The art fair mechanism that have been held twice and goes by the name Jogja Art Fair (JAF) is an event that takes on a unique position within the social field of art in the country. Even more so if we are to compare it with other art fairs. The uniqueness lies in its mechanism which openly and directly calls for artists participation instead of involving art galleries.
As widely known, (regularly) art fair becomes a venue for galleries to display works by artists they represented where they rent the space available based on its size. There, galleries sell some artists works and often interact one and another for future program partnership as well as to embark upon other opportunities. Meanwhile, JAF employs a mechanism that opens a space for participation as wide as possible, first through an open call as well as handing out invitations to selected artists. This is followed by a selection process then strategically setting the works for presentation in the display room. Later these works are sold to whoever finds them interesting.
Apart from this ‘uniqueness’, obviously JAF also has to take some ‘risks’ since it is inevitably perceived as an event that bypasses gallery’s distribution lines. For certain, JAF – should- anticipate this development, such as by encouraging galleries’ involvement in any potentiality. The one year intermission between program may provide strong enough reason to argue that JAF is only taking a minute portion from the ongoing market dynamic.
However, the one year interval could also face JAF with some crucial challenges: can it actually foster its role as a partner of artists-galleries-collectors through such an unusual event, which has its own value of attractiveness for public? In the coming days, will JAF evolves into an annual holding, and could it match other art events such as biennalle or trienalle? Hence, it will be quite neutral (if) JAF is understood as a large scale exhibition which aims at the development of contemporary visual art in the country while at the same time involving and empowering the different elements of arts as a social field.
On the other hand, JAF can be seen as an event that provide opportunities for new artists to emerge and initiate their artistic reputation. Whereas in its debut number JAF appeared as a respond to the exulting Indonesian art market which has become more open and tolerant , at the JAF#2 the organizer came up with the initiative of involving a curator. The theme of JAF#2 Spacing Contemporary was chosen as a strategy to invoke discussions of a term which has increasingly becoming a common usage in the past couple of years: ‘contemporary’ or in the context of art known as ‘contemporary art’.
Aside from the curatorial strategy, similar to the earlier event, the second JAF also talked about ‘the market’ as an issue that has continued to spark interests among many throughout the year of 2009. Even upon entering the year 2010, the idea of ‘contemporary art as investment o its potentiality as investment property’ still enlivens many discussions in the scene.
Going through 2010, we should be able to move away from these issues towards more pertinent ones, we should be more open to the spectrum of problems in the country. There are enough reason to suspect whether arts could actually transform the social life situations. However some people still instill and believe that art has deep impact -although invisible- to its surrounding. Thus, while still implementing its regular mechanism of open call, selection and artists commission, JAF#3 proposes a theme that pointed to the tension or perhaps a rapture; the gap between artist, art and society through their visual representations and the diverse variants.
It is about time for JAF to address crucial issues that are more relevant to crucial situations. This eventually also expands the scope of this local art fair scope to wider participants: beyond the national boundaries. To this aim, JAF#3 is named anew : ART JOGJA (ART|JOG). Meanwhile JAF itself is positioned as an ‘institution’ which manage and has the authority in organizing the ART|JOG|10 programs.
Although implying domestic connotation, the term ART|JOG is picked to target contemporary the general practices in art . The word choice ‘Jogja’ needs to be perceived not as simple as a geographic term, which is limited and confining, but more in a pragmatic sense: since it is held in Jogjakarta. Therefore, of course ART|JOG is expected to include participation from artists from across Indonesia.
ART|JOG|10 is introduced as a moment in which every elements constituting the social field of art meet up every once a year. Surely by engaging with the contemporary dimension of the moment we will not neglect its evaluative side. ART|JOG|10 represents the various trends within contemporary art practices by accommodating the wide range of art genre, medium, materials and aesthetic tendencies throughout its selection process.