Jakarta, IO – Art Jakarta 2023 is back for fine art lovers. Various works from local and foreign artists are showcased in this exhibition which will take place on November 17-19 at JIExpo Kemayoran.
Covering an area of around 10,000 sqm, Art Jakarta 2023 has larger exhibition ground than last year with a total of 68 art galleries, namely 40 from Indonesia and 28 from overseas, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and Australia.
Near gate B, there is Andi’s Gallery which displays dozens of sculptures made from bronze and fiber materials, the work of Adi Gunawan entitled “Enjoy The Moment”. This gallery displays a collection of statues of stocky female figures with frizzy hair with a number of different gestures and animals such as pigs and dogs.
To the left, there are galleries called Art Agenda and Art:1. The two of them collaborated to display a number of art installations entitled “Gaung Tanpa Raung”. More than 40 artists exhibit works from Mooi Indie to iconic modern period paintings from Le Mayeur, Affandi, Sudjojono, Renato Cristiano and Mochtar Apin.
At the international section, you can stop by the Shangh Art from Shanghai which is exhibiting the world installation “Magic of Atlas” by Sun Xun. At the top of the gallery, there are six cloths depicting Sun Xu’s paintings traditionally painted using black ink. It tells the story of a young boy wandering accross six countries to find his original thought.
Then, there is Mizuma Galeri from Tokyo, Japan, whose exterior features an installation of dreamy faces by Iwan Effendi. The expression of this body movement is able to touch the hearts or emotions of visitors by freely expressing various profound meanings.
In the middle section, you can find the Nadi Art booth which displays an installation by Iwan Yusuf entitled “Christozen” which attracts the attention of visitors with its exploration using troll nets and waring, depicting the figure of a woman’s face which at a glance when seen from a distance looks like a painting on canvas.
“A total of 16 works are displayed at Nadi Art from 10 artists,” the owner of Nadi Art, Biantoro Santoso, told the Independent Observer, Fri (17/11).
Apart from Iwan, there is also another interesting work by Agus Suwage entitled “Towards Togetherness 2” which displays a world map in the middle there is a picture of the Prophet Noah’s ship carrying animals such as tigers, deer and cows to start a new life together.
“This actually tells the story of saving diversity. We often feel like we don’t fit in with other groups who are different from each other. The Prophet Noah’s ship saves, on it the various humans and animals that depict the many tribes in this world,” explained Biantoro. “So, this work is about Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. We still have to be safe and united together, even though we are different.”
Towards the back, you will find other interesting booths, one of which is the Semarang Gallery which displays 18 works by eight artists. In this gallery, the majority of works appear simple and “down to earth”, but they touch everyday human life. For example, Samsul Arifin’s work entitled “Panjang Umur Kata-Kata”.
This work, drawn with markers on HPL board measuring 120 x 193 cm, tells the story of the innocence of the character “Goni” who wants to know more about life from the scribbles that come from the inside of his head.
“This painting of Goni’s scribbles comes from events that Samsul himself experienced in his life, likening Goni to an innocent figure,” explained Semarang Gallery manager Wisnu.
Then, on the left side of the booth there are also two paintings entitled “Fine Afternoon-Candid” and “A Vast Patio-Candid” by Yogyakarta artist Iqi Qoror who said that he deliberately presented contrasting colors that expressed the alienation that plagues individuals in this contemporary era.
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“As a new citizen on social media, I saw various posts on the Instagram feed, many of which were candid and fake. It’s that simple. Many of them were set up,” said Qoror.
Qoror’s work depicts the absurdity of a perfectly dressed man in a blazer, trousers, leather shoes, alone in the corner of a room or with other people but not interacting with each other, even chatting but not enjoying the meeting. Qoror satirizes how unfortunate it is for individuals in this contemporary era who are alienated from themselves. (Aini Tartinia)