Bandung Art Darlings #1
An Introduction
One of the very basic deficiencies of the development of fine arts in Bandung is the lack of/inadequate infrastructure covering aspects of research, documentation, mediation, which are supported by good facilities and management. With very little support from the government making this condition worse, the existence of government art institutions also does not help much the movement of art discourse in society due to the lack of human resources, facilities, financial support and exacerbated by a bureaucratic system that is not properly managed.
Meanwhile, outside of that, the art pattern in Bandung is known for its commercial art market discourse which prioritizes a production pattern in the creative process rather than the process of critical analysis and ideas. At the same time, of course, there are many artists and works of art that offer critical and exploratory ideas which, due to the absence of a medium and space for mediation and publication, ultimately cannot be conveyed to the wider public.
In the last 20 years, several alternative spaces or artist initiatives have emerged in several cities other than Bandung, such as in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Padang, which were initiated and managed independently by artists, writers and cultural reviewers. This makes the contemporary art scene in Indonesia even more dynamic. In addition, there are many art activities organized by artist groups and networks that offer interesting and new ideas on contemporary Indonesian art discourse, such as: art biennales, film festivals, video and new media art, performance art, and project-based art activities. Especially in activities (creative processes) in the form of an art project, this creative process puts forward artistic process, analysis and collaboration as well as socio-political issues, especially regarding the city as the main subject. This shows the artist’s concern for the social situation around him in a local and global context, and in an effort to clarify the position of the artist and his critical ideas in society.
But in the last 10 years, especially in Bandung, we can see that not many of these organizations have survived. Most of these organizations face difficulties in terms of financial, program management and strategy that make it difficult for them to last long enough, to maintain intensity and consistency.
The developments trigger awareness of an artistic work that has critical ideas and social and artistic discussions combined with good management, network (national and international), public involvement and good fund management.
Artists as individuals lack space in which they can process, carry out research exhibitions, experiments and exploration independently and intensively. This is due to the poor ability and willingness of art infrastructures such as galleries, museums and art educational institutions to facilitate new and inspiring ideas. This is also largely due to the focus of government and non-government art infrastructure on commercial functions. On the other hand, this also results in patterns of creative work processes that are more oriented to mere commercialization patterns. There is a need for a space that can facilitate it all, both physically and mentally, a space that is not hierarchical, with good and free programs and facilities, and is supported by a good and sustainable management system.
The art process, which is more concerned with production patterns rather than as a process of analysis, is a weakness that makes art lose its critical and inspirational power for society. this is because there is no collaboration between art and other disciplines of social sciences, etc. This collaboration is one of the important things in addressing the art process as a process of analysis, and it is hoped that it will make art more inspiring for the people. The position of art and artists in society is very important to be questioned again. One very important element in the rate of development of art as a cultural practice is a theoretical study of it. Art education institutions that should not only produce artists but also people who focus on studying art and cultural theory have not been able to achieve significant results.
Another weakness is that there are not many supporting elements such as documentation/data collection, as well as media that facilitate and mediate the results of theoretical studies that have been carried out such as publishing efforts and other publication media.
The community as an art public, which is, of course, the most important focus, is lacking access to enjoy, appreciate and the lack of openness of information and publications has made many art activities and art discourses did not become a broader discussion of cultural arts in society, the art public becomes very exclusive, one of which is Due to the exclusivity of the management of artistic activities from art institutions and artists, the diversity of art publics from various walks of life must be achieved by disseminating information and publications.
This makes a need for a structure in which society is not only the “target of art” but furthermore it can become an actor or a structure in which society can engage in direct or indirect interactions and become the subject of an artistic process. Based on the anxiety above, several attempts have been made by the artists and their social fields, one of which is to form art groups based on collectivity.
The project called “Bandung Art Darlings” features a number of fine arts organizations and groups managed by young artists, researchers and students. Art organizations and groups in this exhibition have at least two practical tendencies. First, their artistic work started as a friendship and tended to move organically. Second, these organizations and groups have public awareness, with the management of various activities for the wider public such as exhibitions, workshops, discussions, publishing, websites, archiving, and research. The combination of these two practises has been seen to have coloured the development of organizational practices and groups of artists and cultural workers in Bandung over the past 3 years. This first project not only serves as mapping but furthermore becomes a forum for sharing knowledge and experiences which can be managed together into a piece of new knowledge.
This paper is an introduction to the curatorial research of Bandung Art Darlings # 1
