Feature Articles

September Issue 2002

Columbia College in Columbia, SC, Features Exhibit of Contemporary Indonesian Art

The Art Department of Columbia College in Columbia, SC, is premiering Selamat Datang: Contemporary Indonesian Art. The exhibit is comprised of Indonesian art works and crafts that have never been exhibited outside Indonesia. The show will be on exhibit through Oct. 15, 2002, in the Goodall Gallery of Spears Music/Art Center of Columbia College.

Umar ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sukmato Dni Susanto

Selamat Datang (Welcome): Contemporary Indonesian Art is part of a private collection that was assembled over the last six years in Indonesia. All paintings and some drawings were created by young Indonesian artists from Java. Also included are fabric, puppets and musical instruments.

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago. The country consists of 17,508 islands stretching over 3,500 miles. It is a true melting pot of roughly 300 ethnic groups, speaking more than 500 different languages and dialects. Traveling through Indonesia can turn into a journey through time. The population on the island of Irian Jaya still lives in the Bronze age, while Jakartans on Java write sophisticated articles for the Asian Wall Street Journal. The state philosophy officially recognizes a variety of religions: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. The official recognition of diversity in religion is especially remarkable when one considers that 88.8 percent of the population is Muslim. The country's motto is "Unity in Diversity" (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika).

Indonesian art offers an incredible variety in the visual as well as in the performing arts. Painting as an art form started flourishing in the 19th century, influenced by the Dutch colonial power. Indonesian painters spent the first 100 years copying European art styles. The growing nationalism in Indonesia in the 1920s to 1940s also led to a change in style. While the artists still employed Western techniques, they turned to their own traditions for content and imagery. Influences from the various religions, dance forms, legends, mythology, puppetry and daily life in Indonesia became prevalent, and have been ever since.

For more information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call Meg McLean at 803/786-3033.

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