Indonesian Art Events Delayed to 2021

Following the escalated severity of Covid-19 in Indonesia—which has extended its national emergency period to May 29 with more than 14,000 confirmed cases and 900 deaths at time of writing—a string of art festivals including Art Jakarta, ArtJog, and the Jakarta Biennale have announced their respective cancellations of programs for 2020, with halted plans to resume in 2021.

On May 8, Indonesia’s iconic annual art fair Art Jakarta announced that its 2020 edition, originally slated for August 28–30, is canceled and will return next year from August 27–29 at the Jakarta Convention Center. This decision was made on the grounds that “exhibitors deserve the best possible economic environment to present the works of their artists,” and “a physical environment which is safe and does not constitute a health risk in any possible way,” according to a press release signed by Tom Tandio, Enin Supriyanto, and Dr Gil Schneider, respectively the fair’s director, artistic director, and consultant. This year’s event would have marked the 12th year of Art Jakarta, with a roster of 70 participating galleries from Indonesia and elsewhere in Asia. Whether the same exhibitors will participate in 2021 is unspecified.

Likewise, Heri Pemad Management, the organizer of Yogyakarta’s annual art festival ArtJog, made the decision on April 18 to shift its 13th edition—Arts in Common MMXX | time (to) wonder—from July 23–August 30, 2020, to 2021, with exact dates yet to be confirmed. The 2021 edition will be held at the Jogja National Museum and will retain the title of “time (to) wonder,” with the same line-up of artists, according to its press release. Ignatia Nilu, a member of the curatorial team commented that “even though this decision was driven by force majeure, the delay in fact accidentally ‘confirms’ what we mean by time (to) wonder as our curatorial theme this year.” Fair organizers and curators are currently planning an “emergency response edition” of programs for later this year, to highlight the essence of imagination and self-reflection amid the current crisis. 

Furthermore, the Jakarta Biennale announced on April 19 that its event, originally set to open for November 2020, will be delayed until the second half of 2021. Ongoing preparations for the Biennale continue, however further details will be unveiled at a later time. On an Instagram post, the Biennale affirms that it is “physically closed for now, mentally open for tomorrow.”

Charmaine Kong is an editorial intern of ArtAsiaPacific.

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