Penulis: Bambang Asrini Widjanarko Artikel ini dipublikasi di Kompas.com edisi 11 Maret 2019 PADA Maret ini, ada pameran cukup menarik untuk ditelaah. Perhelatan ini ingin mengeksplorasi eksistensi Eve, sebagai semacam metafora energi feminitas. Perempuan (Eve), sepanjang peradaban, acapkali keberadaanya dipertentangkan dengan oposisi binernya: laki-laki (Adam). Sementara perempuan, terus-menerus ditantang beban kebimbangan identitas kultural-spiritualnya. Peneguhan-peneguhan yang … [Read more...]
Kampoong Art Attack: Seni untuk Warga Kampung Besar Jakarta
Oleh Bambang Asrini Widjanarko. Artikel ini telah tayang di Kompas.com Segregasi sosial juga kultural telah meminggirkan warga kampung-kampung di Jakarta. Peran apa yang dilakukan oleh seniman dengan karya-karya seninya? Kampung, kampong, atau kampoong di Jakarta adalah sebuah sistem masyarakat yang tinggal di wilayah urban, urban village di tengah-tengah kota. Mereka miliki identitas yang terkait sejarah masa silam. Potret kontrak sosial sekumpulan orang yang unik. Para … [Read more...]
Kekuatan Asia dan Seni ala Zhu Wei
By Bambang Asrini Widjanarko. Originally published on Kompas.com, 11 December 2017. Kita telah mahfum Asia abad ini menjadi kawasan yang menjadi kekuatan global penting. Bangsa Asia oleh banyak cendikia disebutkan telah menemukan konsep jati dirinya setelah 200 tahun dihegemoni oleh Barat. Salah satunya, Kishore Mahbubani, seorang pemikir tangguh serta paling vokal bagi Asia yang menyebut bahwa selama ini bangsa Asia belajar dengan sangat keras atas masa lalunya dari Barat. Kata … [Read more...]
Putting the art in Jakarta
Indonesia's first contemporary art museum — the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (MACAN) — opens this month, and its inauguration signals a new wave of appreciation for art. “There’s been an emergence of artists and collectors,” says Deborah Iskandar, founder of ISA Art Advisory, a Jakarta-based consultancy firm. “Contemporary artists like Arin Dwihartanto, Sinta Tantra and Naufal Abshar have gained recognition. Their artworks carry Western sensibilities, putting them on … [Read more...]
RI SING 50
RI and S'pore celebrate golden years of diplomatic relationship in a contemporary arts exhibition. This particular month, Jakarta is being the seat of an arts exhibition showcasing the creations of contemporary artists from Singapore and Indonesia. The exhibition is a one-month event held from 12 September until 12 October 2017 at the Lobby Gallery of World Trade Center (WTC) 2. The exhibition is jointly organized by Singapore Tourism Board (STB), and PT Jakarta Land and ISA Art Advisory, and … [Read more...]
Museum Basoeki Abdullah
By: Ratih Poeradisastra Artikel ini diambil dari sini Sebulan setelah pelukis Basoeki Abdullah dibunuh oleh perampok di rumahnya, saya datang ke Thailand pada Desember 1993. Beberapa orang Thailand yang saya temui bertanya dengan rasa ingin tau yang besar. “Benarkah ia dibunuh? Kenapa tidak ada sekuriti? Apakah perampoknya sudah ditangkap?” Basoeki Abdullah sangat terkenal di sana. Ia pernah menjadi pelukis untuk kalangan bangsawan istana di Thailand. Ada sekitar 70 karyanya disimpan di ist … [Read more...]
In A Blink – hotel design as art
Words: Aulia R. Sungkar Originally published in JPlus of The Jakarta Post on August 13, 2016 Entering its second decade, Blink Design Group has reached great heights in the world of hospitality design, working with luxury hotel brands such as Alila, Conrad, Jumeirah, Kempinski, Mandarin Oriental, Regent, Rosewood and Six Senses. Hotel designer and creative director Clint Nagata founded the firm in 2006 in Bangkok with a staff of 20. Flash-forward to today, and … [Read more...]
$30.1 million for Andy Warhol’s ‘selfie’
Before there was the “selfie,” there was the self-portrait. And a series of six made by Andy Warhol sold for US$30.1 million in New York on Wednesday, May 14th, according to The Associated Press. According to Sotheby's, the portraits were first shown in 1986 at Warhol’s only show dedicated to self-portraits. London gallery owner Anthony D’Offay recalls in the series catalog: "I realised two things: first that Warhol was without question the greatest portrait painter of the 20th century, an … [Read more...]
An art tour shows Vietnamese history in full color
Five years in Ho Chi Minh City, working as a hotel manager in the city once named Saigon, I’ve explored this city’s alleys, its boulevards, its riverfront, its museums, pagodas, temples, churches and palaces. I’ve pieced together a pretty solid picture of Vietnamese history. I know what events followed each other, as well as the crucial names, dates and figures along the way, and even some of the lesser-known details peppering the country’s past. But what I didn’t know much of were the pers … [Read more...]
Jakarta Welcomes New Art Hotel Concept
Artotel Indonesia hotel chain unveils its second property in Jakarta following the success of the first Artotel in Surabaya. Strategically located in close proximity to commercial and business districts, Artotel Jakarta Thamrin on Jalan Sunda has recently opened its doors to public. Playing on the words “Art” and “Hotel”, Artotel features contemporary art-influenced designs in the lobby, public areas and hotel rooms. The designs are created by local artists as part of the hotel’s efforts to … [Read more...]