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Art Stage Jakarta to present the best of Indonesian contemporary art
Serta Merta (2013) by I Nyoman Masriadi (Courtesy of the private collection of Deddy Kusuma)The art fair that has helped Singapore become an international hub for contemporary art is coming to Jakarta – bringing outstanding Indonesian and foreign collections together under one roof
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Serta Merta (2013) by I Nyoman Masriadi (Courtesy of the private collection of Deddy Kusuma)
The art fair that has helped Singapore become an international hub for contemporary art is coming to Jakarta – bringing outstanding Indonesian and foreign collections together under one roof.
Held from Friday until Sunday at the Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City hotel in South Jakarta, the first-ever Art Stage Jakarta will see the participation of 49 galleries from 16 countries and dozens of preeminent Indonesian art collectors, who will invite VIP guests and the public alike to see their collections.
Founded by former Art Basel director Lorenzo Rudolf six years ago in Singapore, Art Stage with its one-of-a-kind concept has grown to be one of the most renowned contemporary art fairs in Asia.
Rudolf has involved Indonesian galleries, curators and collectors in Art Stage Singapore in the past and is now taking them center stage in Jakarta.
‘‘Art Stage Jakarta is really something unique. It’s not a big, huge fair like Art Stage Singapore. It’s much more an exclusive boutique art fair. We focus much more on quality instead of quantity,” Rudolf told the Jakarta Post by email.
With a combination of exhibitions, talks and art parties, Rudolf seeks to make Art Stage Jakarta the definitive art and social event of Indonesia.
“And what is the most important, Art Stage Jakarta is an Indonesian fair, Indonesia’s art stage.[…] It’s the place where in Indonesia, we foster the exchange between the Indonesian art scene and the international art world,”he added.
Leading Indonesian collectors are backing the fair with their presence on the Art Stage Jakarta Board of Art Patrons, led by Deddy Kusuma and the Board of Young Collectors, led by Tom Tandio.
Teach Your Children (2016) by Agus Suwage (Courtesy of Nadi Gallery)
Members on the Board of Art Patrons include businessman Ciputra, renowned for his collection of Hendra Gunawan paintings, and Haryanto Adikoesoemo, the founder of the upcoming Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (MACAN), and Alex Tedja, a leading collector and the owner of the fair venue, the Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City hotel.
Art Stage Jakarta will give a rare chance for the public to see 14 works of art drawn from six top Indonesian collections in a museum-like exhibition titled Expose.
The exhibition will feature the collections of established curators Alex Tedja, Deddy Kusuma and Rudy Akili; and the next generation of Indonesian collectors Tom Tandio and Wiyu Wahono. One artwork in the exhibition belongs to Melani Setiawan, a respected art collector regarded by many young Indonesian artists as a veritable mother figure.
“By involving two generations of art collectors, I am hoping to see the shift of collecting preference,” the exhibition curator, Enin Supriyanto, said in a phone interview.
“Conventional art, such as paintings and sculptures, has always been the main preference [among established collectors]. I discovered that photos, digital prints and drawings on paper are often found in the collection of young collectors, such as Tom Tandio.”
Among the 14 artworks are the Child Sailor sculpture by Chinese artist Zhang Xiaogang, the painting Serta Merta by I Nyoman Masriadi, and Living Mirror — an interactive light installation by Howard Boland and Laura Cinti of C-LAB in the UK.
In addition to the special exhibition, seven top collectors will open their collections to international and Indonesian art lovers.
“Indonesia has, by far, the biggest and most significant collecting culture of Southeast [Asia], if not even of Asia,” Rudolf said. “It is the only country in Asia where contemporary art has a real standing and reputation in the cultivated upper class — that means in the society.”
He acknowledged the legacy of Indonesian founding father and influential art collector Sukarno in shaping the collecting culture of Indonesia. With an estimated art collection of over 2,000 works, Sukarno saw artists as his friends and allies.
”Therefore still today, the collectors do not only want to buy and posses artworks. Indonesian collectors, first of all, want to support their artists.”
At the three-day event, 33 international galleries and 16 Indonesian galleries will showcase and offer their works to art lovers.
Galeri Canna will present Entang Wiharso and I Nyoman Masriadi, one of the commercially most successful young artists in Indonesia. In 2008, Masriadi’s painting, Man from Bantul (The Final Round) was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for US$1 million.
Nadi Gallery will present Indonesian artists of international reputation, such as Agus Suwage, Eddie Hara and Heri Dono; ROH Projects will present Syaiful Aulia Garibaldi, Syagini Ratna Wulan and Bagus Pandega.
Andi’s Gallery will present the works of the late Bali-based Spanish painter Antonio Blanco; and Edwin’s Gallery — one of the longest-running private art galleries in the country — will present nine paintings of Balinese artist Kemalezedine.
“His works are up-to-date and reflect the present era,” Edwin Rahardjo, the owner of Edwin’s Gallery, describes Kemalezedine. “This young man has tremendous energy and curiosity. He is an artist with a promising future.”
Raw Intent (2016) by Antony Micallef (Courtesy of Pear Lam Galleries)
Among the artworks presented by the international galleries will be works by French contemporary artist Jean-Michel Othoniel (Galerie Perrotin), English painter Antony Micallef (Pearl Lam Galleries) and Malaysian artist Wong Chee Meng (Wei-Ling Gallery).
On the sidelines of the exhibitions and gallery offerings, Art Stage Jakarta is slated to host receptions and parties for artists, collectors and enthusiasts.
Enin Supriyanto expressed hope that Art Stage Jakarta would encourage more collectors to contribute to the country’s art scene.
“I hope [the fair] propels more collectors to contribute to the development of the country’s art infrastructure, such as by building museums, hosting art events in public areas and showcasing their collections to the public,”he said.
The country’s artists and collectors will flourish if supported by a strong art infrastructure of international standards.
“With Art Stage Jakarta , there is now a fair of international format and very soon with the new museum MACAN by Haryanto Adikoesoemo, there will be a museum of such a level. I think Indonesia is on a good way and we’re all willing to contribute to its international future,” Rudolf said.
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The opening day, Aug. 5, is an invite-only event.
Art Stage Jakarta is open for the public on Aug. 6 and Aug. 7 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
