The busy town of Magelang in Central Java tends to be best known for its businesses, green spaces and fresh air.

It is also known to be a city of art collectors, Oei Hong Djien being the most famous of them. Yet, apart from the wealthy businessmen who, with their taste for art, gobble up works from around the country, Magelang cannot really be called an art town, especially if compared with Yogyakarta or Bandung.

Indeed, until this week, The Langgeng Galeri was Magelang's sole art space.

The grand opening of the Syang Art Space on Jan. 18 sent ripples through the city's art scene.

L. Ridwan Muljosudarmo, one of Magelang's many art colletors, felt Magelang needed a new gallery to raise its artistic senses.

"I had to give my love and passion for contemporary Indonesian fine art a new form. Just collecting was not enough anymore," Ridwan says.

"I feel that young Indonesian artists are still in need of art spaces to show their works to the public. There are simply not enough *galleries* for the rising number of artists." he added.

Ridwan started collecting contemporary Indonesian art in the early 1990s, learning the the ins and outs of the trade from renowned collector Oei Hong Djien.

He befriended some of the artists; it is their work that is on display at the inaugural exhibition of the Syang Art Space, "Friendship Code", until Jan. 28.

Well-known artists such as Putu Sutawijaya, who recently held a solo exhibition, "Legacy of Sagacity", at the National Gallery in Jakarta, Ugo Untoro, S. Teddy and Entang Wiharso are among the many who supported the gallery's grand opening.

The gallery's name brings a smile to Ridwan's face: "Sayang - Darling".

The name reflects his feelings in this dream came true: His love and passion are combined with his new darling.

As for the recent decline of the Indonesian art market, Ridwan simply nods. He doesn't seem worried that many new galleries must seriously consider their survival.

With its high density of collectors, Magelang appears to provide safe ground to open a gallery, even in times of crisis. Ridwan's connections probably don't hurt either.

The Syang Art Space sits in the heart of Magelang, in an affluent neighborhood near the famous Borobudur golf course. Its stylish outside gives a clear idea of what awaits within.

Even though the building looks huge from the outside, walking through the exhibition rooms is far from tiresome, as is the case in other contemporary art galleries, where quantity seems more important than quality. The amount of art on display at Syang is just the thing to complete a day spent enjoying Magelang's natural and cultural beauty.

Visitors to Syang who are open to young, ambitious Indonesian artists will most certainly gain a valuable insight into what is happening on the scene and be able to enjoy contemporary Indonesian culture in person.

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