Focused: The exhibition highlights renowned figures from both Germany and Indonesia in the fields of medicine, research and art.

As part of a year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of Jakarta and Berlin as sister cities, an exhibition highlights personalities who have fostered exchange and mutual understanding between the two capitals in their respective fields.

Berlin maintains partnerships with 17 cities from all over the world, including Jakarta. This year, the two cities celebrate their 25-year anniversary as sister cities with a series of events.

An exhibition introducing both German and Indonesian personalities who have played significant roles in the cultural and scientific exchange between the two countries was recently held at Berlin’s Red City Hall. The exhibition’s opening was attended by Arif Havas Oegroseno, ambassador of Indonesia to Germany and Eberhard Diepgen, who was governing mayor of Berlin at the time the partnership between the two cities was officially signed.

The exhibition features three different thematic blocks: medicine, research and art. It is organized by the German-Indonesian Association e.V. (DIV Berlin) in cooperation with the German-Indonesian Society for Medicine (DIGM) and Werner Kraus of the Center for Southeast Asian Art, Passau.

“Medicine builds bridges between people and different cultures, and therefore, it is not surprising that it was physicians and scientists who were pioneers in developing international relations with other countries 500 years ago,” said Joerg Haier, president of DIGM.

“Of course, these bridges were not always built on solid foundations,” he added. “There have been misunderstandings and there was definitely a learning process, but the field of medicine has contributed a lot to the mutual understanding between different nations. This is not a one-way street; today, we learn from one another. I can speak from my own experience because for many years, I have worked together with Indonesian colleagues.”

Physicians as well as researchers played a crucial role in the history of Indonesian-German relations, including brothers Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt, who are widely regarded as German cosmopolitans who made great strides in the field of public education, offered a new perspective on nature as well as a fresh and unbiased looked at countries outside of Europe.

“Even though the Humboldt brothers never made it to the archipelago themselves, they provided important impulses for scientific encounters with Indonesia and beyond,” explained historian Hans Berg, who is also the general manager of DIV Berlin.

Fruitful exchange: Javanese painter Raden Saleh, seen here on a mural in Cikini, Central Jakarta, spent 25 years of his life in Europe, including in Berlin.

Other renowned figures highlighted in the exhibition were Adolf Bastian and Friedrich Wilhelm Junghuhn, often referred to as the Humboldt of Java, a German physician, botanist, geologist and land surveyor who traveled extensively throughout Java and Sumatra for his scientific research.

Art historian and expert on Southeast Asian art Werner Kraus presented two Indonesian artists who have had a fruitful exchange with Germany, namely Raden Saleh and Teguh Ostenrik.

“Raden Saleh first came to Berlin in 1830 and lived here for several months, which was quite a sensation as it was something unusual and new during that time,” Kraus explained.

The Javanese artist wrote a few letters about his experience in Berlin, Kraus added. They provide an interesting insight into life in Berlin through the eyes of someone who had just arrived in the city and didn’t have a grasp of the German language yet.

“He was very upset about the fact he had to pay admission when he wanted to visit the museum and later stated that out of the 1198 paintings he had seen, the majority was very ugly — but maybe he was so disapproving because he couldn’t get into the museum for free,” Kraus said.

Raden Saleh continued his journey in Europe to Dresden and Paris and became one of the most important painters of the Romantic period. When he finally returned to his home country, he allegedly said, “I arrived in Germany as a true Javanese but come back to Java as a true German”.

“I think it’s fair to say that Raden Saleh was the first Indonesian ambassador in Germany,” Kraus said.

The second Indonesian artist he highlighted in this exhibition is Teguh Ostenrik, who studied at the University of Arts in Berlin in the 1980s. Coming from Indonesia’s military dictatorship to a functioning democracy, Teguh thrived during his time in Germany.

“When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Teguh brought four pieces of the wall back to Jakarta and created an art installation,” Kraus said. “He told me that Berlin is a very special place for him because it is the city where he became an artist.”

Out of gratitude and appreciation, Teguh wanted to give something back and designed a counter-model to his artwork in Jakarta, which he would like to present as a gift to the city of Berlin but is still looking for a suitable location to accommodate the sculpture.

“In the end, I hope that we won’t only look back on the German-Indonesian friendship in the past,” Kraus said. “But can also look forward to a successful future.” (ste)

Up close: A visitor views one of the works on display at an exhibition held as part of a year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of Jakarta and Berlin as sister cities.

— Photos by Katrin Figge