Lawangwangi Creative Space and ArtSociates

Aan Andonowati, Founder

How have you been exhibiting art or working with artists in the past year?

During the pandemic, our gallery still organised exhibitions both offline and online. We were preparing to celebrate the gallery’s 10th anniversary in 2020 with a physical exhibition titled ‘Trajectory: A Decade of Lawangwangi’. We decided to move it online and present it through an online viewing platform. We also originally planned for a solo exhibition by Eddy Susanto in Europe. Instead, some of the works from his ‘Cosmology’ series were shown in a special presentation in ArtJog in August 2020.

‘Poetical Vector’ by G. Sidharta and ‘A Decade Encounters with Eddy Susanto’ were two exhibitions that happened physically and online. We also collaborated with other galleries to stage shows. One of them was in response to the pandemic, titled ‘Here and Then: Art after the Global Pandemic’.

What are the profiles of the artists you tend to show? Are there specific interests or themes that inform your gallery programme?

Initially in 2008, our gallery was not commercial. Our first big exhibition was Tisna Sanjaya’s show at the Indonesian National Gallery. The national magazine ‘Tempo’ chose it as the best exhibition of the year, and this earned our gallery a reputation of organising quality exhibitions. In 2010, I initiated the Bandung Contemporary Art Award (BaCAA), a biannual competition. Juror members of BaCAA are chosen from stakeholders of the art community such as artists, critics, journalists, collectors, gallery owners, and directors of art institutions. It was a way of selecting artists to work with and promote internationally. I tend to show artists who are interested in socio-political and religious themes. For me, artworks should reflect contemporary issues and the artists’

proficiency in their chosen medium. Past BaCAA winners Eddy Susanto, Mujahidin Nurrahman and Etza Meisyara are the three artists we are working with.

How has your role as a gallery evolved since the pandemic?

As we provide a monthly stipend to our artists, they are able to continue making their works without any pause. Our long-term contracts with artists cover production and living costs. If they need additional support to execute their works, we also help with hiring assistants and mentors, such as curators, scientists and experts. These costs are later deducted from their share of the artwork sales. During the quiet time of 2020, we decided to prepare for solo shows in 2021. Our artists also gave back to the community through a charity sale I organised in April 2020. Proceeds from the sale were used to support neighbours who lost their jobs.

What is a favourite artwork or event from the past year?

Mujahidin Nurrahman, ‘Slash’, 2019, pencil on paper, hand cut paper, acrylic, wood, glass, 109.5 x 155.5cm. Images courtesy of ArtSociates.

My favourite artwork is Eddy Susanto’s ‘The Journey of Panji’ (2016), which was exhibited at the Singapore Art Museum and is now in their collection. Another piece is Mujahidin Nurrahman’s paper cut work titled ‘Slash’ (2019), which has been placed in the Tumurun Private Museum collection.