Jakarta’s Heri Dono

Indonesia is one of the most fascinating places on the earth, with a fascinating and complex history, where civilizations have inhabited the area for thousands of years.  Its contemporary scene is extremely lively, with a blend of cultures meeting every day, and Jakarta is the largest city here, and one of the largest in the world.  If you’re looking for an endlessly interesting urban scene that’s also close to incredible natural areas, temples, and a host of other attractions, then this has some wonderful things in store for you.  There are amazing galleries, fantastic restaurants, and gorgeous luxury hotels.  Jakarta is an amazing city, and seeing it from a place of splendor is an excellent introduction.

Jakarta is constantly on the move, and constantly evolving.  It is the culmination of years of cultural fusions, and it always feels like it’s on the brink of another evolution.  There are some amazing artistic and intellectual developments that happen here every day, and the galleries are particularly suited to show off the fruits of creative labors.  If you spend even a little time here, you’re likely to come across the work of Heri Dono.  He was born south of Java, in Yogyakarta, in 1960, and is now one of the most prolific artists living here.

His work is seen widely, not only in Jakarta or Indonesia, but all over the world, in places like the Walsh Gallery in Chicago, Illinois.  The work of Heri Dono belongs to what critics call the new Internationalism.  It is intensely local, drawing on Indonesian indigenous traditions, in the face of, and often ironically juxtaposed to, European art forms.  This gives it a self-consciousness that makes it able to play in all the art world, with references to everything, and allied only to itself.  Marvelously playful and simultaneously challenging, his works cross over into many traditions, and media, working from painting to installation and then into the beyond.

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Posted on November 17th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Travel

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