The credit crunch and global financial crisis seem to be on another planet to art collectors here. Art Fair 2009 held in conjunction with the Jakarta Art Biennale is business as usual with bustling transactions and not the faintest hint of a financial crash around the corner. Art connoisseur Christiana Gow confidently said the financial crisis was having very little impact on the art market in the country. "No, the financial crisis is something else. I know people who love art as a hobby and an investment and they will go for it even at times when a lot of people say it's a bad time to buy." Besides, she says, like the flipside of a coin, even in a crisis there are people who still can take advantage of the soaring US dollar rate. Read More...

The Jakarta Biennale’s 13th edition is a breakthrough, a true fresh of breath air for the regional art scene. Its refreshing feel allows new visions to emerge with energizing art works by regional artists in their thirties. The official opening at the National Gallery on Feb. 7 marked a new phase in the Jakarta Biennale – and in the region – which has never before seen such youthful creativity showcasing Indonesian and regional art at its best. Curator Agung Hujatnikajennong, along with the Jakarta Arts Council, has succeeded in making the Jakarta Biennale into a show of far-reaching vision, presenting a unity of art works that stretches beyond national borders. Read More...

Taking advantage of a rare opportunity, artists are transforming Jakarta billboards from their traditional function as commercial advertisements to art that provokes viewers to think twice about their surroundings. Instead of being bombarded by messages pushing them to spend money, people passing the now-historic first modern mall in Indonesia -Sarinah Department Store on Jl. MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta - can see a billboard sporting an old photograph of a woman wearing the traditional kebaya and sarong and holding an umbrella. Artist Angki Purbandono used the anonymous portrait as an imagined image of former first president Sukarno's nanny, the inspiration behind the department store's name. Read More...

Boleh dibilang, Jakarta Biennale XIII 2009 ini adalah salah satu biennale terbaik yang pernah diselenggarakan di Indonesia—tentu dengan catatan beberapa kekurangan. Pencapaian ini merupakan hasil dari perjalanan biennale lebih dari 30 tahun, serta respons atas dinamika seni rupa Indonesia. Merujuk pengantar pameran Jakarta Biennale (JB) 2006 dan pengantar katalog JB 2009 (tulisan Direktur Eksekutif JB M Firman Ichsan), biennale pertama kali diselenggarakan tahun 1974. Namun, pameran itu dianggap terlalu memihak estetika lama sehingga memicu protes dari kelompok seniman muda yang mengusung pembebasan kreativitas seni rupa. Mereka tergabung dalam gerakan Desember Hitam 1974, kemudian Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru tahun 1975. Read More...

Hosted by Bentara Budaya Jakarta, nine top-notch artists showcase their works at an exhibition titled "Vox Populi", borrowing from the old proverb Vox populi, vox dei (the voice of the people *is* the voice of God). Semarang-based Tubagus P. Svarajati curates the exhibition, which will run until Feb. 12. Politically laden works of art are never shallow, Efix Mulyadi from Bentara Budaya Jakarta said in his foreword to the exhibition, which kicked off on Feb. 3. Efix referred to the memorable works of poet Rendra's pamphlet verses, Teater Koma's Opera Kecoa (Cockroach Opera) in the 1980s, and the pre-independent romantic-themed works of S. Sudjojono and Hendra Gunawan. Read More...

Entwining bubble wrap around bus stop handrails to entertain commuters is not something anybody normally does, except perhaps Jakarta artist Restu Ratnaningtyas. Her street art has been on display for a week (Jan. 31-Feb. 7) at the Dukuh-Atas Dua busway shelter in Central Jakarta, as part of the ARENA Jakarta Biennale 2009. "Everyone likes to pop bubble wrap," Restu says, "I started thinking, what could I put on the Transjakarta bridge to help people kill time? And then I thought of bubble wrap. I was thinking of putting some origami or bells but I didn't think everyone would be happy with that." Read More...

The controversial pornography law has been blasted for targeting cultural heritage, after West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan used it as a legal basis to forbid Jaipong dancers from wearing "sexy" costumes and executing "provocative" dance moves. The West Java administration's ban has prompted severe criticism from artists and legislators who blast it as a move to curb the traditional arts and culture of local people. Read More...