Abstract Artists Showcase Work at National Gallery Exhibition, Keeping Movement Alive
Jakarta. Nine Indonesian abstract artists are showcasing their work in an exhibition called "Sembilan Ruang Abstrak," or "Nine Abstract Spaces," at the National Gallery of Indonesia in Gambir, Central Jakarta, until Oct. 30.
The exhibition aims to celebrate and maintain the relevance of the abstract art scene in Indonesia, which has matured despite a tumultuous history in the country.
"It invites the public to know more about the movement in Indonesia, and shows them of its significant development," curator Pug Warudju said on Tuesday (10/10).
The abstract movement in the country is believed to have emerged from Bandung, West Java. Ries Mulder, as both a painter and lecturer, began inserting abstract art into his teaching at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in the 1950s, hence giving birth to a new generation of artists, such as But Muchtar, Mochtar Apin, Ahmad Sadali and Rita Widagdo. Western influences appeared in early Indonesian abstract work.