Artists’ Camp 2012-2015
Retrospective Exhibition

ART AND CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT PROJECT BETWEEN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY AND INDONESIA

The vision of the Artists’ Camps 2012, 2014, 2016 was to have leading Indonesian artists come to the Northern Territory and interpret the pristine, wild landscapes, interact with Aboriginal people and interpret the Aboriginal culture of the Northern Territory.

The vision is an exercise in engagement between the Northern Territory and Indonesia through art and culture that will produce enduring works of art with an Indonesian perspective and intuition. It is a vision that allows other conversations to be had around the engagement through art and culture. Art and culture are core matters across Indonesian society. So the Artists’ Camp project promotes positive engagement in a manner that is well received in Indonesia. The project is run by the Northern Centre of Contemporary Art (NCCA) culminating in exhibitions at NCCA’s Gallery in Parap.

The Bali Artists’ Camps of 2011, 2014, 2016 complement the Artists’ Camp art engagement project run in alternate years by the Northern Centre for Contemporary Art (NCCA) in Darwin in conjunction with the Made Budhiana Gallery the Artists’ Camps witnessed Balinese and Indonesian artists coming to the Northern Territory and interpreting its wilderness and beautiful, rugged and diverse landscape together with an artistic and cultural interaction with Aboriginal artists and living in aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory.

The concept of the Artists’ Camps has a rich historical context linked to the Northern Territory. The concept is based upon the artist camps conducted by the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) from 1978 to 1993 whereby leading non-Aboriginal artists were invited to come to the Top End and interpret artistically landscape and Aboriginal culture.

The Bali Artists’ Camps have seen leading and emerging Australian, European, American and Japanese artists engage with Indonesian artists interpreting landscape in remote parts of Bali and Bali’s rich architectural monuments and Balinese culture.

In one year leading Indonesian artists come to the Northern Territory and camp out in the Territory landscape and live in Aboriginal communities and paint with Aboriginal artists and interpret Aboriginal culture. In alternate years, Australian, Japanese, European and American artists are in Bali interpreting Balinese and Eastern Indonesian landscape and culture. They do so in the company of leading Indonesian artists.

The result has been rich engagement in the area of art and culture and between the Northern Territory and Indonesia. Enduring friendships have been formed and respect for respective cultures and landscapes nurtured by the art engagement experience and the excellent art works produced.

The seven years of art and cultural exchange have been a great success. The five previous exhibitions, three at the Made Budhiana Gallery in Lod Tunduh in 2011, 2012 and 2014 and two in the NCCA gallery in 2012 and 2015 have produced many sensitive and powerful works of art. The works speak eloquently of rich engagement through art and the power of art and cultural exchange to promote understanding, appreciation of difference and the promotion of creative friendships

A retrospective exhibition at NCCA gallery in Parap in January 2018 opened by Chief Minister Michael Gunner MLA and the acting Indonesian Consul brought together the works of engagement in a powerful way and received very positive press coverage in Australia and Indonesia.

Overall, this project and exercise has been one of genuine engagement between Northern Territory and Indonesia through the enduring and stimulating medium of art. The Artists’ Camps/Bali Artists’ Camps are intended to develop deep appreciation across peoples and project a genuine lasting positive message from the NT.

In conclusion, the vision of the engagement project continues- engagement at a range of levels and the power of witness. Art and culture are powerful components of Indonesian society. When I was a member of the Australia Indonesia Institute, the then Indonesian Foreign Minister Mr Ali Alatas said to me: “art and culture are the most important means of engagement; because they are enduring”. My experience of collecting Indonesian art and engaging with Indonesian artists since 1984 has convinced me of the truth of that statement.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

ARTISTS’ CAMP 2012

I MADE BUDHIANA

I WAYAN WIRAWAN

I GEDE GUNDA EKA ATMAJA

I DEWA RATA YOGA

ARTISTS’ CAMP 2015

LIONEL POSSUM

I MADE BUDMIANA

RUPERT BETHERAS

NI NYOMAN SANI

I MADE SUARIMBAWA ((DACBO)

I MADE SUDIBIA

(NANIK) SURYANI

I WAYAN WIRAWAN