IO, Jakarta – To celebrate Kartini Day, Indonesian Luxury staged an art exhibition at a high premium furniture showroom Ambiente, Senopati, which had six female artists. In the world of contemporary art, in fact, there is still a minority of women artists. The cause of this is unclear, but maybe a slow culture change or lesser opportunities for them to prove themselves. What is clear is, that it is not a matter of credibility.
The exhibition named Permanent Light / Always Bright Art is curated by the ISA Advisory in collaboration with Can’s Gallery. ISA Advisory and Can’s Art Gallery, they curated the best works of six contemporary Indonesian and International artists, among others, Sinta Tantra, Arahmaiani, Ines Katamso, Sally Smart, Natasha Lubis, and Natisa Jones. Each painting was housed on all the four floors of Ambiente, Senopati from 12 April to May 12, 2018. The name of the exhibition was inspired from the book of letters written by Raden Kartini Adjeng entitled From Darkness to Light.
The collection of letters was put together into a book by JH Abendanon after RA Kartini died. In Indonesia, the name RA Kartini is known as one of the women’s national hero, thus, every 21 April (the day of birth RA Kartini) it is recognized as Kartini Day. On the basis of the exhibition Still Light / Always Bright it highlights power (power), diversity, and understanding of an issue.
Kartini Day celebration is actually more than just a celebration of local dress (kebaya and bun), but should be, a reminder about the struggles and the strengths of a woman, in terms of thoughts, contributions and actions. Wanting to promote women as well as freedom of speech was RA Kartini struggle that needs to be nurtured and developed. Permanent Exhibition of Light wants to show the uniqueness of the mindset of women who are represented by the six artists. The most important point is that women have a voice and can greatly contribute to society. That said, this is a classy Kartini Day celebration and has a meaningful essence within.
Each area in the showroom displays a different atmosphere for the six artists who have diverse backgrounds, both of generations, nationalities and experiences. Arahmaiani a senior artist from Bandung who has expanded her wings up to Tibet, Germany, and India. Sinta Tantra is an artist from Bali who studied and has a successful career in the UK, but has not forgotten the country that has inspired to work. Ines Katamso who calls herself “mixed blood” is an Indonesian-French artist who combines the two cultures in a sweet correlation. Natisa Jones as an artist from Jakarta, spends most of her in Bali and Amsterdam and has joined many exhibitions in Berlin and Melbourne. Sally Smart is an Australian artist who greatly appreciates Indonesia until now and has an art studio in Yogyakarta. Natasha Lubis,a young artist from Jakarta and graduated from Goldsmith University, UK has participated in exhibitions in London, England and Melbourne, Australia.
Over time, the paintings are increasingly in demand as an interior accessory. Ambiente is a high premium furniture showroom located in Senopati that brings brands renowned furniture and kitchen. With a collection of luxurious furniture, several paintings from the six artists further enhances and complement each other. Thus, this Permanent Light exhibition has become a beautiful package for interiors or the art industry. (Aldo)