For struggling artists in Indonesia, a Web site based halfway across the world is helping them get noticed. Deviantart.com in Los Angeles has become the outlet of choice for up-and-comers who otherwise have a slim chance of getting into galleries dominated by more senior artists.
DA, as it more commonly referred to, dubs itself as “the world’s largest online community of artists and art lovers.” The site is said to have more than 13 million members who have posted more than 100 million
artworks, ranging from photography to digital art.
The Indonesia community on DA — #indonesia under the groups tab — was founded seven years ago. The chapter currently has six administrators and close to 1,900 members.
Veteran artist Ipong Purnomo Sidhi said that he has heard a lot about the community from his colleagues at Bentara Budaya cultural center in Jakarta.
“It’s been around and talked about,” he said. “I’m not a frequent visitor, but I have browsed the Web site several times just to take a look at what’s new.”
Ipong, who recently concluded his Bali exhibition and was leaving for the Netherlands soon, said that an online “gallery like deviantart is inevitable” these days, since major galleries with their extensive connections of art dealers and buyers prefer to deal with more established names.
He added that the Internet was no longer a luxury for many artists, especially for the younger generation, but has become a necessity. “They can have a blog or post their artwork online so that they could be more publicly known. But I think one blog would not be too interesting. Deviantart.com is a virtual community of artists in its own right.”
Praditya Nova, who goes by the name Ditya online, is listed as the founder of the Indonesia community. “Our group aims to showcase Indonesian art and also to promote our country internationally to foreigners,” he said.
“The way we do it is we show something beautiful about our country and not something bad about it through artworks.”
The pictures in the community’s gallery visually represent aspects of Indonesian culture, politics, society and history as portrayed by various members.
In terms of the form and presentation, one can find art ranging from photographs to Japanese-style comic drawings.
The themes of the artworks are varied, featuring poems and sketches of former presidents like Sukarno and graphic icons that say “I Love Indonesia” in batik style.
The artworks also constantly reference the country’s mythology, such as the garuda, and national heroes such as Raden Adjeng Kartini, but using modern methods to reinterpret them.
Praditya explained their guidelines for the community. The topic must be about Indonesia. Once submitted, the work will then be put to a vote by the administrators before being posted online.
“We have very strict rules when it comes to selection of artworks,” said Mare Kullit, another administrator of the community, who is known as tetamarbeta on the site.
“We want to make sure that only the best work that is submitted will be showcased.”
On average, the Indonesia community on DA receives 20-30 artwork submissions daily, but only 1 percent of these will usually make it to the page.
One somewhat controversial criteria of the community is the rejection of submissions if they portray Indonesia in a bad light. “Pictures that show the bad side of Indonesia can easily mislead people to think that we’re a very poor country,” Pradiyta said. “We want to let everyone know that even if we are a developing country, we have beautiful landscapes and we are a beautiful place.”
Being a member has its perks. Members can easily tap into each other’s expertise and collaborate to produce art pieces for their clients.
This means that someone good at photography could request help from a fellow member with an expertise in digital imaging to fine tune their snapshots. They are also able to give feedback and share ideas on how to improve skills and technique.
Galih Adi P, who goes by munkymuck online, said his portfolio got a boost when his works were featured on the Web site.
“Through DA, clients from all around the world, including in Australia and the US, have contacted me,” he said. “So far, I’ve done designs for CD covers, posters and fliers.”
Praditya, who is also a professional photographer, also uses the site to drum up business and make new contacts. “I direct my clients to view my portfolio on my DA account.”
“I also got to know many more like-minded friends from Indonesia and other countries.”
Even though the Indonesia deviantart community exists online, it has started to spill over to real life. Members meet up during what they refer to as the yearly local devmeet (deviant art meet-up).
The community also organizes art exhibitions and competitions with other institutions.
One such exhibit is in collaboration with the University of Mercu Buana Jakarta’s design department, to be held on campus from June 26-29.
As with all things, there is an upside and downside to having an online gallery of sorts.
The upside is obviously the global exposure for the least expense. Ipong said that it was too expensive for fledgling artists to organize solo exhibitions.
“It may sound cynical, but I’m saying it. Art exhibitions tend to become an event where business transactions are mostly expected to happen,” he said, adding that many idealists are still of the notion that shows should only be used to send their message to the public.
The downside? “With online galleries, the danger would be the curatorial process,” Ipong said. “If it’s set up for the sake of improving fine art, then it must not discriminate on gender, faith, or ideology.
“Artworks must not be judged on their aesthetic aspects alone, but for their messages as well. And importantly, artworks must not be directed to glorify one particular idea.”
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