Nuansa Indonesia artists at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta (1988)

artdesigncafé - art | 28 January 2012
Page 5 of 5

Thus, for the critic, it is easier to write about someone whose work you have come to know fairly well, and for the collector it is perhaps more tempting to buy the work of someone that you have developed a liking for over time. And for the regular art public, following someone through time and artistic changes is like peeking over their shoulder or riding on their coat-tails as they set out on the journey of creativity.

So what we had seen, really, with this Nuansa Indonesia exhibition, was just the beginning of the hopefully long lifespan of a dynamic group of women, who as artists take the business of their professional development and increased creative depth very seriously. For that reason, it will be interesting to follow Nuansa Indonesia in its growth, representing as it does a forum for women who define themselves not first and foremost as women, but choose to operate with— and manage to juggle— multiple definitions of self and roles— among which the role of artist takes a prominent place.

For a woman to choose to become a painter in Indonesia today it is still difficult if she also wants to combine this with family life. She either has to have a fairly stubborn and determined character, or an extremely supportive husband, because societal support for such a decision is scant.

Consisting as it does of strong and dedicated individuals, Nuansa Indonesia also offers a kaleidoscopic introduction to artists whose careers will also need to be followed individually as they go about enriching the Indonesian art scene in the years to come.