Homegrown art fair Art Jakarta 2017 ended on 30 July on a high note. Over the course of four days (27 to 30 July), It attracted 47, 645 visitors to the Grand Ballroom of The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place. Collectors, art lovers, artists, curators and cultural connoisseurs enjoyed the fair and its diverse accompanying programs.
This year’s Art Jakarta also recorded high sales with many galleries reporting a high turnover, with Edwin’s Gallery and Lawangwangi among the galleries with a high sales record.
Edwin Rahardjo, Chairman of the Indonesian Visual Art Gallery Association, said that, “In the midst of the present economic downturn, this fair was good. Surprisingly, people’s interest was strong. We brought mostly paintings from established artists like Srihadi, Popo Iskandar, Mochtar Apin, etc. These artists have their own established followers.”
Satisfaction was also expressed by Andonowati of Lawangwangi: “Art Jakarta is such an extraordinary art fair, which can be seen not only through the investment-driven collectors but also the connoisseurs who appreciate art for what it is, to be included in their private collections. Here at Art Jakarta, we encounter new art lovers who do not look at art as investment. And this, we do not experience at other art fairs."
Lawangwangi sold Eddy Susanto’s installations as well as all of Erwin Windu Pranata’s works. 80 percent of all artworks displayed in the gallery booth found new homes, along with other works brought in from the storage facilities, to meet the high demand.
This year’s Art Jakarta presented more than 1,500 artworks by 53 participating galleries. The 33 foreign galleries hailed from Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, China, France, Australia, Greece and Spain, and were joined by 20 national galleries. Pearl Lam Galleries, Yavuz Gallery, Villa del Arte and Artis+Run were on the long list of foreign exhibitors. Sotheby’s presented a rare museum-quality canvas by Indonesian maestro Raden Saleh.
Contemporary works presented by galleries included leading artists such as Masayoshi Nojo, SHIN Hyung Loc, Lee Yu Jin, Danny O’Connor, Aurelie Bauer, Gerrico Blanco, Mochtar Apin, Abenk Alter, Suryadi Suyamtina or Valentine Febri. Additionally, merchandise exclusively designed for the fair by nationally renowned artists were on sale at the fair’s “Art Bar”.
The Art Jakarta 2017 fringe events like live paintings, performance art, exhibition tours, workshops, talks, art charity auctions, emerging artists and Pop Up Restaurant “Taste” featuring Chef Yann Bernard Lejard from The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain.
