Monthly Archives: June 2014

O Culture, Where ART Thou?

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An art exhibition at Galeria Fatahillah in the Old Town of Jakarta

An art exhibition at Galeria Fatahillah in the Old Town of Jakarta

Last month, I saw a play at Taman Ismail Marzuki produced by Butet Kartaredjasa entitled “Matinya Sang Maestro” (Death of the Maestro). A theatrical performance about a forgotten art maestro who leads a poor life with his wife and daughter who is to be rewarded a large sums of money upon his death. Similarly 1.5 centuries ago, Van Gogh was a poor artist, his work didn’t garner fame and fortune until after his passing. One might say, is art worth more in heaven than earth?

I’ve heard many tales from my dad about his father’s hopes for his eleven children to become doctors. Three of them made it. My dad wasn’t one of them. Instead, he took on chemistry as his pre-med major before continuing his MBA degree and eventually became a businessman, outside of the medical realm altogether. My dad’s story is common in Indonesia, maybe even Asia, for science to be valued more than other subjects. Quite simply, scientists are expected to be more successful in life than artists.

During my secondary education in Jakarta, students were divided into 3 classes based on our grades, which were science, social studies and literature class. These classes would help determine your university major, and may even be your life course. The science kids could pick any major available, from engineering, medical, architecture to international studies. The social studies kids had a more limited selection, such as law, accounting, design, psychology. The literature students had the littlest of choice, such as political science, foreign literature. These divisions inevitably created an intellectual prestige, the science kids were an upper class compared to others.

John F Kennedy said,”If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.” Developed countries in the western world do a better job at appreciating and preserving heritage, evident by the abundance of art (and other types of) museums, historical buildings, national parks all around.

Should Indonesia be hopeful about the future of our creative industry? Absolutely! Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy under Mari Elka Pangestu is an avid campaigner for fostering creative sectors of the economy. Consequently, society has begun to shift its outlook on this vast “untouched” sector. Nowadays, there are more platforms available for young entrepreneurs, architects, those in tourism, designers, cinematographers and other artists to create.

This article was written exclusively for NOW!Jakarta Magazine and is now available. Visit their website where you can also find my article.