The soaring value of contemporary Chinese and Vietnamese art has been one of the art world’s most widely documented phenomena of recent years. But if you’re a would-be collector who feels priced out of the market, is there anywhere else to look? Try Indonesia. The archipelago’s artists represent extraordinary value in comparison to the record-breaking sums trading hands at Asian art auctions these days. And they’re talented too. “Contemporary Indonesian art is now on the map,” says Deborah Iskandar, Christie’s representative in Indonesia.
Pricing aside, why has the country’s art output suddenly become so attractive? There hasn’t been an explosion of art colleges; nor has the country been seized with the kind of sweeping social movement that inspires fresh outbursts of radical art. Instead, experts cite external influences. “Artists are better because they are more exposed to international art,” explains Amir Sidharta of Sidharta Auctioneer. “Traveling abroad has helped many Indonesian artists develop their identities and own way of painting.” The resulting work appeals to both domestic collectors in search of something new, and overseas buyers seeking work with reference points they understand. Some collectors are even paying for artists to go on European museum trips because it allows the artists to experience art more viscerally than they would through books or the Internet.
One of the scene’s rising stars is Balinese artist Dewa Gede Ratayoga. At the 27-year-old’s first show, held in Jakarta’s Ark Galerie last April, all of the giant hyper-realist canvases were sold by the end of the opening night, some for as much as $5,000. By international reckoning this was a small sum, but by Indonesian standards it was an extraordinary haul by a young unknown. “This is the beginning of a new trend,” says Bruce Wallace, chief representative in Indonesia of UBS, the bank that helped sponsor the show. “When quality comes on the market people don’t waste time.”
Even more in demand is the Kelompok Jendela, or Window Group, from Yogyakarta. It has taken the auction world by storm, with works by Rudi Mantofani, Yunizar and Handiwirman Sahputra leading the way
