New York’s prestigious Wendt Gallery opened
Cultural Bridge: The
Changing Face of Urban Jakarta, a
premier exhibition of contemporary award winning
Indonesian art that provides a fascinating look at new
works that are garnering world wide attention. The VIP
opening reception was attended by prominent members of
the Indonesian cultural scene as well as numerous
collectors and well known American artists including
Carolyn Beegan and Andrew Hart Adler and
designer
Berry Brown.
As demonstrated by this powerful exhibition, gallery
owners Joseph and Serena Manqueros, who
also maintain galleries in Laguna Beach, Vienna and
Singapore, clearly have their finger on the pulse of the
expanding arts scene in Southeast Asia.
For the last 13 years, Jakarta has been a burgeoning
home for the arts and culture. The face of Jakarta has
been transitioning as people from across Indonesia have
migrated to this metropolis and formed small ethnicity
based communities.
The multiple layers of regional and local identity found
in Jakarta combined with the advances in technology; are
creating a more globalized culture and an opportunity
for a prospering artistic movement. Artistic
communities found throughout Jakarta are producing works
that simultaneously represent not only the downtown
regional diversities, but also its transitioning urban
landscape.
Cultural Bridge
on display at the 57th Street gallery
features the front runners of the 2010 Jakarta Art
Awards. The theme,
Reflection of
Megacities articulates the challenges of
urban life. 14 artists and 37 works are included in this
very special exhibition at the Wendt Gallery.
Among the highlights of the show are Cubung Putro’s
Ants, a
large grid-like multi media wall installation made of
ants. Using the iconic imagery of the America flag, the
artist meticulously assembles them into the symbolic
image, with ants spilling outside of the borders and
onto the floor. In addition to its pop-like quality, the
work digs deeper with an important social message. The
artist uses the ants as a metaphor to represent the
action of downtown Jakarta vs. progress, which is
defining itself through the westernization of this urban
megacity.
Putu
Wirantawan’s
Wandering Soul III,
an ink and pencil drawing on paper, took the grand prize
in the competition. Employing pencil and pen and using
a language of personal signs and marks, the artist
creates a visceral illusion of rhythmic lines.
These lines produce quasi-ambiguous images that are
further amplified through Wirantawan’s use of soft and
sublime colors. The incorporation of mechanical
elements allows the more organic qualities to anchor
themselves into a composition that is symbolic,
suggestive and simultaneously futuristic.
Imam
Abdillah’s,
The Dimension of Hunting received a second
place award after
Wandering Soul III. Allegorical in its
compositional content, the work depicts a classic
Indonesian story reinterpreted so that it is relevant to
a contemporary setting of a busy, crowded city. The
scene depicts the fear and panic of the masses created
by the presence of hunters pulled from the past as they
swarm the streets. A dramatic and even cinematic quality
sets the tone of the work and invites the viewer to
evaluate the tension created by urban life in Jakarta.
The city’s impulse to develop and shift forward is set
against the desire to adhere to the traditional concepts
of old Indonesia.
Cultural Bridge
also highlights additional works by Tato
Suryanto, Ahmad Subandiyo, Angga Sukma Permana, Aditya
Novali, Faqih Alfian, Farhan Siki, Hamzah, Masriel,
Nugroho Heri Cahyono, and Sujarwo.
By presenting an international collection of innovative
and forward thinking artists, Wendt Gallery’s interest
is to bring attention to the significance of art as a
vehicle for cultural exchange. With
Cultural Bridge
and other similar exhibitions, the Gallery is actively
developing a Southeast Asian art program as an important
component of its international collection.
In honor of Asia Week New York 2011, Wendt Gallery in
the Fuller Building, 41 East 57th Street will
participate in an Open House on Saturday March 19th
from 10am to 6pm. The Open House will be sponsored by
the Fuller Building and will not only host exhibitions
by galleries permanently located in Manhattan, but also
galleries that have traveled internationally to
participate in this special event.
For more information about the exhibition please visit
www.wendtgallery.com
An extraordinarily detailed and well written exhibition
catalog is available upon request.