Gallery's Response: A Dispute Over Curatorial Influence.”>Yos Suprapto‘s Artworks at Galeri Nasional: Eventful Penurunan Still in Progress

Tim from Yos Suprapto’s artist assistants are still in the process of removing all artworks that were on display in the A Building of Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Gambir, Central Jakarta. This process started yesterday, Monday (23/12/2024), late afternoon and is expected to continue until tomorrow or the next day. The most time-consuming process is the dismantling of installations that use electrical components.

Munir, Yos Suprapto’s main assistant who had just arrived at around 09.29 WIB, was busy preparing the electrical components of an installation titled "Terrains" where 38 pieces of earthenware filled with soil and equipped with electrical components were lined up. Each earthenware has a lamp that lights up when the soil within it is in good condition.

"These electrical components are not directly connected to the electrical source. There is a mechanism that is not too complicated. However, we still have to check one by one," explained Munir.

Among the exhibited pieces, there is a large-sized painting titled "Resurrection" which illustrates the process of destroying and rehabilitating the land. This painting, measuring 10 meters, is the largest artwork in the exhibition space.

On the side of the installation titled "Nuansan", there are still around 32 paintings on display. There are about 10 small-sized black-and-white paintings scattered among the large paintings.

Munir estimated that the process of dismantling this installation would continue until evening or the next day. The paintings and installations dismantled would then be sent to Yos Suprapto’s hometown in Yogyakarta.

Yos Suprapto himself was not seen overseeing the removal of his artworks. However, Munir confirmed that Yos would return to Yogyakarta that night.

Initially, it was reported that Yos Suprapto had decided to remove all of his artworks from Galeri Nasional due to the inability to reach a consensus with the curator and the gallery regarding the presentation of his exhibition titled "Resurrection: Earth for National Food Sovereignty" which was originally scheduled to take place from December 19, 2024 to January 19, 2025.

On the evening of Monday (23/12/2024), Yos said, "We have reached a consensus among the three of us, namely me as the artist, the gallery, and the previous curator. But unfortunately, we couldn’t find a meeting point in this discussion. So, this exhibition can’t be continued because we can’t find a meeting point. Starting from understanding the narrative."

Yos explained that the exhibition that he demanded should illustrate the condition of the land in each of the 38 provinces in Indonesia. He wanted to show whether the land in each province was in good condition or not, which could be indicated by the lamp at the top of each earthenware.

"That’s nuanced. So it can’t be like this, like this, like this. It has to be narrated like this. If it’s narrated like this, how can we present it running? That’s the problem," said Yos Supraipotent.

For the record, earlier, Yos Suprapto had removed approximately 37 of his paintings that had been displayed for several days before the exhibition was scheduled to open. Yos did this to protest what he called the censorship of his works by the gallery curator.

Please follow up with "Yos Suprapto Removes All Artworks from Galeri Nasional, Cites Disagreements with Curator and Gallery" and "Yos Suprapto Pulls Out All of His Works from Galeri Nasional Exhibit".

Art Exhibition of Iconic Indonesian Artist Yos Suprapto Stripped from National Gallery

In an unexpected turn of events, a much-anticipated exhibition of works by esteemed Indonesian artist Yos Suprapto has been abruptly removed from the Galeri Nasional Indonesia. The solo exhibition, slated to open this week, was quietly pulled from the gallery’s schedule without any official explanation.

Speculation about the sudden cancellation has been rife among art enthusiasts and cultural circles. Some art critics have hinted at the exhibition’s potential controversy, suggesting that the works on display may have stepped into political or cultural sensitivities. While no specific details have been confirmed, the potential for the exhibition to spark debate is high, given Suprapto’s history of using art to address social and political issues.

In a statement, the Galeri Nasional Indonesia maintained a stance of ambiguity, stating only that the exhibition’s cancellation stemmed from "internal reasons." However, sources close to the matter have indicated that the decision may have been influenced by pressure from higher authorities.

This is not the first time one of Suprapto’s exhibitions has been shrouded in controversy. In the past, his works have been censored and exhibitions canceled due to their perceived critical stance against the government or societal norms. Despite this, Suprapto remains one of Indonesia’s most acclaimed and influential artists, known for his bold and provocative depictions of contemporary Indonesian life.

As the art world awaits further clarification on the exhibition’s demise, one can’t help but wonder if the fear of engaging with controversial topics has once again silenced a powerful voice in Indonesian art.

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