Art All Around
Over cakes and coffee in a blue room lit by late afternoon sun, Jasmine Prasetio talks with ‘Indonesia Tatler’ about the country’s art scene, and loving and living 159
is life, especially in her role as Director in Asia and Indonesia Country Manager for Sotheby’s— one of the oldest and largest auction houses in the world. She also promotes Indonesian art globally, which is why this August is an important month both for her and for the art community as it will see local art come to the fore over two huge events.
One of these is Art Stage Jakarta, which marks the international art fair’s brand’s first foray into Indonesia and which will highlight the country as a major player on the global art map. “Indonesians have a wide range of appreciation for art from all over the world,” Jasmine says. “And it is so easy to fall in love with works by Indonesian artists.” She goes on to note that although Indonesia has a rich culture and history when it comes to collectors, patrons, artists’ havens and creativity, not many collectors outside the country know much about its art.
This is changing, however: “In 2007, we started seeing international recognition through our auction platform,” she says. “The market steadily grew and expanded thanks to this exposure.” Jasmine says that this has been the result of a collective effort from various people including as well as art groups, curators, galleries, collectors, journalists, corporations and more. “It takes a nation to get to where we are now, and the journey is only going to get more exciting,” Jasmine says. “What is important now is to engage more people—not necessarily to be involved, but at least to be aware.”
A lot of people, however, find that the idea of art is something very distant and intimidating. Changing perspectives and ways of thinking is needed to see art as a part of everyday life. Without realising it, she said, we are living with art every day when we enjoy food, beautiful interiors and architecture, fashion and more. “We have to break away from the preconceived idea that one has to own art in order to appreciate and benefit from it,” she says. “When you see the world through art, you are provoked to think out of the box.”
Jasmine’s love for art started when she was a 9-year-old girl who visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam with her grandmother. “I remember feeling both amazed and fascinated,” Jasmine says. “I thought there was a darkness in Rembrandt’s works that was daunting, but at the same time the works were so intriguing that I could not get them out of my mind.”
She then tells us about her trip to see James Turrell’s retrospective exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. “His works are mostly art that you can’t own because the medium is lighting,” Jasmine says. A whole room of changing lights was a completely inspiring and rejuvenating experience that changed the way Jasmine sees art and the world.
“Our understanding is limited by our knowledge at a given time, but through art, we can see that possibilities are infinite,” she says. “We just have to find the right perspective.” Art also connects people globally and instills appreciation and awareness, which is important to any culture, says the young leader. “An art fair is a great example of art uniting people from all walks of life,” she says. “You can see an entrepreneur, a Fortune 500 CEO, a banker, a bohemian curator, an auctioneer, a young art enthusiast, and an artist at the same time.”
“It is also an amazing platform from which to launch many other things, like the work undertaken by Bono, the lead singer with U2, who is a big art collector and philanthropist,”jasmine says. “He uses art to do good works, such as collaborating with Sotheby’s in a charity auction for RED—A non-profit organisation dedicated to fight AIDS in Africa.” To close our chat, Jasmine suggests some small steps to incorporate art into one’s life by “opening our minds to new experiences, attending more art events, galleries, fairs and museums to see different forms of art, and then researching those you like or feel connected to”. She urges people to not be shy and to ask questions and utilise the Internet or read books. Questions will be answered by other people, and new understandings and experiences will be born according to Jasmine. “Our taste evolves, which is inevitable,” she says. “We shouldn’t stop growing and be afraid of change.”
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