Indo news 2010: Yogya

Apa kabar?

I am now in Yogyakarta, the city in Central Jawa where I lived in 2006, when I was here to study Batik and Craft.
At that time, the city was somehow "sleepy" due to the earthquake that destroyed enormously it's area.
Dust, broken houses, demolitions were the normal issue.
Also, damaged walls made it difficult to find a house to live.

But now, after 3 years, the city is looking much better.
Restorations took place and the city is full of new restaurants, hotels, etc.
I am staying in a house called Rumah Teman that was built exactly to fill the gap of accommodation for tourists and artists that come regularly here.
It's a dream house: I have a lovely room, am exactly in the same area where I lived, that happened to be the galleries and art cafes area.
Oh it's god to be back!

I am very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to come here for Research and even see the 10th Jogja Biennial : Jogja Jammin' going on. It's closing today, so I better rush and see the last bit of it, at the Jogja National Museum.
So far, the Biennial is very good :) but that is normal, given the role of this city in the International Art Scene.

Yogyakarta is considered the city of art i the context of Indonesia and, according to Karim Raslan, that has given a speech on the conferences related to the Biennial about South East Asian Art, it's the leading city in this region.

I am here thanks to a scholarship of Orient Foundation in Portugal.
It's very pleasing to say that in Portugal I teach Batik. After all, I learned the art here. And this has been a surprise to every Javanese I speak to. I have been promoting this art with the help of the Orient Museum in Lisbon. Recently a fine collector of Batik from Indonesia, Hudy Suharnoko, kindly donated some samples of his collection to the museum, filling the gap of the collection that already possessed Wayang figures and a Gamelan Orchestra.
And now the idea is to write about the contemporary art scene that relates to the traditional art forms of Indonesia - karawitan, wayang and batik -, namely Java, my subject of study. It's extremely positive to assist to the amount of artists relating to this issue.

I have to go! Sampai jumpa!
Salam, noor