OPPO Art Jakarta Virtual 2020

The first Southeast Asian virtual art fair 
By Andari Suherlan

Art Jakarta returns this year in a new form from 19 October to 15 December. The first digital art fair in Southeast Asia, OPPO Art Jakarta Virtual 2020 is supported by the Ministry of Education and the Culture of the Republic of Indonesia. In its twelfth edition, this is the second iteration of a refreshed Art Jakarta under Fair Director Tom Tandio, and Fair Director and Artistic Director Enin Supriyanto.

The fair brings together artists, art galleries and collectors under particularly challenging circumstances. “We believe that the spirit of Indonesian artists to continue working is crucial for the sustainability of our art ecosystem,” says Tandio. “The strength of networking and cooperation cultivated within Art Jakarta over time,” adds Supriyanto, “is important to ensure an optimistic outlook of all stakeholders.”

Navigating Art Jakarta Virtual is an intuitive experience. The fair is laid out in booths as if it were at the convention centre, and there are prompts for pathways to take. There is the freedom to turn left or right, to go up or down a corridor, to look closer at a work or zoom out to appraise it with neighbouring works. With each work, there are also options of visiting the representative gallery’s website, or to directly email to enquire about a piece. At any time, one can click on the 3D map to have a bird’s eye view of the entire fair at the bottom right of the screen. And on the top left corner, a particularly useful feature to “show galleries menu” allows the visitor to go directly to a specific gallery’s booth. 

An innovation of the fair, made possible by its digital medium, is the length of time it will remain active. There will be two sessions for participating galleries to showcase a wider range of works. Shyevin S'ng, Gallery Director of Ho Chi Minh City-based Vin Gallery says, “With so much to do online, there is not enough time to view the artworks over a weekend or two.” Where fairs are typically brief engagements,  the opportunity to feature a rotation of works over an extended period of time with this version of Art Jakarta is a welcomed feature.

Abas Alibasyah, ‘Abstraksi Figur’, 1967, oil on canvas, 66 x 140cm. Image courtesy of Art Agenda, JKT.

In 2019, more than 1,365 artworks from 324 local and international artists were exhibited. This year, all participating galleries are encouraged to present works by Indonesian artists. “The Indonesian art scene has a very strong gotong-royong or the spirit of togetherness,” says Diana Wibawa, Gallery Director of Art Agenda, JKT (AAJKT), echoing Tandio and Supriyanto’s sentiments. “When the fair approached the galleries, many of us responded enthusiastically to keep the spirit going.” In the first session, AAJKT is showing geometric abstractionist paintings by Indonesian Modern artists Abas Alibasyah, Mochtar Apin, Handrio, But Mochtar and Fadjar Sidik. In the second, it will present textile works by contemporary Indonesian artist A. Sebastianus Hartanto. 

“The Indonesian art scene has very strong gotong-royong or the spirit of togetherness. When the fair approached the galleries, many of us responded enthusiastically to keep the spirit going.”

Several art galleries are shining a spotlight on emerging artists, and this is done well on the Artsphere platform for both two-dimensional and three-dimensional works. Rachel Gallery is presenting works by Argya Dhyaksa, Addy Debil and Adi Dharma, while Omnispace is featuring the surrealist works of Resatio Adi Putra and Meicy Sitorus in a duo exhibition titled ‘Domestic Affair’. Over at ROH Projects, Maruto’s ‘Absorber’ (2020), made of screen printing frame, aluminium extrusion and steel, looks realistically mounted against the wall.

Nindityo Adipurnomo, ‘Mono Human Being_Rattan Coffin That Matter’, 2019, rattan, glue, shoelace, 280 x 210 x 125cm. Image courtesy of Baik Art.

International galleries are showing works by Indonesian artists as well, at a range of prices that will be attractive to both first-time and experienced collectors. Vin Gallery is showing figurative landscape and abstract works by Heri Purwanto, Mahdi Abdullah and Yohei with prices from USD2,000 to USD15,000. Some galleries are featuring solo artist shows, such as Columns Gallery with charcoal on paper works from Timoteus Anggawan Kusno, while others are presenting group shows such as Mizuma Gallery with works by artists including I Made Djirna, Angki Purbandono and Budi Agung Kuswara. Baik + Khneysser is presenting three-dimensional works by Nindityo Adipurnomo and Aliansyah Caniago in the first session, and collective Gegerboyo, curated by Cemeti Art Centre in the second.

Heri Purwanto, ‘Tumpuan II’, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 45 x 30cm. Image courtesy of Vin Gallery and Art Jakarta.

Complementing the fair is a programme of visits to artists’ studios and views of private collections, in addition to a series of conversations. These include virtual trips to the studios of Indonesian artists Agan Harahap, Aditya Novali, Mella Jaarsma, Heri Dono and Uji “Hahan” Handoko. The same artists have created works for a charity auction, along with Agung Prabowo, Arin Dwihartanto Sunaryo, Naufal Abshar, R.E. Hartanto and Syagini Ratna Wulan.

The fair shows the determination of the Indonesian and regional art communities to rally, and Art Jakarta organisers’ ingenuity to stretch the conventional possibilities of an art fair through digitalisation. The first session opened to much anticipation, and the second will only bring renewed energy for the discoveries to be made.

Visit the art fair at https://artjakarta.com/virtual/. 

Art & Market is proud to be a media partner of OPPO Art Jakarta Virtual 2020.