Art Jakarta defies weak market, recent social unrest with impressive turnout

Fair was unaffected by recent protests in the city, with 75 international galleries taking part

JAKARTA, Indonesia (MNTV) –  The Art Jakarta fair in early October was a testament to the resilience of the Indonesian art market, proceeding without a hitch despite a turbulent backdrop, reports South China Morning Post.

Just weeks before the fair, Jakarta was rocked by widespread protests against a government decision to grant generous allowances to lawmakers, resulting in 10 deaths, thousands of arrests and the deadliest unrest in Indonesia for over two decades.

Yet, from October 3 to 5, the 15th edition of the fair was buzzing, with no sign of the political turmoil.

Overall attendees numbered 37,899, roughly the same number as the previous edition. This turnout was impressive amid weakening international market signals, which saw global art market sales decrease by 12% in 2024, according to the latest Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report. 

Fair director Tom Tandio said that given the “time of uncertainty and economy”, the sales actually “went above expectations”. In addition, none of the 75 participating galleries – including 15 new international players, among them Esther Schipper, TKG+ and Kaikai Kiki Gallery – pulled out.

This was the first showing in Indonesia by Esther Schipper, which has galleries in Berlin, Paris, Seoul and New York. Earlier this year, in January, the gallery decided not to attend Southeast Asia’s biggest fair, Art SG.

For Art Jakarta, the gallery focused on a selection of artists with Asian heritage, such as Anicka Yi, Simon Fujiwara and Hyunsun Jeon, underscoring the fair’s regional focus.

In addition to Yi’s intriguing “Post Classical” series, featuring tempura-fried flowers encased in resin, and Fujiwara’s Picasso-inspired pieces following his participation in the Picasso exhibition at Hong Kong’s M+ earlier this year, the gallery also left a strong impression with Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone’s striking 2.9-metre (9.5ft) Green Yellow Nun (2020) sculpture.

Muchi Shaw, Esther Schipper’s associate director for Asia, said: “I’m not choosing one [fair] over the other, but right now I’m really focused on the Indonesian market.”

Having been involved with the Southeast Asian art scene since 2015, the gallery veteran has borne witness to the Indonesian market’s steady growth. “Now we also have serious business relationships, and the reaction to our first edition, while not quite like the offers at [Art] Basel and Frieze, has been good. We’ve had a lot of interesting conversations,” he said. Esther Schipper had “definite plans” to return to Art Jakarta next year, he added. 

Local players like Laksamana “Jun” Tirtadji, founder of ROH Projects, were equally pleased. “We really got a lot of support, from both our local and international collectors, so it was a very good fair,” said the Indonesian gallerist, who sold artworks worth $80,000.

Besides the business-as-usual vibe at the fair, galleries also tended to choose art that shied away from the recent political turmoil, with no hint of the pink-and-green symbols of the protest movement or other direct references.