Running from 7 to 22 June 2014 at Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, ART|JOG|14: “Legacies of Power” examines current democratic visions and historical power struggles whilst taking a stand against today’s art market infrastructure.
Kuswidananto a.k.a Jompet, ‘Poem of Voice #2′, 2014, mixed media installation, variable dimensions. Image courtesy the artist and ART|JOG|14.
Now in its seventh year, the 2014 edition of ART|JOG continues to shun the traditional artist-gallery-curator-collector model and provides an exciting platform for local emerging artists. This year’s fair features 103 artists, with 97 from Indonesia and six from abroad, showcasing budding artists as well as notable names such FX Harsono and Marina Abramović.
An art fair for artists
As with previous years, ART|JOG|14 operates within a distinctly artist-centred framework. Participating artists sell directly to collectors with the fair organisers taking a commission, which goes in part towards the costs of running the fair.
Midori Hirota, ‘Sang Saksi Kesejarahan’, 2014, mixed media installation, variable dimensions. Image courtesy the artist and ART|JOG|14.
Artworks are presented in a large-scale exhibition format instead of the typical art fair booth structure, and artists are chosen through an open call. Maryanto Beb, a participating artist in ART|JOG|14, is quoted in the fair’s press release (pdf download) as saying:
ART|JOG is a unique art fair that is fluid and favours the artists, yet it can be enjoyed by people outside the arts community […]. Artists […] need to pass a rigorous selection process as this art fair has become an alternative in Asia’s contemporary arts market, developing new potentials that otherwise would not have the opportunities to be recognised by the public [sic].
Dodik Wahyu, ‘Choose The Chair’, 2014, acrylic, MDF, print sticker, LED, 160 x 260 x 30 cm. Image courtesy the artist and ART|JOG|14.
A space for local artists
ART|JOG|14 responds specifically to local talent, with 97 of the chosen artists hailing from Indonesia, and six international artists from the United States, Australia, Japan, Singapore and the Netherlands.
Agung Prabowo, ‘Nircenggami (Tidak Takut dan Kuatir) (No Fear and Worry)’, 2013, reduction linocut on handmade paper, 91 x 81 cm. Image courtesy the artist and ART|JOG|14.
Among them are emerging talents as well as notable names from the Indonesian contemporary art scene, including Titarubi, who represented Indonesia in the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013. Previous Art|Jog favourites are also participating, such as Anang Saptoto, Ahdiyat Nur Hartarta, Uji Handoko and Agung Hanafi.
FX Harsono, ‘Seandainya Pistol Krupuk Ini Menjadi Pistol Sebenarnya’, 2013, installations of krupuk cracker pistols (2000 pieces), wood chair and desk, notebook, variable dimensions. Image courtesy the artist and ART|JOG|14.
New York-based performance artist Marina Abramović and Japan-based technology art group TeamLAB comprise the Special Presentation program, which aims to keep the public abreast with developments in international art.
Samsul Arifin, ‘Goni Cabinet’, 2014, multimedia installation, variable dimensions. Image courtesy the artist and ART|JOG|14.
Gunny doll cabinet
The commission this year went to young artist Samsul Arifin (b. 1979, Malang, East Java). His impressive Goni Cabinet (2014) features 150 life-sized gunny dolls populating the sombre façade of Taman Budaya Yogyakarta. The dolls, sporting different expressions and displayed in a variety of poses, are arranged hierarchically on a staircase, satirising the power structure of the Indonesian cabinet.
Samsul Arifin posing with gunny dolls, 2014. Image courtesy the artist and ART|JOG|14.
The material gunny is traditionally used to store rice or coffee and was widely used as clothing during colonial times. As such, it is associated with poverty and hardship. Gunny doll installations are Arifin’s trademark, and he has named the imaginary character “Goni”.
Regarding Arifin’s one-of-a-kind craftsmanship involving painting and sewing, independent curator and writer Enin Supriyanto observed on ART|JOG|14′s website that:
[Arifin] is one of Indonesia’s young artists who marked the development of art in Indonesia in the last decade with his works which are deceptively simple, but accomplished with excellent technical skills.
Edhi Sunarso, ‘Soekarno Dari Pengasingan Pulau Ende’, 1998, bronze, 440 x 80 x 80 cm. Image courtesy the artist and ART|JOG|14.
Legacies of power
As with all the works displayed in ART|JOG|14, Arifin’s Goni Cabinet responds to the theme “Legacies of Power: (Re-)Defining Democracy in Indonesia”. The curatorial concept hinges on the 2014 Indonesian general election which will see new leaders and a new president come into office. Against this critical political background, the participating works in ART|JOG|14 attempt to examine the problems of democracy, transfer of power, corruption and economic decline.
Yudi Sulistyo, ‘Menuju ke Masa Lalu’, 2014, paper, iron pipe, pvc pipe, wood, found object and spray paint, 79 x 732 x 62 cm. Image courtesy the artist and ART|JOG|14.
Furthermore, a one-day public forum initiated by ART|JOG|14 and the Indonesian Visual Art Archive (IVAA) will accompany the fair, entitled “Empowered: New Relations, Structures, and Strategies in Contemporary Asian Art Scene Today”.
Sara Nuytemans, ‘Rise and Shine’, 2014, multimedia installation, 120 x 120 x 220 cm. Image courtesy the artist and ART|JOG|14.
By asking young local artists and practitioners to examine issues of democracy as well as providing a practical, thriving alternate model to the rigid art market infrastructure, ART|JOG|14 truly takes democracy into its own hands.
Michele Chan
387
Related Topics: Indonesian contemporary art, artist-run initiatives, art fairs, events in Indonesia, democratisation of art
Related Posts:
Subscribe to Art Radar for more on Indonesian contemporary art