“IBU SRI” THE INDONESIAN ART INFRASTRUCTURE, IDIOTS AND THE STATUS QUO / IBU SRI, ANAK IDIOT DAN STATUS QUO

“IBU SRI” THE INDONESIAN ART INFRASTRUCTURE, IDIOTS AND THE STATUS QUO

hendrotan

This article has been published in the magazine of Visual Arts May - June, 2012

IN MY OPINION INFRASTRUCTURE IS THE MOTHER OF INDONESIAN ART (Note: “Ibu” is an Indonesian word for “mother”, and Indonesian Art is “Seni Rupa Indonesia”, or “SRI” for short, in Indonesian language.) AS A MOTHER HER FATE HASN’T BEEN VERY GOOD SO FAR. SHE EVEN HAS TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT HER THREE CHILDREN ARE “IDIOTS” AND ONE MORE OF THEM GETS PERVERTED TO BECOME A PAINTING MAGICIAN. THIS ESSAY WAS WRITTEN AS REFLECTION, SELF-CRITICISM AND SHARED LEARNING IN ORDER FOR THE MOTHER TO BREAK FREE FROM THE DEADLY GRIP OF THE STATUS QUO. 

As the story goes, it has been quite a long time since art community members wished to see the life of Mother SRI (SRI stands for Seni Rupa Indonesia, which is Indonesian Art and ‘Mother SRI’ refers to Indonesian art infrastructure) improve to be on a level with her counterparts in the USA, Germany and England. However such a wish is against the fact that not many people really care about improving art infrastructure; some even try to maintain its status quo of disorder. Consequently the disorder has generated three “idiotic” children. 

The three “idiotic” children are contemporary artist, art gallery, and curator. Another child, which is “bright enough”, named collector, tends to be perverted into being a “painting magician”. Such situation further complicates the current condition of Indonesian art. 

The question is what party should be held responsible for being the “father” of those poor children? I tend to put my finger on the higher learning institution for arts throughout the country that serves as the center for training prospective intellectuals in arts with sophisticated theories imported from around the globe. But why does the father let the three children become “idiotic” and the other one fall into being a “painting magician”? I will return to this topic after examining the fates of the three children based on facts and field observation. 

The first “idiotic” child: artist. A contemporary artist is someone with ideas and ambitions for making artworks to display in some prestigious museum of art. As I see it, the artist is a central figure. He/she is the first person with authority to state that something is “art”. Having such authority, an artist carves his/her name and reinforces the authority through collaboration with another party that is art gallery. But the sad thing is that some Indonesian artists are not quite mature yet in terms of personal, not to say professional, attitudes. Not few of them tend to easily break their promises and deny spoken commitments and even written contracts. They do such things because of general ignorance, or ignorance in legal matters, ineptitude in distinguishing between good and bad relationships with other parties concerning their creative work, and, often, their idiosyncratic behaviors. Some of them are wanting in morality so that they are not ashamed to get involved in spurious pricing of their works at auctions. What’s more ridiculous, some will even offer their works for sale to one or two customers on whom the artists’ lives depend.

The second “idiotic” child: art gallery. Indonesia never, so far, has any professional or well-founded gallery with some sufficient capital. Here ‘sufficient capital’ excludes assets, premises, and the gallery owner’s private collections. Let us compare the situation to that found in the USA. There, a third-class gallery has at least 5 million US dollar as its capital. A second-class has it at US $20 million, and a first-class one over US $100 million (Business Week, October 2006). What’s the situation here? Forget the amount of US $5 million; you barely need all your fingers to count Indonesian galleries with capitals amounting to even just US $ 1 million.

Today, galleries in Indonesia generally still keep the mass-minded mentality and behavior, which resemble those of art shops. It is true that a few galleries were previously proper art galleries; but now, because of changes taking place in 2011, they turn into common artshops or galashops. They don’t managerially operate as art galleries. This is because of the incapacity of the owners to shift their paradigm from that of regular shop keeping to that of conducting an elegant and prestigious business. Aside from that, there is also the issue of undesirable attitude: paying lip service to super wealthy collectors but showing arrogance to young collectors and art-collecting beginners, for instance. In fact they are supposed to be willing to pay attention and appreciation to young collectors and beginners whose number is much bigger. Moreover, galleries should be able to develop enclaves of young collectors in all Indonesian cities and to consistently run discussions on the essence of art as well as matters concerning market, and provide information about latest significant events in the international art world (this will, in time, set the roles of such galleries on a par with those of the hitherto predominant auction houses of the Sotheby’s and Christie’s). Indonesian galleries must not only concern about inviting ‘hot’ artists to exhibit, or organizing collective exhibitions potential to generate successful sales, while shying away from signing exclusive contracts with young artists. Such conduct reflects shop-keeping mentality of safeguarding one’s own interests or unwillingness to help young artists in dealing with their “difficulties”.  

Actually a gallery ought to be the main shield in protecting the dignity of artists, particularly those under the gallery’s management. That is what Charles Saatchi did when Damien Hirst was regarded by many (famous) art critics as being bereft of inspiration in 2008. Saatchi said, “He (Damien Hirst) is deeply an artist, a genius among us, but he’s had a bad run of shows over the past few years. All great artists have an off patch, and he’s having his. Usually when that happens, artists try too hard and the results look effortful and overblown. But I’m sure his next show will be a winner” (see My Name is Charles Saatchi and I am An Artoholic, 2009, p.70).

Such statement shows the integrity of a gallery owner cum dealer regarding an artist in his custody. Saatchi the gallery owner asserted the credibility of Hirst his artist although he was experiencing a hard time in creativity. Genuine galleries have the natural drive, passion and enthusiasm to make long-term investment that artshops do not seem to neither either have or need. 

The third “idiotic” child: curator. The roles and tasks of art curators cover several issues; among them are selecting artworks for being museum pieces, researching works of young/new artists, and curating exhibitions at public as well as private art galleries. Besides, they will write about art, artworks, also artists, and present it through various means of information/communication, such as catalogs, brochures, newspapers, and magazines, to the public.

As far as I know there are two models or patterns of curatorial operation, namely the top-down curatorial and the bottom-up curatorial. Both are often used as the main reference everywhere, including Indonesia. However malperformance marks some Indonesian curators in carrying out their tasks. For example, in the curacy of solo exhibitions they do not intensely monitor the artists’ creative processes at studios. Anyway, and curiously, they are able to write very smoothly in exhibition catalogs based only on few brief visits. 

How can it happen? Here are, I think, two among the reasons:

1. The curators are not knowledgeable enough about curacy and in fact the title of ‘curator’ is not really suitable for them. To improve curatorial capacity and professionalism it is now time to have a curator association in Indonesia.

2. Curators working for art galleries in Indonesia usually get paid around IDR 10 through 30 million per exhibition. Given the relatively meager fee, naturally they soon face problems in trying to perform their tasks professionally, to improve their dynamic knowledge about art, and to buy books and magazines on art published in the country and abroad. Traveling on their own resources to visit and take part in prestigious biennales, triennials and international seminars abroad is easily out of the question. 

Magician and Patron   

Another child of ‘Mother SRI’, which is “sharp enough”, is called collector. Unfortunately this kid often demonstrates over self-confidence in behaving, presuming that a good collector is one that can always afford for expensive artworks to collect. 

It is all right to think that way, but there are still questions about the deepness of the collector’s insight into the value of artworks and the willingness to share it with others. Upper-level collectors should also philosophically understand art in that the beauty of the garden of art doesn’t lie on the emergence of one or two favored roses but on the sweet scents of the various flowers in the entire garden. This metaphor implies that collectors – particularly those of them wishing to be called “patrons” – are not “gardeners” that are able to tend just one or two roses inside their golden cages; they are also supposed to be “architects” that work conscientiously in the realms of beauty and thinking, and to formulate and implement the garden’s design as well. If only collectors have the willingness to contribute to the development of Indonesian art in its wholeness, and have the ability to actualize the philosophy into some sound infrastructure of art education and art business, so that works of Indonesian artists can have their standard values/prices in international market, they will be esteemed as real patrons.

Therefore it is only proper for collectors to avoid being “painting magicians”. “Painting magicians”, what are they? They are collectors who are actually art dealers by profession but are always in disguise as collectors when carrying out their business lest their identities get uncovered.

With the situation described above in mind, we can say that currently it seems improbable for Indonesian art to have any collector that is a (real) patron. In my opinion Indonesia has only collectors of the types described below. 

(1). Collectors who develop collections based only on fondness of some specific kinds of painting. For instance, a collector will collect just Affandi’s paintings or drawings only. Collectors belonging to this type are pure collectors, you can call them genuine idealists if you like, because throughout their lives they only build collections without ever selling them again. This type, the “vertical-collector type”, has profound faith in art. 

(2). Collectors who collect artworks of various media and genres – traditional, modern and contemporary – with some high idealism. They will not become art dealers; even if they sometimes sell paintings, they do it just to get enough money to buy pieces of some better quality than those they decide to let go. What’s more, they always do the buying at gallery exhibitions. They belong to the type of “horizontal collectors” that believe in values of works. 

(3). Collectors who collect works of some specific genres, for instance Indonesian contemporary artworks, exclusively. Collectors of this type usually come from among young collectors that are highly critical and active in monitoring developments in Indonesian as well as international art while enthusiastically improving themselves by reading art theory books. That is why they will not hesitate to sell works that are “not on the line” (inconsistent with their concept of collection), or because of inconsistence in the artists’ attitudes. They then decide to replace the works in question with more proper and qualified pieces. They will say that they don’t sell paintings for the profit but because of their critical awareness. They represent the “young and smart type” of collectors.

(4). Collectors who collect artworks of various media and genres through cheap buys up. The purchased works will then be kept for some time to be later sold at some highest possible prices. To prevent people (particularly artists) from recognizing their being dealers, this kind of collectors make others do the actual selling and buying for them. They belong to the “painting-magician type” of collectors.

(5). Here I don’t discuss investors or art dealers as well as other art-market players, but I pay respect to those having clearly defined attitudes and who have helped Indonesian art market a lot by daringly buying paintings at high prices in auctions and supporting art activities by buying works at exhibitions by galleries. 

Actually the issue of buying and selling artworks represents a crucial one that defines a collector’s genuineness. According to Sarah Thornton (2009: 30), there are traditionally only three reasons for a collector to dispose of a collection item. Thornton, the famous observer of art, formulates the reasons as “three D’s” that stand for death, debt, and divorce. I think we can add one more “d” to include “donation”.

The Need for Order versus the Status Quo

Most Indonesian art collectors still need to improve their philosophical knowledge. At this point we may find one major reason for the lack of collectors with ascetic character and willingness to struggle for developing Indonesian art while disregarding loss-and-gain matters. Some of them even “get perverted” so that they develop the attitude of being against Indonesian art infrastructure and trade order. They choose freeness without any regulation. This attitude may spring from:

One, sound infrastructure and trade order will increase the reputation of artists and the price of artworks, and this may just disturb the status quo in which a number of art collectors have hitherto been comfortable (they can have their will in picking artworks at lower prices directly from artists’ studios) and secure (being given blind privileges from artists) in the chaotic situation currently. 

Two, sound art infrastructure and art trade order will help unmask the real interest of some collectors behind their inviting art practitioners from other countries to Indonesia. It will be uncovered that what they do is not for the sake of Indonesian artists and art but for their personal interest of showing-off with the next intention of – who knows? We know that “white” intellectuals and actors of international art market will not pay attention and appreciation to contemporary artworks produced by artists of a country that doesn’t have any proper art infrastructure. For example, even works by Affandi the maestro, S. Sudjojono, and Widayat, after years being in the collections of an ex-Brazilian ambassador for Indonesia, were sold at relatively low prices and sent back to Indonesia. The point is those works do not have any standard value/price at the international market (Tempo magazine, 16 April 2012, p. 68). The same thing will not happen to works by, say, Andy Warhol (1928-1987), Joseph Beuys (1921-1986), Francis Bacon (1909-1992) and whoever else among artists from countries that have sound and solid art infrastructure. 

Emphasis that should be given here include 1) a collector is not necessarily and automatically a patron of Indonesian art for the mere sake of his/her being wealthy. The attribution of the title of “patron” should be through examination, recognition and establishment by experts among Indonesian art community that includes academicians and even institutional elements of Indonesian artworld such as art foundations. 2) With sound Indonesian art infrastructure and art trade order, it will not be for Indonesian artists to strive towards “going-international”; reversely, the international community will come to you bros!

The Expected Role of Higher Learning Institution for Arts 

Early in this writing I have mentioned that the father of the three “idiotic” children and the “perverted”-collector-turning-a-painting-magician is the higher learning institution for arts. If there were never any learning institution for the arts, or art, all artists would have been known as “drawing artisans” or “autodidactic painters”. We can imagine that those autodidacts would be selling paintings at their home-cum-studios, or displaying paintings by the roadside as well as modern markets, and at other somewhat more prestigious spots in the public space like shopping malls and hotels. In other words, sophisticated infrastructure wouldn’t have been necessary. When painter A painted the dragon or the koi carp and it sold well, then painters B through Z would be painting the dragon or the koi carp too, expecting similar good sales.

But facts have their say. Following the nation’s independence higher learning institutions for art emerge, which include ISI (Indonesian Institute of the Arts), Faculty of Art and Design of the Bandung Institute of Technology [ITB (FSRD)], and Jakarta Art Institute (IKJ). These institutions annually produce Stratum-1 graduates (bachelors in art), while some of the institutions produce also Stratum-2 (graduate program) and Stratum-3 (post-graduate program) graduates. These alumni become the backbone of our current “art producers” that include artists, curators and observers/critics. Not few of them now operate within different elements of art infrastructure and they play some roles in the realms of discourse as well as market. 

That’s why I am sure that the improvement of “Ibu SRI” (meaning, again: the entire Indonesian art infrastructure) has to be through collective and simultaneous endeavors, which involve higher learning institutions for arts. In turn, such enterprise may reinforce collective awareness of the proper, dignified discourse and market orders of Indonesian art. 

The collective and simultaneous improvements will have positive implications for the existence of Indonesian art in the eyes of actors and observers in the country and abroad. Furthermore, sound and orderly infrastructure will also stir young (new) collectors, new market players, and, especially, it will invite international market players in finance (stock exchange and money market). Such a situation is expected to generate new galleries with significant capital strength and professionalism and to invite art galleries in New York, Berlin and London, for example, to open their Jakarta branches (and to make Indonesian artists “go international” in the true sense of the words). Finally, Indonesian artwork will have its standard value/price at international market.

If it can really be, the Indonesian artworld will gain respect and recognition from the international artworld. For Indonesian higher learning institution for art, which has fathered the existing idiocies in Indonesian art, its now time to take measures, together with art practitioners and the government, to think about, formulate, and define the course to take for the better future of Indonesian art; it should begin with the codification of each of the elemental parts of our art infrastructure. Not less importance and less wished is the incorporation of the subjects of art infrastructure and art trade system in the regular syllabi of higher learning institutes for arts. That will make “Ibu SRI” – the Indonesian art infrastructure – healthy, released from the deadly grip of chaos and the status quo. Let’s hope so. [V]

Pull quotes

The collective and simultaneous improvements will have positive implications for the existence of Indonesian art in the eyes of actors and observers in the country and abroad.

-MAY, 07, 2012, 10.10- 

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IBU SRI, ANAK IDIOT DAN STATUS QUO 

hendrotan

Artikel ini telah terbit di Majalah Visual Art edisi Mei - Juni 2012

DALAM PANDANGAN SAYA, INFRASTRUKTUR ADALAH IBU SENIRUPA INDONESIA (SAYA SINGKAT IBU SRI). SEBAGAI IBU SRI, NASIBNYA TAK KUNJUNG MEMBAIK, BAHKAN ANAK-ANAKNYA “IDIOT”, DAN ADA YANG JADI DUKUN LUKISAN. 

ESAI INI SAYA TULIS DENGAN MAKSUD SEBAGAI REFLEKSI, AUTOKRITIK DAN PEMBELAJARAN BERSAMA, AGAR IBU SRI TERLEPAS DARI STATUS QUO. 

Alkisah, sudah lama warga senirupa menginginkan kehidupan Ibu SRI membaik dan sehat, seperti di Amerika Serikat, Jerman dan Inggris. Akan tetapi, keinginan itu bertentangan dengan fakta, bahwa tidak banyak orang mau peduli pada perbaikan infrastruktur senirupa, bahkan ada pula yang berusaha menjadikan status quo dalam kecarut-marutan. Akibatnya, kecarut-marutan ini telah melahirkan -- sekaligus menjadi biang—tiga anak “idiot”. 

Ketiga anak “idiot” itu, adalah perupa kontemporer, galeri, dan kurator. Sementara anak lainnya, yang “cukup cerdas”, bernama kolektor malah ada yang terjebak menjadi “dukun lukisan”. Suasana demikian semakin menambah keruwetan baru bagi senirupa Indonesia hari ini.

Persoalannya, siapakah pihak yang patut dituding dan betanggungjawab sebagai “bapak” bagi anak-anak yang bernasib malang itu? Si bapak, menurut hemat saya,  adalah dunia perguruan tinggi seni, yang tersebar di berbagai tempat di republik ini, yang menjadi kawah candra dimuka para cerdik pandai dalam mempersiapkan dan menggembleng putra-putri seni dengan menggunakan teori-teori canggih dari berbagai penjuru mata angin. Tapi mengapa si bapak membiarkan ketiga putranya “idiot”, dan ada yang terjebak jadi “dukun lukisan” ? Nanti masalah ini akan saya kupas setelah menyimak nasib ketiga anak itu, berdasarkan fakta dan pengalaman lapangan.

Anak “idiot” kesatu : perupa. Perupa kontemporer adalah seorang yang bergagasan dan bercita – cita membuat karya yang akan dipajang di sebuah museum berwibawa. Bagi saya, perupa adalah sosok penting dan orang pertama yang memiliki otoritas untuk mendapuk sesuatu sebagai “seni”. Dengan otoritas itu, perupa menorehkan nama dan mengukuhkan wibawa lewat kerjasama dengan pihak lain, yaitu galeri. Disayangkan beberapa perupa  Indonesia masih kesulitan bersikap dewasa dan matang, apalagi professional. Tidak sedikit dari mereka  menggampangkan pelanggaran bahkan pengingkaran baik yang sudah terikat kontrak hitam putih maupun akad janji (ucapan). Hal ini selain karena keterbatasan pengetahuan umum dan hukum, juga tingkat kecerdasan memilah baik buruknya hubungan kerja kreatifnya dengan pihak lain, dan tidak jarang bergejala idiosyncrasy. Ada pula yang miskin moral, sehingga tidak malu melibatkan diri dalam goreng-menggoreng di pelelangan. Belum lagi kenyataan -- sungguh tidak bernalar -- bila perupa menjadi penjaja yang tergantung pada langganan satu-dua kolektor yang dimitoskan sebagai sumber kehidupan mereka.

Anak “idiot” kedua : galeri. Di Indonesia belum pernah muncul galeri yang professional atau bonafid, serta bermodal usaha cukup. Maksud modal usaha cukup adalah setoran kapital yang diperuntukkan modal perputaran, tidak termasuk aset, tanah dan bangunan, serta koleksi pribadi pemilik galeri. Mari kita bandingkan dengan di Amerika Serikat. Di sana, galeri kelas tiga saja, modal usahanya paling kurang 5 juta dolar. Sedangkan galeri kelas dua 20 juta dollar, dan galeri kelas satu di atas 100 juta dollar ( Business Week , October 2006 ). Bagaimana di sini? Jangankan bermodal usaha 5 juta dollar AS,  galeri yang bermodal usaha satu juta dollar saja bisa dihitung dengan jari penderita kusta.

Sekarang ini, galeri di tanah air umumnya masih bermental dan berperilaku masif layaknya artshop. Bahkan beberapa galeri yang sebelumnya telah berperingkat galeries, dengan dinamika tahun 2011, balik menjadi artshop atau galashop. Pendek kata belum dapat dikatakan sudah bermanajemen kegalerian. Hal itu disebabkan oleh ketidakmampuan para pemiliknya mengubah paradigma dagang (toko) dijadikan bisnis secara elegan dan berwibawa. Selain itu juga soal sikap, misalnya inggah-inggih (selalu ya) pada kolektor super kaya, namun dihadapan kolektor muda dan pemula mereka bergaya arogan. Seharusnya mereka mau memperhatikan, dan menghargai yang muda dan pemula, yang jumlahnya jauh lebih banyak. Bahkan galeri harus mampu menciptakan kantong - kantong komunitas kolektor muda di seluruh kota besar, dengan konsistensinya mendiskusikan esensi kesenian berikut wacana pasar dan mewartakan kejadian penting terakhir medan sosial senirupa internasional ( metode ini nantinya yang akan membuat seimbang posisi-perannya galeri dengan dominasi Balai Lelang Sotheby’s dan Christie’s selama ini ). Jangan bisanya cuma mengundang pameran perupa yang lagi hot atau pameran beramai – ramai agar kans terjualnya besar, namun enggan membuat kontrak eksklusif dengan perupa muda. Hal itu merupakan gambaran dagang—toko “ cari selamat ” atau tidak mau berkorban membantu “ kesulitan “ perupa muda.

Seharusnyan galeri menjadi tameng utama bagi harkat dan martabat perupa, khususnya perupa yang berada di bawah manajemennya. Itulah yang dilakukan Charles Saatchi ketika Damien Hirst, yang menurut pandangan banyak kritikus senirupa ( kondang ), sedang kehilangan inspirasinya pada 2008. Kata Saatchi, “He (Damien Hirst) is deeply artist, a genius among us, but he’s had a bad run of shows over the past few years. All great artists have an off patch, and he’s having his. Usually when that happens, artists try too hard and the results look effortful and overblown. But I’m sure his next show will be a winner” (lihat My Name is Charles Saatchi and I am An Artoholic, 2009, hlm. 70).

Pernyataan tersebut, memperlihatkan integritas pemilik galeri dan seorang dealer terhadap kredibilitas seorang perupa ampuannya—betapa pun sang perupa tengah berada di masa – masa sulit dalam proses kreatifnya. Galeri tulen, memiliki karakter, passion dan semangat investasi jangka panjang, yang  artshop tidak memerlukannya.

Anak “idiot” ketiga : kurator. Peran dan tugas kurator senirupa meliputi sejumlah hal, antara lain menyeleksi karya seni untuk museum, meneliti karya perupa muda/baru, dan mengampu pameran di galeri-galeri senirupa negeri atau swasta. Selain itu menulis perihal senirupa, karya senirupa, atau pun perupa, di berbagai sarana informasi/komunikasi  dengan masyarakat, misalnya katalog, brosur, surat kabar, majalah, dan lainnya.

Sepanjang pengetahuan saya, sejauh ini dikenal dua model kerja kurator senirupa, yaitu top-down curatorial dan bottom-up curatorial. Dua model inilah yang sering menjadi rujukan di mana – mana, tak terkecuali di Indonesia. Namun ada beberapa kurator Indonesia dalam melakukan tugas kuratorialnya tidak selaras dengan peran yang harus di embannya. Misalnya, untuk mengkurasi pameran tunggal, sang kurator tidak mengikuti secara intens proses kreatif perupa di studio.  Anehnya, dengan sekadar menjenguk saja, sang kurator sudah begitu lancar menulis di buku katalog. 

Mengapa bisa terjadi seperti ini? Menurut hemat saya, disebabkan :

1. Pengetahuan ilmu kurasinya belum pantas menyandang titel kurator. Untuk meningkatkan kapasitas dan profesionalitas mereka, maka sudah saatnya perlu ada asosiasi kurator di Indonesia.

2. Fee atau bayaran kurator di galeri dalam negeri pada umumnya Rp. 10 juta sampai Rp. 30  juta/ pameran. Dengan bayaran relatif minim itu, tentu saja mereka mengalami hambatan untuk melakukan tugasnya secara professional, memperdalam pengetahuan senirupa yang dinamis, terkendala membeli buku-buku dan majalah senirupa terbitan dalam maupun luar negeri. Kalau untuk kebutuhan itu saja sudah kesulitan, bagaimana harus membiayai diri-sendiri datang ke biennale, triennale, seminar internasional yang bergengsi di luar negeri? 

Dukun dan Patron   

Anak Ibu SRI lainnya,  “cukup cerdas” bernama kolektor. Sayangnya kerap berperilaku over confidence, dengan anggapan, bahwa kolektor yang baik adalah yang selalu bisa membeli dan mengumpulkan karya mahal. 

Pendapat tersebut tidak salah, namun masih dibutuhkan pengetahuan seberapa dalam kolektor menghayati dan membagi  keindahan nilai – nilai kepada orang lain. Dan kolektor kelas atas sebaiknya senantiasa mengerti filosofi seni rupa, bahwa keindahan taman senirupa tidak terletak pada munculnya satu-dua tangkai mawar unggulan, tapi pada semerbak ragam bunga seluruh taman. Kiasan ini, artinya seorang kolektor—apalagi yang ingin disebut “patron”—bukanlah seorang “tukang kebun” yang hanya bisa menyiangi satu-dua tangkai mawar di sangkar emasnya, melainkan seorang “arsitek” yang berjuang di wilayah keindahan, pemikiran, perumusan dan pelaksanaan desain taman itu. Bila saja kolektor mau andil  dalam pembangunan senirupa Indonesia seutuhnya, dan mampu mewujudkan filosofi tersebut dalam infrastruktur pendidikan dan tatanan perniagaan senirupa yang  rapi dan sehat, sehingga karya perupa anak bangsa memiliki standar nilai / harga di pasar internasional, maka ia akan dimuliakan sebagai patron sejati.

Oleh karena itu, sudah tepat jika seorang kolektor, bukan seorang “dukun lukisan”. Apa itu dukun lukisan? Dukun lukisan adalah kolektor yang berprofesi sebagai pedagang lukisan, namun selalu menggunakan topeng sewaktu berjualan, karena takut diketahui identitas sesungguhnya.  

Dengan pemahaman seperti itu, maka untuk senirupa Indonesia sekarang ini, rasanya masih sulit menemukan kolektor dengan sosok patron (sejati). Menurut hemat saya, yang ada baru sebatas kolektor senirupa dengan kecenderungan tipe sebagai berikut. 

(1). Mengoleksi berdasarkan rasa suka semata terhadap  karya seni rupa dengan spesifikasi tertentu. Misalnya, mengoleksi lukisan-lukisan Affandi semata, atau mengoleksi karya drawing saja. Kolektor jenis ini adalah kolektor murni atau boleh dibilang idealis sejati, karena sepanjang hayat mereka hanya mengoleksi tanpa menjualnya kembali. Mereka ini tipe kolektor ber “iman seni” yang kokoh, atau tipe kolektor vertikal. 

(2). Mengoleksi karya seni rupa berbagai medium dan genre -- tradisional, modern dan kontemporer – dengan idealismenya tinggi. Mereka tidak akan berdagang lukisan, kalau pun menjual, itu untuk membeli lagi karya yang lebih bermutu. Pembeliannya pun selalu dalam pameran galeri. Mereka ini tipe kolektor horizontal yang memiliki kepercayaan kepada nilai - nilai karya.

(3). Mengoleksi karya senirupa bergenre khusus. Misalnya, mengoleksi karya senirupa kontemporer Indonesia semata. Kolektor jenis ini rata-rata kolektor muda yang sangat kritis, aktif mengikuti perkembangan senirupa Indonesia maupun internasional, memacu dirinya dengan bacaan buku – buku art theory. Itu sebabnya, mereka tak akan ragu menjual kembali karya yang “tidak segaris” (di luar konsep pengkoleksian si kolektor), atau karena sikap perupanya yang tidak konsisten (berubah kacau), maka diganti dengan karya yang segaris dan bermutu. Alibinya, mereka menjual bukan karena memburu laba, melainkan lebih karena kesadaran kritis. Mereka ini tipe kolektor mudas (muda dan cerdas).

(4). Mengoleksi karya seni rupa berbagai medium dan genre, dengan cara beli mengijon persis seperti tengkulak buah mangga; yang murni berdasarkan prinsip dagang : beli semurahnya, simpan dulu, lalu jual semahalnya. Supaya mata publik ( khususnya para perupa) tidak tahu bahwa dia jualan, maka si kolektor,  meminjam tangan atau mengatasnamakan hulubalangnya (modus operandinya seperti pedagang mobil bodong). Mereka inilah tipe kolektor dukun lukisan.

(5). Di sini saya tidak membahas investor atau art dealer dan pemain pasar karya senirupa lainnya, namun saya menaruh hormat pada mereka yang memiliki kejelasan sikap dan telah banyak membantu pasar Senirupa Indonesia dengan gaya letupan berani beli mahal dari pelelangan dan selalu mendukung kegiatan ( membeli karya ) di pameran galeri.

   

Sesungguhnya persoalan jual-menjual karya senirupa merupakan persoalan krusial yang menentukan kesejatian seorang kolektor. Sebab, menurut Sarah Thornton (2009: 30), hanya ada tiga alasan tradisional kolektor melepaskan karyanya. Dalam bahasa Inggris, pengamat seni rupa terkenal itu mengistilahkannya dengan “Three D’s”— death (wafat), debt (utang), divorce (cerai), dan menurut saya dapat ditambah donation (derma).

Perlu Tatanan Versus Status Quo

Pada umumnya, kolektor di Indonesia belum memiliki pengetahuan filosofis yang memadai. Di sini titik sebabnya mengapa kita sulit menemukan sosok kolektor yang berjiwa asketis ( asketisme ) dan rela berjuang untuk mengembangkan senirupa Indonesia tanpa pertimbangan untung-rugi. Bahkan ada kolektor yang “tersesat” sehingga bersikap anti infrastruktur, anti-tatanan perniagaan  senirupa Indonesia, dan memilih bebas tanpa aturan. Sikap ini bisa saja disebabkan oleh :

Pertama, dengan adanya tatanan infrastruktur dan perniagaan senirupa yang sehat akan meningkatkan  reputasi perupa dan peringkat harga karya, justru akan mengganggu status quo sejumlah kolektor seni rupa yang selama ini merasa nyaman (bisa pilih-pilih karya seenaknya dengan harga lebih murah di studio  perupa), dan aman ( mendapat keistimewaan secara blindly privilege dari perupa ) dalam situasi carut-marut saat ini. 

Kedua, dengan adanya tatanan infrastruktur dan perniagaan senirupa yang sehat, akan membuka kedok kepentingan sejumlah kolektor yang mengundang pelaku seni rupa luar negeri ke Indonesia. Ternyata, itu dilakukan bukan untuk kepentingan perupa dan senirupa Indonesia, melainkan untuk kepentingan pribadi mereka dalam ber-narsis ria  memamerkan egonya, dengan maksud—tujuan selanjutnya, who know ? Sebagaimana diketahui bule intelektual dan pelaku pasar internasional  tidak akan memberi penilaian dan penghargaan karya senirupa kontemporer yang dihasilkan oleh perupa sebuah negara tanpa infrastruktur yang benar. Sebagai contoh karya maestro Affandi, S. Sudjojono dan Widayat pun setelah sekian tahun di koleksi oleh bule mantan Dubes Brasil, toh akhirnya semua dijual kembali ke Indonesia dengan harga relatif murah. Ini disebabkan karya – karya tersebut tidak memiliki standar nilai / harga di pasar internasional ( majalah Tempo, tanggal 16 April 2012, hlm. 68 ). Sebaliknya, hal serupa tidak akan terjadi pada karya seniman Andy Warhol (1928-1987), Joseph Beuys (1921-1986), Francis Bacon (1909-1992), asal negara yang infrastruktur senirupanya baik dan mantap.

Yang perlu ditekankan di sini bahwa 1) Seorang kolektor tidak serta merta menjadi patron senirupa Indonesia karena kekayaan hartanya. Penobatan patron seyogyanya melewati pengujian, pengakuan dan pengukuhan dari pakar komunitas senirupa Indonesia dan akademisinya, bahkan melibatkan beberapa unsur medan sosial senirupa (artworld ) yang berbentuk kelembagaan, yayasan dan sebagainya. 2) Dengan infrastruktur dan tatanan perniagaan senirupa Indonesia yang baik, bukan perupa yang harus bingung dengan go-internasional, sebaliknya internasional community will come to you bro !

Peran Perguruan Tinggi Seni Ditunggu 

Di awal tulisan, sudah saya sebutkan bahwa ayah ketiga anak “idiot” dan kolektor yang “tersesat” jadi dukun lukisan, itu adalah lembaga perguruan tinggi seni(rupa). Dan seandainya di Indonesia tidak pernah ada lembaga pendidikan kesenian atau senirupa, maka semua perupa akan dipanggil dengan nama tukang gambar atau pelukis otodidak. Bisa dibayangkan, para seniman otodidak itu akan menjual  lukisan di rumah yang merangkap studio, atau menggelar lukisan di trotoar jalan atau di pinggiran pasar modern, hingga yang lebih gagah di ruang publik, seperti mall atau hotel. Alias tidak memerlukan infrastruktur yang canggih. Bila pelukis A menggambar naga atau ikan koi laku terjual, maka pelukis B sampai Z ikut menggambar  naga dan koi, mengharap laris.

Namun kenyataan menentukan lain. Setelah Indonesia merdeka, berdiri lembaga pendidikan tinggi senirupa antara lain ISI, ITB (FSRD), dan IKJ. Lembaga pendidikan tersebut setiap tahun meluluskan para sarjana seni S1, dan beberapa perguruan tinggi seni juga meluluskan Sarjana Seni Strata 2 dan Strata 3. Para alumni itulah pada kenyataannya menjadi tulang punggung “produsen senirupa kita” dewasa ini, yakni para perupa, kurator dan pengamat. Dan tidak sedikit dari mereka yang bergerak di berbagai unsur infrastruktur senirupa, dan turut berperan serta bermain di ranah wacana maupun pasar.

Itu sebabnya mengapa saya yakin bahwa pembenahan Ibu SRI (baca infrastruktur senirupa pada umumnya) perlu dilakukan secara bersama dan simultan, termasuk didalamnya melibatkan perguruan tinggi seni. Hal tersebut  dapat memperkuat kesadaran kolektif  atas tata wacana dan tata niaga senirupa Indonesia yang baik dan bermartabat.

Pembenahan kolektif dan simultan seperti itu, pada gilirannya akan berimplikasi positif pada eksistensi seni rupa Indonesia, di mata pelaku dan pemerhati senirupa, di dalam negeri hingga internasional. Lebih dari itu, infrastruktur yang tertata baik dan sehat, juga akan menarik minat kolektor muda (baru), pemain pasar pemula (baru), terutama kedatangan pelaku (pemain) pasar internasional dari bidang financial (perdagangan saham dan mata uang). Situasi demikian diharapkan akan menumbuhkan galeri-galeri baru bermodal kuat dan professional, dan berdatangannya galeri dari New York, Berlin, London, misalnya, untuk membuka cabang di Jakarta (dan akan membawa perupa Indonesia go-internasional dalam arti sesungguhnya). Pada akhirnya karya senirupa Indonesia akan mendapatkan standar nilai / harga di pasar internasional.

Bila hal itu yang terjadi, maka manfaat yang akan diraih oleh medan sosial senirupa Indonesia adalah rasa hormat dan pengakuan dunia senirupa internasional. Dan lembaga pendidikan tinggi seni(rupa) sebagai sang ayah dari berbagai “keidiotan” senirupa yang ada, sudah waktunya turun tangan bersama para praktisi senirupa di lapangan – juga pemerintah -- untuk memikirkan, merumuskan dan menentukan arah masa depan senirupa kita, dimulai dari penataan bagian per bagian infrastruktur senirupa kita. Dan yang tak kalah penting dan menjadi harapan kita bersama, yaitu bagaimana perguruan tinggi seni bisa membawa pengetahuan infra struktur dan tata niaga senirupa Indonesia ini ke ranah kurikulum atau mata kuliah reguler. Sehingga Ibu SRI sehat, dan terbebas dari cengekraman carut-marut dan status quo. Semoga. [V]

Pullquotes

Pembenahan kolektif dan simultan seperti itu, pada gilirannya akan berimplikasi positif pada eksistensi seni rupa Indonesia, di mata pelaku dan pemerhati senirupa, di dalam negeri hingga internasional.

-07 MEI 2012, 10.10-