“Today’s innovations have given the art market a new way to adapt amid the pandemic”
thanks to that online market.
Though the pandemic may not be over yet, the art industry sees new light as artists and curators both refuse to let current events hold them down for too long. The pandemic has helped more people realize the value of art, music, and culture as a beacon of hope in such bleak times, and in return, more people have been investing more time and effort into rekindling the art scene. Unesco, in particular, has urged for more support for the arts and culture sphere. Unesco Director-general Audrey Azoulay has stated that “culture has helped us out of the crisis. Now we have to help culture and support the diversity to which culture owes its strength”.
Understanding that the arts are such an important source of positivity and variation, galleries and art fairs in Southeast Asia, for example, have dedicated themselves to reopening this year, both online and offline. The region has had a rich history detailing its everlasting love for the arts, from its traditional dress and jewellery to its music and dance, which persists even today. STPI’S S.E.A. Focus and Art Moments Jakarta are two examples of such persistence.
S.E.A. Focus is a platform for contemporary artists, showcasing artworks and artists from all around Southeast Asia. Led by a Singaporebased STPI workshop and gallery, it aims to provide a platform to propel diverse cultural exchanges which celebrate, promote and provoke dialogue about Southeast Asian art. Early in 2021, S.E.A.
Focus has returned on digital and offline platforms to promote local artists and artworks. Its online art exhibition on Artsy launched on January 20, and its physical show, hyper–horizon, was open to the public on the 22.
Having taken place in Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore, the showcase was a response to the waves of change seizing Southeast Asia. It is also a symbol of possibility and hope as it reflects on the place and vitality of art in testing times. This project by STPI is just one of many that are happening among the uncertainty of 2021. Notably,
Art Moments Jakarta is another Southeast Asian platform for the arts with an upcoming event later in the year. As the art industry within Indonesia flourishes and steadily grows, the country’s artists have also been gaining increasing attention on the international stage.
Art Moments Jakarta, which describes itself as “the leading contemporary art fair in Indonesia”, was created to nurture this growth, to transform Indonesia into an international art destination as well as to “[boost] confidence in the contemporary art market in South East Asia. Although the muchanticipated Art Moments Jakarta 2020 was postponed because of the outbreak of Covid-19, the fair will take place in 2021 at the Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City and Gandaria City Hotel.
With the theme of “Yesterday Since Tomorrow”, Art Moments Jakarta 2021 discusses and celebrates how art threads itself throughout human history and how it lives and breathes among us. Having a motto, “Yesterday Since Tomorrow is TODAY, Yesterday Since Tomorrow is US”, the fair is a co-existence of the young, the emerging, and the established, the traditional and the contemporary. Moreover, it is about art and craft, all mingling on a unified platform in a dynamic landscape.
With around 600 artworks exhibited and the participation of 35 galleries, Art Moments Jakarta 2019, held at the Sheraton from May 3 to 5, was a success that significantly promoted Indonesia’s art industry, with enthusiastic responses from visitors. Today, Art Moments Jakarta has appointed Khai Hori as the Artistic Director for 2020-2021, knowing that the internationally renowned curator would elevate the next art fair to new heights.
The art sphere has grown alongside the development of new technologies and inventions. Art is both a window to the past and a hope for the future. Though viral outbreaks and lockdowns may have changed the meaning of normalcy in the present day, humankind’s love for creativity is universal and ever-enduring. Even during a global pandemic, the music, entertainment, and art industries have and will steadily remain.