Art For Everyone in Art1: New Museum

Someone asked me to go to Art1: New Museum after seeing my previous visit to Singapore Art Museum. “I love how you enjoyed art, go to this place and feed us more with your enjoyable photos” hearing those words made me grab my smart phone and searching about Art1: New Museum and hey! It is in Jakarta, Indonesia. It would be very easy for me to go there since I live in Jakarta now. On a bright and a fine day, I managed myself to go there and have a great time. Here are some of what I was able to capture.

The Museum

The location of Art1: New Museum is in Jalan Rajawali Selatan Raya No. 3 Kemayoran, Jakarta Pusat. Its location allows for only 20 minutes drive to and from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, 5 minutes drive from The Evangelical Church Aula Symphonia Jakarta and approximately 30 minutes drive via Cawang highway to districs Sudirman, Thamrin and Semanggi. Apparently Art1: New Museum is not that far from my house, it is quite near, took me around 15-20 minutes drive from my house.

It opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10am until 6pm and Sunday, 10am until 4pm.

Designed by Sardjono Sani, Art1: New Museum finally completed in 2011. The monochromatic white grey building stands almost invisible with a red gate entrance made of steel. These are the only colors that continue through the heart of Art:1. White wash walls permeate throughout in order to accommodate and support the artworks on displays.

In the lobby foyer stands a commissioned artwork “Title Jeda” (Crossing Point) by artist Sunaryo. The artwork describes the philosophy of Art:1 and its vision for building a strong infrastructure for art in Indonesia. The result is a beautiful form where art, people and structure are integrated as one. The work gas also inspired the Art:1 logo and slogan, “Art For Everyone”.

The history

ART:1 formerly known as Mon Decor Gallery (EST. 1983) is the pioneer in the art gallery business in Jakarta. Over the years, Mon Decor Gallery has been collecting vast numbers of artworks. Mon Decor Gallery acts as executive member of the Association of Galleries together with 17 art galleries assisted in the conception of Jakarta Art District in Grand Indonesia and recognized as The Best Gallery Of The Year Award 2010. The Mon Decor Gallery has numerous achievements such as Favorite Art Gallery in Amica Indonesia Award and Purwakalaghra Museum Award for Best Facility.

In 2011 Mon Decor Gallery reinvented its initial fine art gallery concept and expanded into private museum, art space and art institute support art infrastructure in Indonesia and to showcase Mon Décor Gallery’s thirty years long collections. Then it’s followed by a relocation into a bigger, more equipped exhibition space in Kemayoran called Art:1. The spacious 4,000 sqm buildings offer products and services dedicated to art, art developments and activities for Indonesian art students, art audience and art market.

The Parts

Art Space: 1 was established to showcase young artists so they can properly promote their artwork and guide them into the professional art scene, this includes collaborating and representing artists through projects, exhibitions or art fairs.

Art: 1 New Museum was established to showcase Indonesia’s finest artists who had been previously validated through trustworthy research team within a non-profit organization for a better understanding of important artists and their works in Indonesian art developments and history.

IVAN SAGITA

This is “I fulfilled myself” by Ivan Sagita. If you feel empty, you are not alone in feeling this way. Many people feel empty inside, and most people who feel empty have some deep, false beliefs regarding why they feel empty. There is only one thing that truly fills the emptiness. Love. There is only one cause of inner emptiness: a lack of love, but it is not a lack of someone else’s love that causes your emptiness. Inner emptiness is caused by self-abandonment — by not loving yourself.

Filling your inner emptiness by learning to love yourself. Today, choose the intent to learn with your higher guidance about truth and about loving yourself — even if you don’t believe that anything is there to answer you — and see what happens. You might start to feel full of love inside!

UCY SUGIARTO

This is “Trapped” by Ugy Sugiarto. Boundaries don’t keep other people out, they fence you in to the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity or power, but self-rejection.

PERMANENT COLLECTION

These are “I Painted My History” (with the flames burning inside my mind) by Indieguerillas, “Cikal” by M. Irfan, “Barong & Naga” by I Made Sikadana.

Permanent Collection “Fine art and social texts” Art:1 New Museum Collection. Indonesian contemporary art from time to time close with social text, as shown in the most artworks in this exhibition. Its presence as an antenna, the sending signal at a critical time, especially when people are kept away from injustice. These artworks commonly expressed metaphorically through symbols, abstractions and drawing figures.

Altje Ully

For women, talking back is often considered taboo. In keeping with the general rule, one has to keep emotions under control and behave as expected.

Altje Ully (born in 1958), known as a female sculptor, did so for most of her life, or so it seemed. Her doll sculptures made while undergoing profound frustration. She had always been anxious to comply with the demands of that particular role. This brought along a sense of insecurity, as she always wondered whether her artwork was good enough in the eyes of the public, but today Altje Ully is a confident artist. Her doll sculptures are posing as if they were challenging anyone disagreeing with their visions or behavior.

Clad in tight pants and tight tops, high jackboots or trendy low-heels, they represent defiance. Half tomboy, half macho, funny and rebellious, yet dead serious, they are the personification of Altje Ully — who made them not for the gaze of others but out of her own self.

Altje has now moved from the meditative female figures “trapped” in the rules of Batak marriage tradition, to figure that stand on their own feet. Even more striking is that she has become more creative than ever: She dressed the sculptures with real leather, jeans and other material, fitting the body as if they were a natural part of it. The fine leather, jeans, latex pants and tops may remind one of a second skin. Made up entirely in the image of her wardrobe, perhaps this is Altje Ully’s way of bringing forward the idea that women are really marked by what they wear and how they dress.

Referring to the doll sculptures, she states: “this is uniquely me.”  Altje Ully‘s sculptures from left above to left below; Dance with you, Moon Walk, Pardon, Against Wind, Concerned 2.

Budi Ubrux

This is “Monolog Kesenjangan” (The Gap Monologue) (2002) by Budi Ubrux, sitting in rows leisurely six-figure with a pedicab stuck in the top right corner. Admit it, That pedicab is a symbol of poverty from small people. There is a social narrative that’s been told there: just beneath the chin leftmost figure was a picture of Akbar Tanjung was wiping his nose by one of the national media once parodied as Pinocchio’s nose, and below line up the words “Mulai digoyang” (Start to be shaken). In the second figure on the right, on the left ear pops headlines about inflation. While the figure of the right, on the chest says “Harapan yang tersisa” (The remaining hope). Are there still hope left for the poor amid the economic slump and the ruler of a bitch, that anxiety can we bundle of three headlines.

Budi Ubrux (b. 1968) is one of the most progressive and radical new artists to emerge from Indonesia, Budi Ubrux is less a visionary than an acerbic social reactionary.

His paintings are powerful satirical observations on social degeneration through the alarmingly haunting aesthetic of faceless figures mummified in newsprint. Inspired by the Indonesian government’s transitional period from the “Orde Baru” (New Order) to the “Orde Reformasi” (Reformation Order) in 1999 and its resulting impact on society, his works struggle with the themes of political oppression, the ironic role of the media, and above all, a strong sense of disappointment in prevalent ideologies, and disenfranchisement of the individual.

M Reggie Aquara

The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind. This is “Heavy Soul” by M Reggie Aquara who was born in 1982. He graduates from Bandung Institute of Technology, Faculty of Art and Design, Fine Art Department Majoring Painting in 2006. Through this method, he tends to influence others to have unusual imaginative thoughts.

COLORFUL

This is “Konfirgurasi merah diatas putih” (Red and white configuration) by Yayat Surya. 

Red, the color of blood and fire, is associated with meanings of love, passion, desire, heat, longing, lust, sexuality, sensitivity, romance, joy, strength, leadership, courage, vigor, willpower, rage, anger, danger, malice, wrath, stress, activity, vibrance, radiance, and determination. White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. White background surface gives the most workable combinations, but beware of that white can absorb its environment.

This is “Limit #2” by Mulyo Gunarso. No boundary or barrier surrounds the heart of a person that loves their self and others. Don’t limit yourself!

This is “Green Code no. 3” by Yayat Surya. The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive. – John Green

This is “Splash Blue” by M Reggie Aquara. Blue is the color between violet and green on the optical spectrum of visible light. Blue is one of the three primary colors of pigments, along with red and yellow, which can be mixed to form a wide gamut of colors in painting and traditional color. Red and blue mixed together form violet, blue and yellow together form green.

This is “In Bloom Compotitions 2016” by M Reggie Aquara. Life is like a rainbow. You need both rain and sun to make its colors appear.

The purpose of life is to live a life with purpose. This is “Menyusuri hutan menikmati warna alam” (through the forest and enjoy the colors of nature), 2015 by Dadan Setiawan.

BLACK AND WHITE

This world that we live in would be perfect if there were less prejudice and people who think they are better than others. This is “Meredam energi” (muffled the energy) ’07 by Made Wiguna Valasara.

The most colorful thing in the world is black and white, it contains all colors and at the same time excludes all. This is “Eksistensi hitam putih” (The existence of black and white) 2007 by Antoni Eka Putra.

I’m a dreamer. I have to dream and reach for the stars, and if I miss a star then I grab a handful of clouds. – Mike Tyson just like this “Teenager dream” 1997 by zulkifli yoso.

Life is messy, if it weren’t it wouldn’t be colorful. This is “Splash #2” by M Reggie Aquara.

This is “Adu Tinju” ’08 (boxing) by Heri Dono. In boxing, it’s always the punch you don’t see coming that knocks you down. The punch you weren’t expecting, the punch you never thought would hit you. Life is just like that’

I consider myself a crayon. I might not be your favorite color, but one day you’re going to need me to complete your picture. This is “The Waves” by M Reggie Aquara.

FEELING

We may place blame, give reasons, and even have excuses; but in the end, it is an act of cowardice to not follow your dreams. Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life. So free your act!!!

Yearning for peace when life falls apart. If we could handle the messes of life on our own, we’d never have to seek God’s help in managing it. Who can know why the Lord blesses some and stays His hand of blessing others; why He permits hardship for the one, and ease for the other. What do I have? Blessings and hardship both, knit tightly, flowing side by side, some so close that they succeed one another in a single day. I have learned, as Paul in the bible wrote, to be content in all things: in plenty and in want, because my earthly portion includes both.

These are “Yearning for peace” by Ugy Sugiarto and “The blue dancer” by Erizal.

This is “Ruang rasa” (The space of sense) by Mujiharjo. The truth of who you are comes only from your personal source of spiritual guidance — whatever that is for you. When you open to learning with a source of higher guidance about the truth of who you are, and about what is loving action toward yourself and others, you open to the love-that-is-God coming into your heart and filling your inner emptiness.

PEOPLE

This is “Spiral whrol” by Dani Agus Yuniarta. People with whorls are known to take more time to be trained, but once trained, they respond as if by instinct.

People who have great ideas or are philosophies in life have whorls on the middle finger. These people can carry out original research in the world. These people have great faith and commitments to religion bordering on being unorthodox.

This is “The Dark of the Cow” by Ari Diyanto. People change, things go wrong, shit happens, but remember, LIFE GOES ON!

This is “Instrospeksi satu bumi untuk semua” (Introspection of the earth for all) ’08 by Purwanto. When you think everything is someone else’s fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only for yourself, you will learn both peace and joy. Unless you learn to face your own shadows, you will continue to see them in others, because the world outside you is only a reflection of the world inside you.

Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection. So travel more!