22 Jul 2011
Prudential presents the UK’s first major exhibition of Indonesian Contemporary Art
INDONESIAN EYE: FANTASIES AND REALITIES
Saatchi Gallery, London, 1 September – 9 October 2011
Indonesian Eye, presented by Prudential, is Europe's first major exhibition of Indonesian contemporary art. Following its successful launch in Jakarta, this unique and exciting collection will now travel to the Saatchi Gallery in London. This exhibition offers the opportunity to view works by Indonesian artists and provides a platform for the country's contemporary art scene to reach an international audience.
Indonesian Eye: Fantasies and Realities comprises a selection of paintings, sculptures and installations by 18 Indonesian artists. The theme of the exhibition, Fantasies and Realities, pays tribute to Indonesia's ancient myths and legends, while also reflecting the influence of modern Indonesia. Satirical paintings will be shown alongside works offering comment on present day Indonesian society. Several works employ traditional materials to highlight the country's rapidly changing society. Some of the works also refer to the influence of Indonesia's Dutch colonial past.
Works from the following emerging and established artists will be exhibited in London: Nindityo Adipurnomo, Samsul Arifin, Ay Tjoe Christine, Andy Dewantoro, Heri Dono, Eddie Hara, Mella Jaarsma, Jompet Kuswidananto, Rudi Mantofani, Wiyoga Muhardanto, Edo Pillu, Julius Ariadhitya Pramuhendra, Angki Purbandono, Haris Purnomo, Agung Mangu Putra, Wedhar Riyadi and Farhan Siki.
Artworks in the exhibition have all been selected by an independent, international curatorial team comprising Serenella Ciclitira, curator and Co-founder of Parallel Contemporary Art; Tsong-zung Chang, Guest Professor of China Art Academy in Hangzhou and Director of Hanart TZ Gallery in Hong Kong; and Nigel Hurst, CEO of the Saatchi Gallery. Three Indonesian curators: Jim Supangkat, critic and chief curator of CP Foundation, Jakarta; Asmudo Jono Irianto, an independent curator; and Farah Wardani, Executive Director of Indonesian Visual Art Archive (IVAA) collaborated with the curatorial team.
Commenting on the exhibition Tidjane Thiam, Group Chief Executive of Prudential plc, said "Prudential is honoured to support the first contemporary Indonesian art exhibition in Europe celebrating the rich artistic culture of the country. The Indonesian Eye is a significant step in highlighting Indonesia's artistic development on the international stage, and I am delighted that Prudential is able to support this. The exhibition illustrates the growing international status of South East Asia, not only from an economic perspective but also a cultural one. We are privileged to be associated with this exciting and innovative initiative."
Barry Stowe, Chief Executive of Prudential Corporation Asia, said: "Prudential is proud to have this opportunity to bring international attention to Indonesia's rich cultural heritage by showcasing the creative artworks in Jakarta and London. We have been operating in Indonesia since 1995 and our principal sponsorship of Indonesian Eye demonstrates our continued commitment to contributing to this dynamic country's development and transformation."
Nigel Hurst, Chief Executive of the Saatchi Gallery said: "The exhibition in Jakarta was a great success. Therefore, we are thrilled to be working with Indonesian Eye and Prudential again to bring such exciting art works to London and to the Saatchi Gallery. This exhibition will be the first major Indonesian art exhibition in the UK and will serve as a real eye opener for our audience and international visitors to Indonesian culture."
The exhibition's curator, Serenella Ciclitira said: "More so than their Asian counterparts, Indonesian artists focus on a local appropriation of culture and express it in a fresh and unique way. They bring together fantastic elements such as computer games, advertising, magazines and comics whilst addressing the real challenges to Indonesian society brought about by economic growth. And here we have a wide canvas made up of myths, realities and child’s play mixed with a more abstract and realistic artistic expression."
"It's been a pleasure for all of us at Parallel Contemporary Art working with so many artists, and we would like to thank Prudential and the Saatchi Gallery for their enthusiasm and support for this exhibition."
A book, entitled "Indonesian Eye: Indonesian Contemporary Art", has been published by SKIRA, to coincide with the opening of the exhibition in Jakarta. The book, edited by Serenella Ciclitira presents over 500 works by 74 contemporary Indonesian artists. The book will be distributed worldwide by Thames & Hudson and by Rizzoli in the United States.
Furthermore, to accompany the exhibition, Indonesian Eye will be launching an iPad app which will offer the viewer an innovative way of accessing information about the exhibition and the artists.
Prudential Corporation Asia is the lead sponsor of Indonesian Eye with the Financial Times as the global media partner. For more information about Indonesian Eye, please visit the website www.indonesianeye.com.
ENDS
Press Contacts
For all international press enquiries about Indonesian Eye contact Roxana Pennie / Ellie Davidson at Calum Sutton PR: roxana@suttonpr.com / ellie@suttonpr.com
+44 207 183 3577
Notes to Editor
Visitor Information:
Indonesian Eye: Fantasies and Realities
Indonesian Eye presented by Prudential
www.indonesianeye.com
Saatchi Gallery, London
1 September – 9 October 2011
Duke of York's HQ
King's Road,
London, SW3 4SQ, UK
Opening Hours: 10am – 6pm, 7 days a week, last entry 5.30pm
Admission: Free
www.saatchigallery.com
Curators
Serenella Ciclitira has an Honour's Degree in Art History from Trinity College, Dublin and has worked extensively with artists and galleries throughout the world. With her husband David Ciclitira, she is the cofounder and Curator of Korean Eye and Editor of Korean Eye: Contemporary Korean Art. She is Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art in London, and since 1990 has been awarding yearly the Parallel Prize for Painting and the Serenella Ciclitira Scholarship for Sculpture.
Johnson Chang is a guest professor of China Art Academy in Hangzhou and Director of Hanart TZ Gallery in Hong Kong. Chang has been active in curating exhibitions of Asian contemporary art since the 1980s. In 1995, he was asked to select the Chinese artists for the Venice Biennale and curated the special Chinese Exhibition for the 23rd São Paulo Biennial in Brazil (1996), the 3rd Guangzhou Triennial (2008), and Spiritual Space: A Dimension in Lacquer at Hubei Province Museum of Art (2009).
Nigel Hurst is Gallery Director and Chief Executive of the Saatchi Gallery in London. He graduated from Goldsmiths College, London University in 1986 and since then has curated numerous international exhibitions. He joined the Saatchi Gallery as a curator in 1997, working on Sensation at the Royal Academy of Arts London, The National Galerie Hamburger Bahnhof Berlin and The Brooklyn Museum of Art New York. More recent exhibitions have focused on Asian contemporary art, including The Revolution Continues: New Art from China (2008), Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East (2009), The Empire Strikes Back: Indian Art Today (2010) and The Silk Road in collaboration with the City of Lille, France (2011). He has also been a member of The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Public Art Advisory Board since 2009.
Curatorial Advisors
Jim Supangkat is an art critic and chief curator of CP Foundation in Jakarta. He was Professor of Fine Art and Design at the Bandung Institute of Technology for twenty years. A leading curator in Indonesia, he initiated the New Art Movement in 1970s, regarded as the beginning of contemporary art discourse in Indonesia. He has curated exhibitions in Indonesia and internationally including Contemporary Art of the Non-Aligned Countries (1995), CP Biennale I (2003), CP Biennale II (2005), and Contemporaneity: Contemporary Art in Indonesia at MOCA Shanghai (2010). He has written several books and numerous essays introducing contemporary art in Indonesia and Asia to the international art world. In 1997 he received the Prince Claus Award.
Asmudjo YonoIrianto is an independent curator. His curatorial projects include: Yogyakarta Biennial VI (1998), CP Biennale I (2003), CP Biennale II (2005), and most recently 1001 Doors: Reinterpreting Traditions at Ciputra Marketing Gallery, Jakarta (2011). He has been a lecturer in the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bandung Institute of Technology since 1992. Also well known as an artist, he has exhibited in several exhibitions. In 2002 he established Fabriek Gallery, an alternative space in Bandung.
Farah Wardani has been active as a teacher, writer, curator and art organizer in Indonesia since 2002. For her curatorial projects she has collaborated with art spaces including Cemeti Art House, ruangrupa, Edwin's Gallery, Nadi Gallery and Biasa Art Space. Since 2007 she has been Executive Director of Indonesian Visual Art Archive (IVAA) in Yogyakarta, developing projects including the IVAA Online Archive, the first online digital archive of contemporary art in Indonesia.
About Prudential plc
Prudential plc is a company incorporated and with its principal place of business in England, and its affiliated companies constitute one of the world's leading financial services groups. It provides insurance and financial services through its subsidiaries and affiliates throughout the world. It has been in existence for over 160 years and has £340 billion in assets under management (as at 31 Dec 2010). Prudential plc is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc, a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America.
Lead Sponsor: Prudential Corporation Asia
Prudential Corporation Asia comprises the life insurance, asset management and consumer finance operations of Prudential plc* in Asia. Our businesses span 13 markets, covering Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates. Prudential is the leading Europe-based life insurer in terms of market coverage and number of top three positions, and have more than 340,000 agents and employees across the region serving over 15 million customers. Prudential’s Asia asset management business is also one of the region’s largest and most successful, with operations in ten markets and £52 billion in assets under management (at 31 December 2010).
About Prudential Indonesia
Established in 1995, PT Prudential Life Assurance (Prudential Indonesia) is a leading life insurer in Indonesia and is part of Prudential, plc, the UK-based retail financial services group.
Leveraging Prudential’s more than 160 years of experience in the life insurance industry, Prudential Indonesia is committed to providing best-in-class investment, savings and protection insurance solutions to customers across the country. Since launching its first life insurance policy, combined with unit-linked investments products in 1999, Prudential Indonesia has been a market leader of this innovative product category in Indonesia. Prudential Indonesia also offers a variety of products and services designed to meet the diverse financial needs of customers in Indonesia.
As of 31 March 2011, Prudential Indonesia had seven sales offices across the archipelago (in Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Bandung, Denpasar, Batam and Semarang) and 236 agency offices (including Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Batam dan Bali). Prudential Indonesia has a network of more than 96,000 agents serving around 1.2 million customers.
*Prudential plc is a company incorporated and with its principal place of business in England. Together with its affiliated companies, Prudential constitute one of the world's leading financial services groups. It provides insurance and financial services through its subsidiaries and affiliates throughout the world. It has been in existence for over 160 years and has £340 billion in assets under management (at 31 December 2010). Prudential plc is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc., a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America.
www.prudentialcorporation-asia.com
All artworks included in the Indonesian Eye exhibition have been selected by an independent, international curatorial team. Prudential has not been involved in the selection process.
Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery’s role is to bring contemporary art to a wider audience. By championing the work of young, largely unseen artists, it has become one of the world’s most stimulating art museums. In October 2008, the Saatchi Gallery re-opened in the 70,000 sq. ft Duke of York’s HQ building on King’s Road in the heart of London, making it the largest entirely free entry contemporary art museum. The first two exhibitions, The Revolution Continues: New Art from China and Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East, ranked as first and second most visited shows in London in The Art Newspaper’s recent survey of attendance figures. The Saatchi Gallery has attracted over 1.25 million visitors, including 1,800 school groups, in its first year since relocating to Chelsea. Saatchi Online has also become a free global showcase for over 140,000 artists, who load up their profiles and work online.
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