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NewsletterTour of Indonesia 2012
Introduction: A tour of Indonesia’s Top Collections
A visit to Budi Teks YUZ Museum in Jakarta:
Collector Budi Tek opened a gallery for his art collection, which at the time consisted mainly of Chinese
contemporary art, in Jakarta in 2008. Tek is now building a collection of western art for a huge museum
in Shanghai, designed by the Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. The first phase of Tek’s museum is due to
open in 2013. On show at his space in Jakarta was an exhibition by young Chinese painter Ouyang Chun
born 1974 Beijing, China.
A visit to Deddy Kusuma’s residence in Jakarta:
Deddy Kusuma’s collection is housed in his private residence in Jakarta. His Modern and Contemporary,
primarily ‘Asian’ Art collection is heavily weighted in Indonesian art (Agus Suwage, Eko Nogruho, F.X.
Harsono, Heri Dono, Nymon Masriardi, J. Ariadithya Pramuhendra, Jumalda Alfi and Rudi Mantofani
among others). There are however a number of works by big names in Chinese Contemporary Art (Ju
Ming, Yue Minjun, Zhang Huan, Yang Shaobin, Wang Guangyi among others) as well as a few works by
Philippine and Korean artists. Kusuma owns a handful of important works by Modern European Masters
such as Diego Giacommetti and Auguste Rodin.
A visit to Sunarjo Sampoerno’s Museum and Residence in Surabaya:
Sunarjo Sampoerno’s museum openened in January 2012 and we were among the first visitors. This enormous
space in central Surabaya is home to his collection of Modern and Contemporary Indonesian art. The
collection is spread over 2 floors and includes works by Entang Wiharso, Rudi Mantofani, Irfan and Budi
Ubrux. A short drive away in his private residence are masterpieces of modern Indonesian art as well as
some more valuable contemporary paintings including two major works by Nymon Masriardi.
A visit to Dr Oei Hong Djiens Museum in Magelang:
Dr Oei Hong Djien’s collection, housed in his own museum and residence in Magelang is an overwhelming
overview of Indonesian art throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century. Dr Oei has acquired
over 1000 works of art over the past twenty years mainly modern names but also contemporary art
such as works by the more well known names Agus Suwage, Eko Nogruho, Heri Dono as well as Entang
Wiharso and Rudi Mantovani.
Arianne, Deddy Kusuma and artist
Wim Delvoye
Sunarjo Sampoerno in his museum
Jumalda Alfi
b. 1973 Lintau, Indonesia. Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Jumaldi Alfi’s art is influenced by his family’s tradition of poetry and his paintings are infused with a deep
sense of spirituality. Alfi’s work explores different themes and styles; a combination of hyper-realism,
abstract expressionism and ‘raw-art’. His recent work ‘paintings of paintings’ question our ideas of paint-
ing and authorship whereas his ‘blackboard’ series play with memory and illustrates the importance of
words, language and their interpretation. Alfi is both co-founder and member of the Jendela Art Group
with fellow Sumatra artists Handiwirman Saputra, Yusra Martunus, Rudi Mantofani and Yunizar. The Jendela
Art Group first exhibited together in 1997 and is now one of Indonesia’s most prominent contemporary
art collectives. Like his fellow group members, Alfi has exhibited widely around Indonesia as well as in
Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai.
Jumaldi Alfi in his studio
(Top)
Title: Hope
Date: 2009
Size: 197x400 cm
(Bottom)
Title: I follow
Date: 2010
Size: 225x365 cm
Christine Ay Tjae
b. 1973, Bandung, Indonesia. Lives and works in Indonesia.
Among the young contemporary Indonesian artists, Ay Tjoe Christine takes a special place, not only
because she is the only woman in this male dominated art scene. Her work, delicate drawings and paint-
ings, at first appear to be beautiful abstracts, but are in fact figurative studies reflecting on the darker side
of contemporary society. Her works have been described as “a probing into the self,.. an exploring of the
duality of the struggling soul.”
Ay Tjae has exhibited internationally and her works have found appreciation from curators and collectors
alike. She was one of the five artists selected in 2001 for the Philip Morris Indonesian Art Awards and
also featured in a number of important group shows such as ‘Closing the Gap: Indonesian Art Today’,
Melbourne and Victoria, Australia and ‘Awareness: Indonesian Art Today’, Canvas, Amsterdam. Her works
are in numerous private and public collections both in Indonesia and abroad.
Painting by Christine Ay Tjae
spotted in Deddy Kusuma’s
Collection.
Dadang Christanto
b.1957 Tegal, Indonesia. Lives and works in Darwin, Australia.
Dadang Christanto is most famous for his sculptures of heads however he is also a painter and has worked
with video instillation and performance. Despite moving abroad, to Australia, Christanto’s art remains
firmly rooted in local culture and history. The disappearance of multitudes of Indonesian political dissidents
during the mid-1960s purges, when Dadang’s father was lost without trace, is a recurring theme in the
artist’s oeuvre and his series of heads refer directly to this traumatism as well as more generally to the
relentless cruelty of humankind among those of different faiths or political systems.
In 2004, his permanent artwork, Heads from the North, was installed in Marsh Pond, Sculpture Garden,
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Dadang has shown widely in major international biennales and
exhibitions, including the Biennale of Venice; and the Kwangju Biennale, South Korea. His works are
included in a few private collections in Indonesia as well as a number of established collections in
Australia and Asia including the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia and the Fukuoka Asian Art
Museum, Japan.
Dadang Christanto in front of his
instillation at the Sankring Art
Space, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
(Top left clockwise)
Title: Merdeka atau Belum
Date: 2011
Size: 150x200 cm
Title: Two Clown Heads with Angel
Date: 2011
Size: 150x200 cm
Title: Two Presidential Candidates
Date: 2008
Size: 150x200 cm
Heri Dono
b. 1960, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Heri Dono trained as a painter and followed the trend which fused traditional Javanese figuration (way-
ang: used in popular Javanese folk theatre) with modern Western painting. Dono went on to develop his
own signature style, which tends towards cartoon animation, and pushed his art beyond simple painting
and sculpture to work with kinetic sculpture and instillation. The amalgamation of western painting, way-
ang stories, children’s cartoons, animation films and comics result in astonishing works that are populated
by monstrous half human, half animal creatures in impossible situations. Underlying most of his art is a
critique socio-political issues in Indonesia and abroad. Dono is well known both locally and internationally
and his works are included in a number of important Indonesian collections. Recent shows include
‘Negotiating Home, History and Nation’, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore in 2011 and ‘Transfiguration
& Contemporary Mythologies’, at the Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton, Paris, France in 2011.
Arianne with Heri Dono in his
studio
Title: Tragedy
Date: 2010
Size: 300x200 cm
Nymon Masriardi
b. 1973, Bali, Indonesia. Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Masriardi is arguably one of the most interesting artists in Indonesia today. The visual imagery and
narratives in his paintings are derived from razor sharp observations of Indonesian society. His painting
is extremely strong, and whilst his style has evolved tremendously in the last ten years from a more cubist
inspired caricatured figuration, to a comical realism, there remains a definite artistic stamp thanks to his
signature black skinned figures. In 2008 the artist had a solo show, at Singapore Art Museum. He has also
participated in numerous group exhibitions including the ‘Jogja Biennale X’, Indonesia in 2009 and ‘The
Simple Art of Parody’, Taipei MOCA, China in 2009. His works are in all the important Indonesian collections
and are now also being collected by a number of International Collectors in Europe and the United States.
Arianne with Nymon Masriardi in
his studio
Instillation view at FIAC
Date: 2010
Eko Nogroho
b. 1977 Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Working with a diverse range of media, Eko Nogroho’s comic-inspired works appear in a variety of forms:
murals, paintings, drawings, sculpture and large scale embroideries. His use of such materials and his
fusian of styles display the artists understanding of both high art and street culture. Adeline Ooi, director,
Rogue Art, Kuala Lumpur: “The lone figure, whose face is concealed by masks, helmet, or machine parts,
never reveals his true self. His many manifestations represent the players involved in the unfolding of
[Eko’s] narrative. He is the silent messenger and the narrator; he is you, me, we, Everyman and the Other
all at once.” His figures, disconnected to the rapidly changing environment, comment on the social and
political injustices of Indonesian society.
Eko Nogroho’s impressive resume includes two important exhibitions in Paris in less than a year; his solo
show ‘Témoin hybride’ at the Musee d’art Moderne de la Ville de Paris was preceded by his inclusion in
the important group show ‘Transfiguration & Contemporary Mythologies’, at the Espace Culturel Louis
Vuitton. He has also shown a the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane, the Kirk Theatre in Utrecht, the
Asian Art Museum in Fukuoka, and at the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki. His works
are in most of the key national private collections as well as numerous important international collections
including Asia Society New York, Deutsche Bank Collection, Germany and the Singapore Art Museum,
Singapore.
Ariadhitya Pramuhendra
b. 1984 Semarang, Indonesia. Lives and works in Bandung, Indonesia.
Pramuhendra is quickly making a name for himself as a hot young star in Indonesia and has caught the
public’s attention with his dramatic portraits in charcoal on canvas.
He works primarily in 2D making canvas works with charcoal drawing. Sometimes these large canvas
works are included in instillations (again made primarily of charcoal and burnt wood.) For example ‘Ashes
to Ashes’, a burnt clock and a photo-realistic charcoal drawing surround a charred table. In the drawing,
The Reunion (Ashes to Ashes), the artist and his family were seated according to da Vinci’s ‘The Last
Supper’. The piece, a memento mori for the postmodern age, reminds us of the transience of life and the
operation of religion in a multicultural world.
Pramuhendra grew up in Semarang, a northern city in western Java, and was raised in a devout Catholic
family in predominantly Muslim Indonesia. The artist states that the connection “to issues of religiosity
is precisely where the uniqueness of contemporary art practice in Asia stands.” He wants his works to
interrogate “the practice of freedom of appropriating other artists’ works”, while asking the question:
“Does being an artist make me free to recreate even the images of my own God?”
He has participated in a number of group exhibitions presenting emerging Indonesian artists over the past
couple of years, and featured in the important group show ‘Transfiguration & Contemprary Mythologies’, at
the Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton, Paris, as well as being honoured with a solo show at the NUS Museum,
Singapore. His works are in numerous private and public collections, both in Indonesia and abroad.
Title: By Water and the Spirit
Date: 2012
Size: 190x300 cm
Handiwirman Saputra
b. 1975 Indonesia. Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Handiwirman Saputra’s practice stands out in stark contrast to all other artists from Indonesia. His paint-
ings and sculptures challenge viewers’ expectations of common items by transforming the mundane into
new visual arrangements.
Discraded paraphernalia - trash bags, zinc sheets, fabric, sponge, scraps, thread, tree trunks – form the
basis of Saputra’s work. These objects are used to make up bizarre sculptural objects which the artist
goes on to cast or paint.
Saputra’s work aspires to evoke beauty and wonder in overlooked, everyday experiences that are taken
for granted.
Handiwirman Saputra is co-founder of the Jendela Art Group, arguably Indonesia’s best contemporary
art collective. A fine arts graduate from the prestigious Indonesian Institute of Arts in Yogyakarta, Saputra
is gaining international recognition with noteworthy exhibitions and has exhibited at the Singapore Art
Museum, Singapore, the MOCA, Shanghai and the Soka Arts Centre, Beijing, China. His works are
collected internationally and can be found in most important Indonesian collections.
Title: Tak Berakar, Tak Berpucuk –
no.7 (No Roots, No Shoots – no.7)
Date: 2011
Medium: plywood, cloth, steel,
corrugated roof sheet, screen print
puff ink, acrylic paint
Size: 3 pcs each 247x122x122 cm
Agus Suwage
b. 1959 Purworejo, Indonesia. Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Agus Suwage is one of the most important and influential artists in Indonesia today. His work
incorporates a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture and installation. An exceptionally
skilled painter, Suwage paints his own portrait again and again, in different poses, with different props,
as a performance. Much of Suwage’s art is inspired by recent art history, directly referencing well-known
art performances and commemorating influential historical figures. Issues relating to popular culture and
the transience of human life often reappear in his oeuvre, coated in dark humour and curious cynicism.
Suwage has participated in countless biennales as well as museum and gallery exhibitions around the
world including: the Asia Pacific Biennial, Singapore, the Biennial Contemporary Art of Indonesia, ‘China a
retrospective’ at the Jogjakarta Art Museum, Indonesia, and ‘Contemporaneity’, MOCA Shanghai, China.
(Top clockwise)
Title: The Kiss
Date: 2011
Size: 200x250 cm
Title: Fool in love
Date: 2009
Instillation of variable dimensions
Title: Cindy from Instillation
“Pause Replay”
Date: 2004 - 2006
One of a set of 50 watercolour
depictions of 20th Century Artists
Dimensions variable.
Arianne with Agus Suwage in his
studio
Entang Wiharso
b. 1967 in Tegal, Indonesia. Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Entang Wiharso’s art fuses traditional and modern styles that draw inspiration from a combination of
ancient Indonesian mythology and 20th century animation. Wiharso’s tortuously sexual paintings border
on the surreal and are reminiscent in their style of the troubled paintings of Francesco Clemente. “My
art is between dreams and existence, between illusion and the tangible, between confusion and order,
between that which is clear and that which is hidden.” (Entang Wiharso). More recently the artist has been
working in cast aluminium, making elegant bas-reliefs that are placed on the wall. The imagery retains
its sinister eroticism: devils and humans torturing one another, stabbing and being stabbed, skewering
and being skewered, slicing up and being sliced. Wiharso recently had a solo show at the Galeri National
Indonesia in 2010. He has participated in numerous international exhibitions, including ‘Chimera’, Singapore
Art Museum in 2012, ‘Rainbow Asia’, Hangram Art Museum of Seoul, Korea, and ‘Contemporaneity’
MOCA Shanghai, China. His works are in most of the key national private collections as well as numerous
important international collections including the Rubell Family Collection, Miami.
Arianne with Entang Wiharso in
his studio
Title: No Target
Date: 2011
Medium: Aluminum
Size: 230x130 cm