Indonesian Triple Bill art exhibition opens at SMU
By Ryan Huang, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 09 September 2008 0033 hrs

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SINGAPORE : An exhibition of some of the most exciting Indonesian artworks has opened at the Singapore Management University (SMU).

It is dubbed the Indonesian Triple Bill and features three separate displays. This includes a significant loan of artworks worth some S$1 million.

The Indonesian Triple Bill aims to give an insight into the country's art movement. It mainly features influences from Yogyakarta, regarded as the country's epicentre of modern and contemporary art.

Most of the paintings are loaned from prominent Indonesian art collector Dr Oei Hong Djien, who is known internationally as an astute and passionate collector of Indonesian art.

His pieces will make up the show "Out of Magelang". Magelang is in Central Java - where Dr Oei was born. The pieces are worth some S$1 million.

They are a small part of his collection - amassed over three decades. They will be housed in SMU's School of Social Sciences for the next five years.

Dr Oei said: "We want to show works that are maybe not very marketable, works of very important artists who have been neglected by the market. The public, especially art lovers, will have a better idea about Indonesian contemporary art."

There will also be two separate shows of large-scale works from acclaimed Indonesian artists Entang Wiharso and Narisun. Both men have donated newly-created pieces for the exhibition.

Entang's show is entitled "I am Black Goat". His donated work is an installation of scattered aluminium shapes, afloat against the wall and resembling dismembered parts. It asks viewers to identify and piece them together to form their own interpretations as suggested by the work's title.

Narisun's show is "Wayang Zaman, Shadows of the Contemporary". He draws his inspiration from traditional Javanese puppet theatre.

The Indonesian Triple Bill will run till October 5, and is a parallel event of the Singapore Biennale 2008. - CNA/ms