Variety in art ensures something is bound to catch someone’s eye at a fair, making him stop, look and wonder, “What is this?” Intrigued visitors may not get immediate answers, but an exhibit that surprises or stuns will, hopefully, lead them to find out more about an artist and his work.
Art Jakarta 2024 (Oct 4 to 6) attracted 38,368 visitors to JIEXPO Kemayoran, with 73 galleries — 39 from Indonesia and the rest, around Asia — taking up three halls compared to two last year, when the fair moved to this new venue. Sales were “vibrant”, the organisers said.
But art is not just about selling and numbers. At heart, it springs from creative folk taking the germ of an idea, interpreting it their own way and giving it a tangible form through different media. In the process, they may rope in a fellow artist, supporters or those from other industries, who bring a myriad of colours, emotions and views to the studio.
The result is a showcase that takes art from blank walls to the ground, engaging audiences with unique hooks or giving them a good time. Many say they enjoyed touring the 14th edition of this fair, citing its dynamic range of displays, from a bread crust created using paper (Seakan-akan sisa, meaning “as if it were leftovers”, by Indonesia’s Aurora Arazzi) to senior countryman Tisna Sanjaya’s installation that prompts debate on socio-politics, to hand-painted designs on a fridge that transform the utilitarian object into a work of art.
Tisna’s Ganjel — one of four installations at AJ Spot, a platform for creations specifically tailored to the fair — looks comical at first glance. Two figures — a man with a boy hoisted on his shoulders — stand atop a stack of filed letters, forms, catalogues, government decrees and bureaucratic archives from the time the artist was a lecturer at Bandung Institute of Technology. Recorded calls of the surit uncuing (cuckoo) can be heard at the installation, warning leaders to be vigilant because their actions have consequences.
The figures are nameless, but many think they allude to outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his eldest son, vice-president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 37. Last year, the Indonesian Constitutional Court amended the age limit to allow people under 40 to run for president or vice-president.
Art Jakarta’s AJX programme had more collaborations with institutions and private companies to bring their collections to a wider audience. This year, too, various artists and studios joined hands with those outside their inner circle to reinterpret old terms or find ways to use art, literally.
One refreshing outcome of the latter is Hydrogrid, Hydration, supported by drinkware company Stanley and Vinilon, a local manufacturer and distributor of piping system solutions. The huge structure was created using polyethylene pipes that channel water to homes. The sturdy, flexible tubes integrate a seating area and a refillable water facility, reminders of how precious this commodity is.
Hospitality group Artotel Wanderlust worked with Indonesia’s Uji “Hahan” Handoko to relook the concept of a “rockstar” and draw attention to those who work hard, unnoticed. Perlantang 20-20.000 Hertz, a pedestal-like installation, uses the voices of visible and invisible creative workers who contribute silently to the arts.
Singapore collective Vertical Submarine’s Between the Bars, Happy Hours, presented by A+ Works of Art, Kuala Lumpur, makes visitors do a double take: They have to slip through prison-cell bars of varying widths to get into the booth, where more bizarre works hang. An example is Leaving Room, a series of six paintings offering top-down perspectives.
Justin Loke, founder of Vertical Submarine, says he is “changing the mode of art production” by assigning members specific roles. It is like a film production team, that has various people doing different things. He usually comes up with the art concept and sketch of a painting before someone else does the drawing. Then, another two people will handle the colouring.
This concerted effort works well, going by Leaving Room’s quirky take on people in the art industry. A caricature inspired by Art Jakarta director Tom Tandio shows him staying up late on his laptop, with an elephant in the room! And just like a scene from a whodunit, another piece depicts an art dealer sprawled on the floor after a meeting. There is blood around him.
Roca and this/PLAY erases fear and offers fun by cajoling people to perform in a booth equipped with basin, shower head and curtains, and speaker. Naked Tone is an alternate reality where anyone can step in, break into song and rinse off inhibition with “bathroom karaoke”.
Everyone will want Smeg’s Frigorifero d’arte (Refrigerators of Art), lavishly adorned with designs by Dolce & Gabbana craftsmen. The 100 hand-painted motifs packed in a book on show alongside Smeg’s iconic fridge are inspired by Italian stories and culture, clearly a cool idea that proved a hot attraction.
Eugene Kangawa’s White Painting series, which invites visitors to kiss a blank canvas after pausing to think about love, does not end at the fair. Three of these canvases with names of participants and their messages will be placed at the Eugene Museum in Bali, set to open near Tanah Lot Temple in 2026.
“Change, across generations and [affecting] people from different places and backgrounds, is a meaningful thing for me,” says US-born Kangawa, 35, the youngest artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 2021-22. His project examines divisiveness, and solidarity and reconnection driven by the community.
Using play to attract people has traction at Art Jakarta, where booths with whimsical works, pretty paintings, knitted figures and cute sculptures are crowd-pullers, especially among families. Music is another strong magnet, and the bustling Super Art Box featuring winning works at Supermusic Superstar clearly connect with the young.
Various galleries from South Korea and Japan entice those who cannot have too many cartoon-like or anime-style creations where whimsy meets creativity. But seasoned artists who have cultivated a solid following over the years offer a lot to feast on visually and talk about, especially with huge canvases spread across a wall.
There is something for everybody at Art Jakarta, and rightly so, because such fairs should be embracing, not exclusive. Artists may speak to audiences through different mediums but when what they are doing hits the spot, the visual impact grows into something meaningful that stays with viewers. And it could spawn more artistic creativity.
The 15th edition of Art Jakarta will be held at JIEXPO Kemayoran from Oct 2 to 5, 2025.
This article first appeared on Oct 14, 2023 in The Edge Malaysia.
