Dynamic, passionate, cheap: Art Jakarta fair praised for courage in showing young artists, and for its low prices
- Revamped fair focused on emerging Asian talent, in contrast to more established artists shown at Art Basel, and many works were priced very affordably
- Some collectors picked up works by young Indonesian artists for as little as US$1,000, while a new work by Filipino Ronald Ventura went for US$600,000
Art collectors and dealers who usually complain of fair fatigue were pleasantly surprised at this year’s Art Jakarta.
“It’s more exciting than other fairs, as galleries are more courageous about bringing young artists compared to Art Basel, for example, where it’s a very curated list,” says Singapore-based Indonesian collector Nathaniel Gunawan, who made several discoveries at the fair last weekend.
He snapped up a work by a young Thai painter, Aracha Cholitgul, as well as a small painting by Burmese multimedia artist Sawangwongse Yawnghwe – both at prices in the range of US$3,000 to US$5,000.
Belgian collector Alain Servais, who spent time visiting artists’ studios in Yogyakarta ahead of the fair, echoed this sentiment. “It’s a lively context with young people who are passionate and dynamic,” he says of the artists and exhibitors. “Relative to international standards it’s also extremely cheap.”
Unlike fairs such as Art Basel, which focus on blue-chip artists, Asian fairs provide international exposure for emerging talent, young galleries and local art collectives, alongside more established players.
