The Importance Of Art: Enin Supriyanto

ENIN SUPRIYANTO talks about Art Jakarta Gardens, its upcoming Art Jakarta, and advice for the upcoming younger generation of art enthusiasts.

Enin Supriyanto is a prominent name in Indonesia’s contemporary art scene. As an independent curator, he plans exhibitions and artist exchange programs domestically and internationally. Educated at Bandung Institute of Technology’s Fine Art and Design Department, he has been curating exhibitions and writing essays, catalogues, and books for over 25 years.

Supriyanto co-curated with Meta Knol the significant retrospective fully dedicated to the interaction between the Dutch and Indonesian visual arts in “Beyond the Dutch –  Indonesia, the Netherlands and the Visual Arts  since 1900 (2009) for the Centraal Museum in the Netherlands. His other curated exhibitions include “Agus Suwage: Still Crazy After All These Years” (Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta, and Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung, 2009), and “Handiwirman Saputra: No Roots, No Shoots,” which he co-curated with Agung Hujatnikajennong, National Gallery, Jakarta, 2011. Meanwhile, his published works include “Indonesian  Contemporary Art Now,” which he co-edited with Marc Bollansee and “Sesudah Aktivisme:  Sepilihan Esai Seni Rupa 1994 – 2015.”

“For me, a good work of art always allows us to see life in a new, different way. Not justfixated on one side,” says Supriyanto, “Thereare always new things we can achieve in the art world, just like in science. It demonstrates the continuous achievement of human thinking abilities, and for me, the arts and sciences are the most pleasing to the eye that can be measured and enjoyed. Everything revolves around creativity because art is fun.”

As its Artistic Director, he oversaw the recently finished Art Jakarta Gardens in the open-air setting of Hutan Kota by Plataran, Jakarta, that ran from February 8 – 12 this year. If anything, Art Jakarta Gardens has been a breath of fresh air after a hiatus of art events during the restrictions of the pandemic. Last year’s inaugural edition was an innovative breakthrough by combining art presentations in outdoor and indoor settings.

The initial idea of Art Jakarta Gardens itself was to provide a new atmosphere for art exhibitions so that the public could enjoy them in open spaces. “Our goal is actually to influence interested parties to see that it is appropriate for public spaces in cities to have works of art that the public can enjoy,” says Supriyanto, “The simple idea was to try art activities for the public during a pandemic. At that time, the limitations caused almost all types of art activities to stop. So, we looked for a way to move again.”

To this end, he also chuckled when mentioning that he and the rest of his team didn’t expect last year’s Art Jakarta Gardens to receive such positive responses from art galleries, artists, collectors and visitors in general. The fair was the first of its kind in Indonesia, with art installations and sculptures displayed prominently in an open garden, with paintings and other art objects presented inside tents.

“For me, a good work of art always allows us to see life in a new way, in a different way, not just fixated on one side”

Visitors explored presentations of artworks in the form of sculptures, installations and two-dimensional objects. It featured a designated Sculpture Garden with outdoor sculptures by artists such as Adi Gunawan, Ashley Bickerton, Gregorius Papadimitriou, Nyoman Nuarta, Richard Winkler and Yim Yen Sum. The indoor exhibition consisted of two bespoke tents to cater to 22 prominent galleries.

Supriyanto adds that an outdoor art event, such as at Hutan Kota by Plataran, provides visitors with a different atmosphere, “Putting sculptures or installations in a garden environment can genuinely highlight the strengths of these works. We hope that Art Jakarta Gardens can become an inspiration so that many artworks can appear in Jakarta’s public spaces in the future.”

There was also stage performance art presented by artists from the network Wof performance art and experimental sound art and a unique music show presented by Sofar Sounds Jakarta—part of a platform that reimagines live events through curated, intimate performances in cosy settings in more than 350 cities around the world.

Supriyanto and his Art Jakarta Gardens team have relatively high hopes of giving dynamic colour to the Indonesian art market and providing an overview of the development of contemporary sculpture from Indonesian artists. He notes that the increased appreciation for Art Jakarta Gardens 2023 is an important marker of the general growth of the fine arts scene. This success gives him the confidence that the Art Jakarta event taking place later this year in August will also gain broader exposure and appreciation.

Supriyanto believes that the number of people visiting Art Jakarta should return to normal, as before the pandemic, “For Art Jakarta this August, our target is to return to normal like in 2019. Ideally, there are more o less 72 galleries, with a composition of 50-50, from abroad and within the country.”

“We hope that Art Jakarta Gardens can  become an inspiration so that many  artworks can appear in Jakarta’s public spaces in the future”

Furthermore, Supriyanto also offered advice to the young generation in Indonesia who want to get involved in the art world. “At least by starting to watch art exhibitions, getting to know friends who are already mobile and active in art and gallery communities. In this digital age, it’s easy to find this information. There are many opportunities because the galleries are pretty active, while at the same time, collective artists have also been creating more and more frequent workshops and forums to introduce art issues and fields related to fine art activities. Just be diligent in following it all because there are more and more opportunities,” he explains in closing.

With a full agenda of art events this year, starting starting with Art Jakarta Gardens in February, we can expect to see more of Supriyanto as he strives to give emerging and established local artists more recognition in public spaces.

Words Riga Ramadhan