Chang Art is pleased to announce the group show from five Indonesian artists, especially this year is 60 anniversary of diplomatic relationship between the China and Indonesia.
Chang Art Gallery's program is internationally focused, bringing very established artists as well as newly discovered ones to the public's attention. Chang Art Gallery is pleased to be the first to bring an exhibition focusing on the art practices of Indonesian contemporary art.
Indonesian Contemporary Art Market
The International Art World is always looking as to where and whom the next big moment will occur. Much attention is being focused on Indonesia; there are many reasons for this attention being paid to emerging Indonesian art. The first and foremost is that it is interesting, exciting and new. While there are quite a few examples of Indonesian artists who command high prices the works but in large are relatively inexpensive, and the quality is high.
Like all art from emerging markets timing is everything. Attention and the worlds focus has to be paid. If you look at current and upcoming global exhibitions and venues, it is the first time you can see Indonesian art is starting to appear at major art events. For instance just this March Indonesia figured prominently in the efforts put forth by Art Paris to have an exhibition of 20 Indonesian artists selected by one of Indonesia's prominent collectors in Paris. On this side of the world, there is a major exhibition at Singapore Art Museum.
Having a collector participate as the lead to the exhibition is an example of the uniqueness of the Indonesian market and it’s potential. Unlike other entries to the global market, the push seems to come from serious and committed Indonesian collectors themselves, who are participating globally to get contemporary Indonesian art on the map. This strategy helped to being attention to the Chinese art market at its beginnings. Unlike the Chinese art market, the collectors are the driving force rather than the artists. The collectors understand the work has to be tied into the global art world, its institutions ,museums and gallery structures thus creating a more stable and permanent entrance for these Indonesian artists.
When the Chinese boom occurred and prices soared, attention soon shifted to look for new and emerging art from other countries. Southeast Asia became a strong focus. When the economic crisis occurred Indonesia remained relatively stable, thus allowing these committed collectors to continue their in depth collecting practices. The relatively low price of Indonesian work is a great factor in garnering interest in the work in today’s world; the major auction houses are focusing on specialized sales from the region helping to introduce these works to the larger art community.
Museum curators, gallerists and collectors from all over are showing interest as the work speaks to contemporary issues and is new and fresh. This is the difference between the Chinese booms that led to a bubble versus the introduction of the Indonesian contemporary art as led by the art world infrastructure. Thus signaling a real potential to elevate the Indonesian arts and market without the pitfalls from the past, the exciting factor is that it is a relatively new and undiscovered market and therefore really good work at very good value.
There is a great understanding by the Indonesian collectors, gallerists, auction houses and artists that it is imperative for these artists to 'get out' and exhibit throughout the world.
Looking at the current Indonesian work one can feel that it can 'cross borders' and be relevant in the global art world. Many of the artists are interested in urban art and issues that we all deal with in all of our worlds. In Indonesia, there was a great change in the works by young Indonesian artists after the fall of Suharto in 1998. Gone was the more conservative tourist art replaced by tough socially engaged art reflecting the societal changes taking place, reformasi (transition toward democracy) was keenly a focus in the young artists work.
At this time, already in Yogyakarta, where there are many prominent art schools, art students were already inspired by the angry graffiti art from the street. Coupled with this street awareness and their formal training within the school this bred a new and interesting and relevant art.
CHANG ART developed a relationship in Yogyakarta with several artists. After serious in depth studies of the artists there, five artists were selected to represent the cross currents of current art practices there, each artist is radically different from the other and shows the breadth and scope of interests. Some of them have exhibited outside of Indonesia, while others have only exhibited in their own region.
The exhibition was first travelled to our sister gallery Watergate Gallery in Seoul, and it was also the first time to present these works in Korea, the show was very much well received by the media and to the Korean audiences.
Chang Art Gallery is proud to present these five artists from Yogyakarta whose work transcends their homeland borders to bring to us works that speaks to everyone, everywhere.
The artists were chosen specifically to show the diversity of this vibrant art scene and a great opportunity for us to participate in at its young and exciting stage.
