Here is Indonesia Calling reviewed by Ron Witton in Inside Indonesia
Click this link to read the full review:
https://www.insideindonesia.org/review-indonesia-calling-2020
Indonesia Calling 2020 - Video Tour
Watch a tour of Indonesia Calling 2020 with Exhibition Manager Felicia Cindyagatha
Indonesia Calling 2020 - Our Indonesia Today
Indonesia calling-A review
By Ron Witton
All countries recall particular years that mark significant national events. For the US, there is 2001 when the World Trade Center was attacked and destroyed. For Australia there is 1975 when the elected Labor government of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was dismissed by the governor-general. For Indonesia there is 1965 when General Suharto instituted military rule.
However, every country of the world will recall 2020 as a year of national significance. The coronavirus has affected the life of every person on the globe. There have been virtually identical immediate effects for everyone, including the wearing of masks, social distancing and being “locked down”, not to mention the overriding fear of catching the virus. Globally, there has been a sudden feeling of precariousness, often stemming from a significant interruption to ways of earning one’s living.
Given particular local cultures and governmental responses, the ways this wholesale disruption of life has played out in each society have differed greatly. These significant differences will soon be reflected in the cultural expressions of each society. Perhaps the world’s first such documentation has been achieved by an innovative project: Indonesia Calling 2020.
The project invited some of Indonesia’s leading artists to create, within a matter of months, artworks to express and reflect on the way their society and their lives have been changed by Covid-19. They were given free rein as to how they might express themselves, and the stunning diversity of the artwork reflects the myriad ways Covid has affected daily and artistic life in Indonesia. A tight time frame was given to the artists due to their artworks needing to be physically available for the exhibition’s opening in Sydney on 31 October 2020.
The name of the project, Indonesia Calling 2020, echoes Indonesia Calling, the 1946 Australian film directed by Joris Ivens and produced by the Waterside Workers’ Federation. The film was instrumental in alerting the world to Indonesia’s 1945 Declaration of Independence and its determination to resist re-occupation by the Netherlands. John Cruthers, whose Sydney art gallery, 16albermarle Project Space, specialises in Southeast Asian art, took the first concrete steps to bring to reality an idea that had been considered by the Australia Indonesia Art Forum. Indonesia Calling 2020 represents a partnership between 16albermarle, Project Eleven and Indo Art Link, three entities that have for several years worked to connect artists in Indonesia and Australia.
Despite the exhibition having now closed, a virtual visit is still available via 16albermarle’s wonderful website. The website very helpfully provides images and fascinating informative descriptions of the approximately 80 spectacular works. To enter this amazing artistic space, click on any of the artworks at https://www.16albermarle.com/indonesia-calling-2020 to get a short bio of the artist together with a statement by the artist as to what is being expressed in the artwork. Prices of the works, many of which are still on sale, are also provided.
It should be noted that the works will remain on sale for some time, and one of the reasons for holding the exhibition is to help artists in Indonesia, who, like artists throughout the world, have been struggling more than ever to survive economically in this most trying of times.
Indonesia Calling 2020 is a commendable initiative that combines both intercultural understanding and appreciation with a humanitarian dimension that our current world desperately needs.
Read the full article here:
https://ourindonesiatoday.com/indonesia-calling-a-review/
Indonesia Calling 2020 - OZIP Magazine
Read the full article here:
https://ozip.com.au/index.php/ozip-november-2020/
Indonesia Calling 2020 Opening
The forth show at 16albermarle Project Space , Indonesia Calling 2020 opened on the 31st of October. Including works by 29 artists from Bandung, Yogyakarta, Bali, Solo and Jakarta Indonesia Calling 2020 is made in response to the pandemic’s impact on each artist’s practice, community and the country as a whole.
The opening included openings by Mr. Heru Hartanto Subolo: Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Sydney and Gary Quinlan: Australian Ambassador to Indonesia. Also talks by John Cruthers: Director and owner of 16albermarle Project Space, Lauren Parker: Co-founder of Indo Art Link and coordinator of Pasar Seni, Malcolm Smith: Exhibiting artist and co-founder of the KRACK! Collective, who has lived in Yogyakarta for over 10 years and Felicia Cindyagatha: Indonesian Student at UNSW, exhibition manager and co-curator.
Gary Quinlan: Australian Ambassador to Indonesia opening remarks
Indonesian Community visiting the exhibition
Indonesia Calling 2020 opening event
Gallery Manager Emily Taylor, Director John Cruthers, Exhibition Manager Felicia Cindyagatha
Indonesia Calling 2020 - Sydney Morning Herald
Spirituality, seduction and owls on display in Sydney this week
John McDonald
“If artists in Melbourne have been doing it tough, spare a thought for artists in Indonesia who receive no assistance from the government, and interact with a very small base of local collectors. Before the pandemic struck, a booming art scene was attracting a steady stream of international curators and collectors searching for the next global sensation.
I was bowled over when I spent time visiting Indonesian galleries and studios a few years ago – not only by the quality of the work, but by the mutually supportive nature of the art community. This spirit is reflected in Indonesia Calling 2020, a group show at John Cruthers’s 16albermarle project space intended as a fundraiser for Indonesian artists.
It’s a mixed bag, with none of the presiding superstars, but the work is diverse and accessibly priced. If I had to choose favourites, it’s hard to go past Sekarputri Sidhiawati’s witty ceramic pieces, or Citra Sasmita’s small pictures that draw on traditional styles of painting to make oblique feminist statements.
Other stand-outs include Mohamad Yusuf (Ucup), whose detailed woodblock prints are encyclopaedic in their scope, and Argya Dhyaksa’s tiny ceramic figures in bottles – a highly successful form of social distancing. There are 150 pieces in this series alone, which shows what happens when artists have time on their hands. "
Indonesia Calling 2020
16 Albermarle Project Space, until December 12
Citra Sasmita's The Passenger of land and sea.
Indonesia Calling 2020 - East Side 89.7 FM
Click the link to hear East Side 89.7 FM’s interview with the team behind Indonesia Calling 2020.
https://eastsidefm.org/episodes/arts-wednesday-1030am-18th-nov-2020/
IPEHNUR BERESYIT THE CHRONICLES OF TWENTY-TWENTY SERIES 2020 (WORK IN PROGRESS) BATIK, 110 X 150 CM
Indonesia Calling 2020 - New Mandala
Contemporary art event: Indonesia calling 2020
Gallery exhibition
31 October – 12 December 2020
16albermarle Project Space
16 Albermarle St Newtown NSW 2042
Pasar Seni (Indonesian Art Market)
31 October – 12 December 2020
The contemporary art included Indonesia calling 2020 is made in response to the pandemic’s impact on each artist’s practice, community and the country as a whole. Indonesia is among the 30 countries most affected by the pandemic, with the World Health Organisation confirming 257,388 cases as of Friday 25 September 2020. By presenting a picture of life on the ground in Indonesia, the exhibition aims to raise awareness in Australia and to encourage aid initiatives in any form. All proceeds from art sales will go back to the artists and their communities.
The title Indonesia calling 2020 echoes the title of an Australian documentary directed by Joris Ivens in 1946. The film describes a great effort by both Australians and Indonesians to refuse the service of Dutch ships containing arms and ammunition destined for Indonesia to suppress the country’s independence movement. Inspired by a similar camaraderie, Indonesia calling 2020 is our way to lend a helping hand to the Indonesian people. It hopes to parallel historic efforts where small groups of concerned Australians were able to activate within their sphere of influence to contribute to larger efforts to support the Indonesian people.
Arwin Hidayat Jopa Japu Bergas Waras #1 2020, acrylic on paper, 100 x 70 cm
Presented by the Australia Indonesia Art Forum, Indonesia calling 2020 is a partnership between 16albermarle Project Space, Project Eleven and Indo Art Link—three entities which have been invested for several years in building a connection between the arts and artists in Indonesia and Australia. The exhibition aims to strengthen links within their networks while supporting artists, who in turn support their communities within the close-knit Indonesian art scene.
The project comprises both a curated gallery exhibition including 30 leading artists at 16albermarle Project Space, and an online presentation, Pasar Seni, working with Indonesian art collectives.
The gallery exhibition Indonesia calling 2020 is a by-invitation exhibition in which some of Indonesia’s leading artists have made new work responding to the current situation facing artists and the general population. It will be modelled on group fundraising exhibitions often held in Indonesian collectives, with many artists presenting new work.
Participating artists include Agung Prabowo, Anang Saptoto, Argya Dhyaksa, Arwin Hidayat, Citra Sasmita, Deka Dermawan, Dias Prabu, Enka Komariah, Erika Ernawan, Fika Ria Santika, Fitriani Dwi Kurniasih (Fitri), Ignatius Yosef Wendy Tri Setyoko (Wenski), Ipehnur Beresyit, Maharani Mancanagara, Maria Indriasari, Meicy Sitorus, Mohamad Yusuf (Ucup), Mohammad Taufiq (emte), Prihatmoko Moki, Restu Ratnaningtyas, Restu Taufik, Robet Olga, Ruth Marbun, Sarita Ibnoe, Sekarputri Sidhiawati (Puti), Surya Wirawan, Theresia Agustina Sitompul and Yaya Sung.
For the Pasar Seni Indonesian art collectives will be invited to present a selection of work by artists in their community via an online presentation in pdf format. The artworks will be available to purchase direct from the artists in Indonesia, with assistance from exhibition organisers where required. As many of these collectives are now actively supporting their local neighbourhoods, through community kitchens and other services, this is an opportunity to extend their networks and to assist them in their efforts to sustain these services long term.
Invited collectives include AceHouse Collective, Futuwonder, Grafis Huru Hara, Grafis Minggiran, Needle N’Bitch, Omnispace, Ruang Mes56, Studio Tempa, SURVIVE!Garage, Taring Padi and others.
Read full article here:
https://www.newmandala.org/contemporary-art-event-indonesia-calling-2020/
Mythlines and memories: new batiks by Dias Prabu
The second show at new Sydney project space 16albermarle opened Saturday 29 February. Mythlines and memories: new batiks by Dias Prabu features 15 three metre batiks swarming with images and motifs from ancient Javanese culture and folklore interpreted through the filter of contemporary Indonesian agro-pop art.
The public programs featured talks by Thienny Lee and Dias Prabu, while the exhibition was opened by well known Indonesian/Australian artist Jumaadi.
Based in Yogyakarta, Dias Prabu sees the works as his way of making a contribution to the national dialogue around issues as diverse as environmental degradation, the extinction of species and the values Indonesia should follow as a complex land of over 17,000 islands with a large, ethnically diverse population.
16albermarle is open Thursday to Saturday 11am-5pm, by appointment, until 7 December. We are located at 16 Albermarle Street Newtown, in Sydney’s inner-west.
16albermarle Project Space Opening Event
WE’RE OPEN!
The first show at new Sydney project space 16albermarle, opened Saturday 12 October. A good crowd enjoyed Exhibition #1: Three artists from Indonesia, and talks by Greg Doyle, Lauren Parker and John Cruthers. The exhibition features new work by three leading young artists, printmakers Fitri DK and Prihatmoko Moki from Yogyakarta, and Bali-based ceramic artist Sekarputri Sidhiawati.
16albermarle is open Thursday to Saturday by appointment until 7 December. Location 16 Albermarle Street Newtown.
John Kavanagh, Jenna Price, Elaine Baker and John Cruthers.
Chloe Wolifson and son Maxwell
AUSTRALIA INDONESIA ART FORUM TOUR
21 - 26 July 2019
Jakarta, Bandung, Cilacap, Jogja, Solo, Magelang, Jogja
Reprinted with permission from Indo Art Link 30th July 2019. Subscribe to Indo Art Link here
This time last year we announced the launch of the Australian Indonesia Art Forum (AIAF), a project being led by Konfir Kabo who has been supporting connections between Indonesian artists and Australia for many years. The AIAF launch occurred in Jogjakarta during Art Jog 2018 with a group of six Australians who joined Konfir on his visit to Indonesia. Twelve months on, Konfir and his team upgraded to a bigger bus and with the assistance of advocate of Indonesian contemporary art, collector and advisor, John Cruthers, this year 20 Australians took part in 'an intensive familiarisation tour of the Indonesian artworld'. Travelling overland from Jakarta to Jogjakarta in 6 days, stopping in Bandung and Cilacap, as well as a day trip to Solo and Magelang, the tours impressive itinerary included visits to key collections and museums, studio visits with artists as well as the main event - Art Jog 2019.
As the third iteration of our Highlights series, we are delighted to have John Cruthers contributing to this months newsletter by sharing his experience on the tour, along with a series of Q&A styled responses from tour participants, in this special report, via the link below.