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Aesthetically
enhanced
In any city worth its name, large sculptures and
monuments command their own space. That is if big-business concerns do
not shunt them aside. Carla Bianpoen finds a real estate
developer that is including art in its grand designs.
 Monuments
symbolize what a society chooses to remember or forget. They also
become lasting landmarks for specific points in the city; in Jakarta,
there is the National Monument, known as Monas, and the Welcome statue
at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.
Other monuments have lost out to urban sprawl here,
including Rita Widagdo’s eight-meter-tall sculpture Dinamika dalam
Gerak (Dynamics in Movement), which was erected in Slipi, West
Jakarta, in 1974. The work Sinar dan Bayangan (Light and Shadows) by
Tridjoto Abdullah, who was Indonesia’s first professional sculptor,
besides being the first woman in the field (according to art expert
and curator Agus Dermawan), was first publicly displayed in 1954. But
it has disappeared from view. Such saddening occurrences leave many
in the capital wondering about the city administration’s will to
include art in public spaces, and what criteria apply.
Fortunately, there is growing awareness among
developers that art and esthetics cannot be excluded from the
objective of improving the quality of life. At Bumi Serpong Damai, a
satellite city of Jakarta, Yani Mariani Sastranegara’s monument in
BSD’s The Green uplifts the spirit with new imagery and concepts on
the cycle of life.
With contemporary art continuing to make its way into
the public domain, the country’s second largest city of Surabaya is
not being left behind, with developers realizing they have a role to
play. Among them is Eiffel Tedja, the son of the owner of Pakuwon
City,
Alex Tedja, and the development’s CEO. In conjunction with the 25th
anniversary of the Pakuwon Group, Eiffel, in cooperation with Edwin
Rahardjo of Edwin’s Gallery Jakarta, organized an exhibition of 34
Indonesian sculptors.
Although their number included established and emerging
artists, only a few were able to respond skillfully and with the
necessary esthetic finesse to the theme, Relation: Tanah Air as the
Base of Awareness.
Yani Mariani has always derived inspiration from the
natural world, and the winds of nature flow within her, she says.
Blessed with an incredibly vivid imagination, she often creates works
imbued with the illusion of the surreal, with an esthetic that never
fails to uplift our senses. In her work Randai Menggapai Cakrawala at
Pakuwon, which is made of combstone (pulverized white stone),
white-colored winged creatures appear as feminine dragons driven by
the wind. Seen from another angle, they look as if they are struggling
against the wind’s force, evoking the sensation of experiencing an
extraordinary tale, combining classic legends and futuristic visions.
The sculpture measures 8 meters by 2 meters, but a
larger version, measuring 30 x 8 meters, will take its place at
the traffic circle of the
Pakuwon City
development toward the end of this year.
Awan Simatupang, who uses sculpture to reveal his
ponderings on life’s dynamics, presented a finely executed work,
tackling both the complicated issue of meeting housing needs for
growing populations and the deteriorating environment. The wind, both
threatening and beautiful, is felt in Pohon (Tree). Measuring 180 x 60
x 180 cm, its branches made of bronze show the movement of the wind.
On the bottom branch, a tiny figure clings to the trunk, symbolizing
man’s dependency on the environment. Placing the sculpture on the
grass field in front of the ballroom provided a wonderful accentuation
of Awan’s artistic ability.
Although Redy Rahadian’s Perjalanan (Journey) did not
really respond directly to the exhibition theme, it was chosen to be
placed at the traffic circle in
Pakuwon City.
Measuring 7 x 7 x 5
meters and made of steel, it features steps leading up to an Aztec
temple-like structure. Its tiny figure on top attests to the long,
hard climb needed to reach success.
The sculptures of Liang, a new talent in the genre,
tell of human beings and the environment. The universe, tanah air
(literally meaning earth and water, but broadly referring to one’s
native land) and nature are intertwined with the life of the
humankind. Therefore, whatever happens to nature or the environment
inevitably affects human life, and vice versa. A circular shape made
of stainless steel, with a tiny baby made of plated silver placed at
the bottom of the circle, depicts an environmental-friendly universe
providing protection to humankind. Placed on a specially selected
stone, the work, obviously the result of profound meditative thought,
is beautiful in its simplicity.
Plans for Pakuwon
City
to introduce contemporary sculptures to the public took shape after
Eiffel met Edwin, who is known as one of the first gallery owners to
promote sculptures in his Jakarta space. “My passion for sculptural
works hasn’t left me,” said Eiffel.
He also revealed that plans are in the offing to have a
sculpture park in addition to the landmark contemporary monuments in
Pakuwon
City,
which will provide a contrast to the huge arches and portals of grand
eclectic styles at the 60-hectare estate.
The Pakuwon Group, which began in 1986 with the
establishment of Tunjungan
Plaza
in Central Surabaya and has since diversified into many real estate
ventures, with Alex and his wife Melinda at the helm, will continue
its art association. It will hold a charity exhibition in conjunction
with the opening of its Gandaria Main Street superblock later this
year. It will again be organized by Edwin.
Hopefully Pakuwon’s interest in contemporary art will
prove steadfast and based on genuine strategies to further the arts,
and at the same time improve the quality of life in the urban
landscape.
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