Bui Gallery Blog

Taken from Jakarta Post Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Magelang, Central Java | Sun, 04/15/2012

             New OHD Museum aims for Indonesian art to go international

The older you are the more successful and active you are. It is a fitting description of a devoted collector of Indonesian artworks.

The 73 year old recently opened a space for Indonesian artists to display their fine art creations by establishing the new Oei Hong Djien Museum. Oei is unique among collectors in his dedication to art. Since 1964, he has collected around 2,000 artworks and he has never been tempted to sell them.

“At my age, I want to give the highest appreciation to Indonesian artists for their creations of fine art because they are very talented and I want to provide them with space in all my museums,” said Oei.

The new OHD Museum will be an exhibition space for selected artists, a place to learn about art and a reference for artistic works for everyone. It also will expose Indonesian art at the international level. Of course, works by Indonesian artists are of equal merit to those created by international artists but there has been little appreciation or attention paid to them during the past few decades.

In addition to opening the new museum, Oei has also released two books, one a collection of essays, Art and Collecting Art, and the other about five of the best Indonesian artists, titled Five Maestros of Modern Indonesian Art. The new OHD Museum was officially opened on April 5, 2012, with its inauguration marked by an exhibition called “Back to Basics”, presenting works by Affandi, S. Sudjojono, Hendra Gunawan, H. Widayat and Soedibio.

The launching of Dr Oei's book by Mr. Kwik Kian Gie (former minister of Indonesia), and accompanied by Victor R Hartono (President director of Djarum Foundation), and Letty Surjo (OHD Museum director)

Indonesia still does not have a National Art Museum which represents the national art history. What cannot be done by the government is fortunately done by big private collectors who share the opinion that good art should be seen by the public. Therefore Indonesia celebrated 2 Art Stage Singapore Collectors Club members: Dr. Oei Hong Djien and Dr. Melani Setiawan. Together with the entire Indonesian art scene – artists, collectors, curators, art critics, etc. –, national political and social leaders and countless art luminaries and art personalities from all over Asia and even from Europe and the US, also Art Stage Singapore Director Lorenzo Rudolf and Head of VIP relations Maria Elena Rudolf joined Dr. Oei and Dr. Melani in support of their highly-anticipated events – the opening of Dr. Oei’s third private museum in Magelang and the opening of Dr. Melani’s “Re.Claim” exhibition at the National Gallery in Jakarta. Both events impressively demonstrated that the Indonesian art scene is indeed rightfully garnering the attention of the international art community.

As we are moving gallery space, I have been more aware of art conservation and transport. We are based in Hanoi, Vietnam and the local climate doesn't make it easy for conservation. Anyways, i have turned to a great foundation called Asiarta. Asiarta Foundation is a non-profit arts foundation, established in early 2009, to support vital development, documentation and conservation of the visual arts in Asia. Our principal region of interest is Southeast Asia, with an initial country focus on Vietnam, though much of our work involves exchanges of skills, knowledge and ideas far beyond Asian boundaries. Asiarta Foundation’s Asian fine art conservation studio and laboratory was set up by Bettina Ebert. Bettina holds a Masters degree in Conservation of Fine Art from Northumbria University in the UK, where she specialised in the treatment of Vietnamese paintings.

Bettina has written this great article on SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE WAYS TO MAKE TRANSPORT BOXES. Thought i should spread the gospel and let as many people as possible how this should be done - in a proper way.

Thanks Bettina, this definitely helps us at the Bui Gallery!!

Aug 29, 2011 Bettina Ebert Taken from Asiarta.org

Wouldn’t we all love to have access to expertly crafted, custom-made museum transport crates when shipping works of art? Unfortunately, the realities of collecting art in Southeast Asia make this almost impossible. Therefore, we have come up with a simple system that involves readily available materials and is easy and cheap to make in Southeast Asia.

Tube for rolled paintings

Oversized contemporary paintings can be rolled and transported inside a large plastic tube normally used in sewerage plumbing and construction. These tubes are incredibly sturdy and almost impossible to dent. The painting is placed face down on several overlapping sheets of smooth paper. This will act as a barrier layer, protecting the paint layers. The painting can then be rolled with the paint layer facing outwards but protected from contact by the paper interlayer. It should be rolled with as large a diameter as possible to reduce curvature and bending of the paint as much as possible. A piece of paper or padding can then be wrapped around both ends of the rolled painting, and the excess folded inwards. The painting is then carefully inserted into the tube, and extra padding placed in each end to reduce movement to a minimum. The ends of the tube can be sealed with plastic bowls of a suitable size, so that they fit snugly over the tube. Fabric tape wrapped around the join prevents the plastic bowls from coming off during transport, while sealing the whole package watertight. For paintings that are stretched onto a strainer or stretcher, placing them in a box tends to be the most effective method of transport. Check tensioning of the canvas, to see whether it is taut or slack. Slackness is an issue, as the canvas will move during transport, slapping against the auxiliary support. This may cause cracks or flaking of fragile paint. If the transport box is placed horizontally, the canvas may sag and come into contact with the auxiliary support, which also leads to crack formation in the paint layers. For such paintings, extra padding is recommended. A benefit of padding is that it reduces vibration of the canvas, cushions and reduces movement of the canvas during transport. While polyester wadding is ideal for this purpose, it is not readily available in Southeast Asia. Alternate sources for inserts that can be used for the rear of paintings are soft furnishings such as cushions or mats, which often contain foam. These can be purchased in varying thicknesses in mattress shops or furniture shops.

Foam for cushioning

In order to select the right thickness of foam, compress by hand to check the support it will provide. Some foams compress very easily and provide less protection, though may be necessary where the painting surface has unusual protrusions (either in the painting layer) or elements of the frame. Medium density foam is generally better for overall protection. Usually, between two and 7 cm is suitable for external packing, while up to three cm may be necessary to pad the reverse of the canvas. The foam should be the same thickness as the stretcher bars or slightly less, so that it is not compressed. Compressed foam will exert pressure on the canvas, which may lead to damage. Once suitable foam has been selected, it is cut to fit as an insert into the back of the painting, where it lies against the canvas. If there are crossbars in the auxiliary support, smaller pieces of foam should be cut to fit around these. Offcuts of the foam are kept as they are useful for padding the box or supporting the sides of the painting. If the foam is cut to the right size, it should remain in place when the painting is wrapped. For framed paintings, we have found it useful to wrap string tightly around. This keeps the padding in place and protects the front of the painting by creating an air gap between the front and the high point of the frame.

Foam with groove cut for frame

The painting should then be wrapped in a smooth material such as paper. Tyvek is a great synthetic, stable and sturdy material, but not easily available. The wrapping paper should be placed on a smooth surface, and the painting placed face down on it, ensuring that no creases are present. The paper should then be wrapped tightly and sealed with tape. With larger paintings, it may be necessary to use several overlapping sheets of paper. An additional piece of foam may then be placed against the front of the painting, and where necessary, a groove cut for the frame to sit snugly within. Where the condition of the painting makes this additional foam unnecessary, the package is wrapped in bubble wrap, with additional bubble wrap in the corners for added protection. Based on the dimensions of the wrapped painting, a box maker is approached, who then constructs a custom-made thick cardboard box. Cardboard box makers can usually be found in areas where shipping and packing companies are based or where paper sellers are found. For example, in Hanoi, we use a box maker in Hàng Cân street in Hoàn Kiếm district, where many paper sellers can be found. Usually, this box incorporates handles for easy transport. One of the advantages of using a cardboard box as the outer layer, compared with a wooden crate is that it draws less attention to itself as containing something that is potentially valuable. This reduces the likelihood of theft or interference during baggage handling. Furthermore, wooden crates need to be constructed from fumigated and suitably stamped wood when shipping overseas – this may not always be easily available.

Plywood sheets for lining box

We generally purchase two plywood sheets that fit the large side of the box as a lining. These provide the added protection that cardboard does not have. In tropical climates where baggage may be susceptible to heavy downpours of rain, it is useful to wrap the foam-encased paintings in thin-film food-wrap before inserting them into the box, to provide protection against water damage. To avoid the risk of mould forming, this plastic wrap should be removed immediately once the package reaches its destination. The wrapped painting can then be inserted into the box, and any gaps filled with extra foam padding. Plastic parcel or packing tape is used to seal the cardboard box. We label our boxes discreetly in order to ensure that they do not unnecessarily attract unwanted attention.

Reinforced handles

It is worth reinforcing the areas on the boxes where handles extend, since rough handling by baggage handlers (or accidental snagging of the handles) can result in tearing of the box. We have found fabric tape to be particularly suitable for this purpose. In normal use, these boxes are good for 5-10 uses before wear-and-tear renders them unsuitable for further use. We have used these simple boxes to transport well over one thousand paintings within Southeast Asia as well as beyond, and they have always safely protected the paintings. Given the rough handling occasionally experienced at the hands of luggage handlers, it is no surprise that the boxes occasionally exhibit surfaced damage. However, the paintings have always arrived in good condition at their destination. There have been a small number of cases where a few small paint flakes have come off a particularly fragile painting. However, the paper wrapping has always kept the flakes in place so that we know exactly where they have come off.

Tools:

Swiss army knife or craft knife (useful to keep in your bag) Fabric (“duct”) tape, useful for reinforcing areas on box where handles extend. Best to take with you as it is not always easy to find when you need it. Plastic packing tape – usually easily available in any country

Typical cost of custom making a box to carry two paintings 80 x 100cm: Double-layer cardboard box with handle: USD 10-15 3-5mm plywood, 2 sheets custom cut to fit inside the box: USD 3-6 5cm medium stiff foam sheet, 2.0m x 1.0m: USD 25-35 2cm medium stiff foam sheet, 1.2 x 1.0m: USD 5-10 Roll of tape: USD 1-2 Waxed paper for packing: USD 1-2 for 4-10 sheets Overall cost: USD 45 – 70 per box Allow approximately 2 hours to cut, prepare everything and pack the paintings

IN PARIS: Originally built for the World’s Fair in 1937, the Palais de Tokyo went on to serve as a cinema school, an archival space and, briefly, a squat.

A renovation has added 14,000 square meters to the Palais de Tokyo, which is reopening on April 12.

The Modernist edifice will soon be busier than ever: It is not only celebrating its 10th anniversary as a contemporary art center this year but also reopening on April 12 after 10 months of renovations that will add 14,000 square meters, or more than 150,000 square feet, to the original 8,000-square-meter space. Plus, the center, which does not have a permanent collection, will at the end of April host the Paris Triennale, a contemporary-art event that will provide a political and social critique of France and its immigration issue, amid the presidential election.

The new space will stretch over four floors, several of which existed but had been closed off and left unused. This includes a vast, warehouselike basement that had been sealed after World War II and stretches to a neighboring structure, the Musée d’Art Moderne.

The center’s expanded space will allow it to hold 30 to 40 exhibitions a year, almost 10 times more than before. It also plans to focus more on work by young French artists. One goal is to decentralize the talent-scouting of artists by working with regional centers and schools throughout the country.

And although the center has said that it will dedicate half of its shows to French artists, it is also looking to firmly establish itself on the international stage, Mr. Loisy said. Curators and projects from all over the world are set to be brought over regularly to the Palais, and there will also be collaborations with international art spaces. The first in a series of exhibitions about books and projects that have inspired a chosen artist, for example, will feature the British artist Ryan Gander.

As for the Triennale, it will be curated by Okwui Enwezor, a Nigerian-born critic and poet, along with four young curators. Titled “Intense Proximité,” the exhibition will feature notes and photographs from the travels of Claude Lévi-Strauss through Mali and Brazil in the 1930s. This, Mr. Enwezor said, will highlight the artist’s role as an ethnographer of his surroundings.

“Ethnography is not just a form of scientific description of the customs and lives of supposedly distant cultures and peoples,” he said. “It is, at its core, a concept of writing, of distillation.”

A couple of years ago, i was in London for the art auctions and my dear friend Amanda insisted i meet this great art impresario: Pablo. As i had worked on a book on the brazilian contemporary art scene for Enrico Navarra, i had spent a LOT of time in Brazil and at that moment in time, Pablo was planning a LIBERATUM in Rio.

Anyways, this year, LIBERATUM hits Hong Kong. This is great to see how far Pablo's endeavors can take him. Far. Global Art Impresario.

Welcome to the fascinating world of Liberatum, the international cultural diplomacy organisation, where Pablo and Toma mix film with millinery, design with literature, fashion with art and opera with architecture in alluring and riveting ways. Their festivals and summits are open to the public all over the world who come from different walks of life. Their mission is to present global audiences with remarkable programmes of the highest calibre featuring world renowned cultural icons as participants.

In 2011, Liberatum completed ten years of creating global cultural diplomacy festivals and artistic ventures around the world. In 2001, Pablo Ganguli started his first cultural relations mission in the South Pacific. Over the last ten years, the international cultural brand Liberatum has presented a new kind of innovative cultural diplomacy festival on the world stage. Countries as diverse as Russia, India, Morocco, Papua New Guinea and Turkey have hosted remarkable Liberatum projects – from education to human rights, science to fashion, and literature to cinema. Special Liberatum events have taken place in major European cities such as Paris and London featuring leading cultural figures of our times. Liberatum programmes consist of opera, theatre, science, ballet, art exhibitions, music and dance performances, fashion events, architecture , film screenings, debates, discussions, talks and Q&As. What sets Liberatum apart is the way it weaves all these artforms together in unconventional forms to produce memorable results.

Cant wait for this HK edition.