National Gallery Holds Restrospective of Unsung Painter Otto Djaya
Jakarta. The National Gallery in Jakarta is currently hosting a special retrospective exhibition to celebrate little-known painter Otto Djaya's career.
Born in Rangkasbitung, West Java, in 1916, Otto was the younger brother of artist Agus Djaya. In Indonesia, Otto, who died in 2002, was not as well known or highly regarded as his more celebrated contemporaries, the likes of Affandi and S. Sudjojono.
But he was highly prolific, keeping his painting career going through six important stages in modern Indonesia's history: the Dutch colonial period, the Second World War, the revolutionary war of the Indonesian independence and the reigns of Sukarno and Suharto.
Kuala Lumpur-based Danish art curator Inge-Marie Holst said "100 Years of Otto Djaya" is the first public exhibition of the 172 Otto Djaya paintings in her collection.
Speaking at a press gathering for the exhibition on Friday, Holst said she and her husband Hans Peter Holst started collecting Otto's paintings ten years ago, having fallen in love with Otto's colorful and humorous style.
"It's time for the Indonesians to know and learn more about Otto," she said. “He was a very interesting painter, both serious and funny at the same time. He was often critical of the government during times when it was difficult to be so, when people went to prison for speaking their mind."
Co-curator Rizky A. Zaelani said Otto was the pride of West Java, especially Banten.
"We are presenting Otto's paintings in four major sections: women, culture, revolutionary war and everyday life. Otto was also hugely inspired by Javanese and Balinese cultures. You can find a lot of cultural elements in his work," he said.
Otto was a major in the army when he went to study and work as an artist in the Netherlands from 1947 to 1950 with his brother Agus. Europe's lively art scene inspired him to quit his career in the army and dedicate the rest of his life to painting.
"He fought in the revolutionary war, but walked away from politics soon after he moved back from the Netherlands," Holst said.
The expansive retrospective now occupies the A and C buildings of the National Gallery. Holst is also showcasing a reproduction of her book, "The World of Otto Djaya," for visitors to flip around. English copies of the book are available at the gallery's shop. The Indonesian version is available to download for free.
A special guided tour of the exhibition will be available on Oct. 8.
The exhibition will end on Oct. 9 with a talk show featuring Amir Siddharta, a renowned art curator and the son of Myra Siddharta, a writer and expert in Indo-Chinese art and literature. Myra had a chance to interview Otto before the artist passed away in 2002. Audio recordings of her interview are also installed in the exhibition.
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