan, Malaysia, Australia, the Philippines and Liechtenstein.

“The theme ‘Universal Influence’ seeks to see people question the influence of global culture on human life and how we live our life after feeling that influence,” exhibition curator Bambang Toko told a press briefing on Friday.

The exhibition had previously been held at the Yogyakarta Cultural Park (TBY), but this year will be held at the JNM, which used to be the campus of the Indonesian Fine Art Academy (ASRI), because the JNM has a strong influence on the development of fine art in Indonesia.

Artjog director Heri Pemad said many collectors and art gallery managers from a number of countries had expressed interest in coming to the exhibition, which he claims is a renowned fine-art event across Asia.

“The sale of fine-art works during Artjog has continued to grow so far. This year we set a target of taking Rp 20 billion from sales,” he said, adding that the profit made from the exhibition would be spent on developing a cooperative art exhibition space.