Roots, identity, modernity
Nusantara Art Exhibition 2009: Tracing Roots By Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Thu, 05/28/2009, Arts & Design Trying to define Indonesian modern art is probably as difficult as summing up an array of things in one word. Looking at the elements used to construct it might help, a current exhibition suggests. Almost 100 artists, representing the country’s 21 provinces, have their say on what roots and identity mean for the future of Indonesian visual art, in the Nusantara Art Exhibition at the National Gallery. Held since 2001, the biennale, which aims to represent artists from all over Indonesia, is all about tracing roots. If the phrase “Indonesian modern art” tends to generalize the richness that one can find the term encapsulates, then looking at the roots of that art might prove a worthwhile exercise. “One of the most important things that people of a nation have is the imagination of a shared life and identity,” curator Kuss Indarto said. “But individual experie...