Dear friends and colleagues
On Friday I went to the opening of Sunaryo’s sculpture garden Wot Batu in Bandung. You may remember I talked of this being built in Letter 13. But, alas, I cannot tell you about the opening, the performance, the food or the party as my plane was delayed by over four hours and I missed them all. I can tell you that half a pint of beer costs 12SGD (c. £5.50) in Changi airport. I think that is outrageous.
When I got to Wot Batu the next morning outside there were the floral tributes from companies, friends and galleries often sent to exhibition openings. In Singapore these are vases on stands; in Indonesia these tend to be large polystyrene panels.
Inside Wot Batu there was no-one and it was a delight to be there. When there is no one else there you can hear the sound of the fountain and the wind. You can slow down and gather your thoughts. Now the “infinity pool” is completed, it really works as a belvedere: a place to enjoy a beautiful view.
Sunaryo’s son Arin had an exhibition opening that evening a hundred metres away at Selasar Sunaryo – the museum set up by Sunaryo in 1998 and which has concentrated on giving residences and exhibitions to young artists. Both Sunaryo and Agung Hujatikajennong who had been the curator of the show gave speeches. People are very polite here and listen to the speeches, unlike England, or even Singapore where people stand at the back and carry on chatting. Of course, both Agung and Sunaryo are very respected people. After that Arin’s sister and brother DJed. As you can see, the balcony at Selasar and which normally functions as a café is very beautiful. Below it there is an ampitheatre where food was provided.
Sunaryo giving speech
I spoke of Arin’s plans for this show in Letter 23, but things didn’t work out as planned. As a one time a keen skateboarder he wanted to make resin paintings in the shape of ramps. He made one like that but otherwise got intrigued by using new materials: brass, copper and iron. Mixed with resin, poured, spattered and dripped they acted very differently from his normal pigments and materials: being lumpier and heavier.
Events like these are, of course, where you meet people. I spent much of the day and the next day in the Selasar café talking to the artists and more especially on this occasion with the curators of Indonesia. I have collaborated or am collaborating on projects with several of them. (For example, I helped Agung edit the book on Wot Batu.) In the absence of good art magazines and art history programmes the curators in Indonesia are crucial not just as initiators and organisers but as explainers. It is important that they all write too.
Agung
What I like about these people is they are very relaxed: they are not competitive or very partisan, they have more a sense of working to a common purpose. Their relationships to the artists are probably closer and more informal than that of their peers in the West. There is no angling for prestigious or well paid academic or curatorial positions – none exist.
Agung and Aminudin Siregar (normally called “Ucok” as most Batak people are) have full time teaching jobs, but others, Enin Suprianto, Rifky Effendy for example are free lance. In the absence of any state or civic support for the arts they have to work with collectors and private galleries. This can be problematic of course. But, importantly, several collectors and several successful artists have set up and funded foundations or exhibiting spaces (not only Sunaryo, but also Agung Kuniawan. Mella Jaarsma and Nindityo Adipurnomo, Putu Suwaitijaya and Jumaldi Alfi in Jogja.)
Rifky
Enin
More such spaces are planned. It was a great pleasure also to meet up again with Thomas Berghuis who taught in Sydney and then worked as a curator for Asian art at the Guggenheim, New York. He has returned to civilization and is working as curator for a privately funded museum in Jakarta (MACAN) due to open in 2017.
Thomas
My last conversation on Sunday was with the doyen of Indonesian curators Jim Supangkat. We talked of the genesis of Conceptual Art in South-East Asia. He made the point that like himself other people who could be described as conceptual artists in the Seventies became curators. This is very different from Europe or USA where they normally became teachers. This is something I want to research.
If anyone wants to buy a copy of the book about Wot Batu – which is handsomely produced and has essays by archeologists, geologists and anthropologists on the site and project, as well as an essya by Agiung and a preface by myself – the should contact Anis Annisa Maryam at [email protected]. Should you get it at Selasar it comes with a very elegant bag – as carried by Enin and Agung in my accompanying snaps.
Have a good Tuesday
Tony
PS I will be in Singapore for their election on Friday. I am not expecting a cliff hanger, the PAP (Lee Kuan Yew’s party) has been in power for 56 years – but you never know!