Seventy-two artists with 97 works are gathered at Artjog 9 to talk about one thing: Identity

The enormity of the country’s most prestigious annual art fair, Artjog 9, becomes palpable as soon as one sets foot through the entrance of the Jogja National Museum in Yogyakarta, where the event is taking place.

A 36-meter beacon with 10-kilometer coverage to the east of the museum, welcomes every visitor to the exhibition site in a somewhat intimidating way. As if the enormous tower is not scary enough, a giant blower is installed at the north of the building to amplify the sensation.

These two gigantic installations, however, represent positive hopes for the art fair. Carrying the theme “Universal influence”, the event uses the beacon to symbolize the influence of artists that has spread globally. Meanwhile, the giant blower represents the more practical hopes of the organizer that the event, which lasts from May 27 to June 27, will draw a lot of visitors.

Artjog 9 organizers, Heri Pemad Art Management, chose the revamped Jogja National Museum for the exhibition in order to match the theme. Previously, from 2008, the management held the art event at the city’s cultural center, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta.

“The museum building was formerly ASRI [The Indonesia Fine Arts Academy], founded in 1957. This campus has had a strong influence on the history of the arts in Indonesia. Many great artists like painter Affandi lectured here,” said Artjog 9 curator Bambang “Toko” Witjaksono.

He hoped the art fair could arouse public awareness and reflective thinking and prevent art from becoming the object of a political, economic and socio-cultural narrative amid the massive flow of information in the internet era.

“How are we influenced? What’s our true identity?” he remarked.  

The questions are apparent in the works of the 72 influential artists invited to participate in Artjog 9. This year’s event features such luminaries as Nasirun, Agus Suwage and Heri Dono, besides artists from the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Australia and Liechtenstein.

Davy’s space: Prominent photographer Davy Linggar takes part in this year’s Artjog 9 with his piece Film.

Ninety-seven artworks are on display in this year’s event, with different themes, including space technology, politics, socio-cultural issues and the environment. Unlike the previous fair with a majority of art installations, Artjog 9 is dominated by two-dimensional artworks in the form of 58 paintings and photographs.

A large number of visitors including collectors and art dealers are expected to flock to Artjog 9, which was officially opened on May 27 by Yogyakarta Governor Hamengku Buwono.

It was the first time for the governor to inaugurate the art fair that has established Yogyakarta as one of the centers of contemporary arts in Indonesia, if not Asia.

In the afternoon before the opening, Bandung’s visual artist Tisna Sanjaya kicked off the event with a performance that was part of his series of nine paintings entitled “Nine Sacrifices of the Sun”.

He slaughtered a goat and its blood was splattered over three blank canvases. The meat was later grilled as satay typical of Garut, West Java. “We should make sacrifices and offer prayers in order to put an end to violence in the world and create peace,” Tisna said.

Artjog 9 president director Heri Pemad has set the sales target for this contemporary art fair at more than Rp 20 billion (US$1.5 million). However, a week after the opening he wasn’t yet prepared to announce the exhibition’s sale proceeds.

The glitzy opening and the huge transactions targeted are indications of the exclusivity of the event. Many celebrities like Dian Sastrowardoyo have attended the art fair and joined the auctions.

The 36-meter tower in the museum’s yard is by commission artist Venzha Christiawan and is called ISSS or Indonesia Space Science Society. Venzha’s structure has an antenna that is capable of detecting signals of space intelligence through headphones.

“It’s a platform to appeal for the scientific study of space. Indonesia is lagging behind in this field,” he said.

“Undisclosed Identity”, presented by FX Harsono, offers monochrome photos of Indonesians of Chinese descent in light boxes on a table and attached to a wall.

Harsono’s art piece seeks to challenge racist and discriminatory rules as a legacy of colonialism that remains in effect up to the present. The exhibits are placed in a dim room, seemingly intended to affirm the gloomy condition of Indonesians of Chinese ancestry today.

In Yogyakarta, this discrimination against Indonesians of Chinese descent continues to prevail. Governor Hamengku Buwono still prohibits residents of Chinese descent from owning land in this province. The National Commission on Human Rights has recommended the revocation of this policy but so far to no avail.

There’s also a large painting by Djoko Pekik entitled “Rhino Fighting Circus”. Pekik depicts foreigners setting two rhinos to fight each other with indigenous people as spectators in a circus arena. This work is meant to remind Indonesians of foreign attempts to pit community groups against each other so as to control the country’s rich resources.

Who are we: Undisclosed Identity by artist FX Harsono is one of art pieces that talks about identity, which has become the main theme of this year’s exhibition.

In another room, a couple of Philippine artists living in Australia, Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, display “New Order”, which looks simple yet is deep in connotation. A damaged and dull motorcycle sits in the middle while the surrounding walls are marked with license plates bearing rude and emotional Indonesian words.

The artists, in conjunction with Fruitjuice Factory Studio and Ahadi Bintang, allude to the anarchic road situation that has Indonesia ranking among the world’s worst for automotive accident rates. But they allow the audience to actively interpret this work, such as the public anger toward restrictions by the police and mass organizations on the freedom of expression, especially in Yogyakarta recently.

In the end, the artists may have their own interpretation of their identities but it is the visitors, who have the final say and Artjog 9 seems to have provided a place for this kind of dialogue.

— photos by Tarko Sudiarno