Our home is our sanctuary, where we can relax and entertain our friends and family. When designing a home, I often find that the art is the last element selected, if at all. Your art choice can define the mood of the room and reflect your personal taste. But with so many choices in art and design, how do we get started?
There is a difference between buying art and collecting art. Buying art can just be a random purchase, based on your thoughts and moods at a given time. Gaining knowledge from professionals like gallery owners and museum shows is a good way to become a collector of art. If you are planning to build or remodel a home or office, art acquisitions should have an equal place of priority in your interior design plans as the furnishings and other interior elements. Recent projects of ISA Art Advisory and Indonesian Luxury show how the choice of art can change the dynamics of a space.
Izamu Kato’s at Moie Pacific Place
One of the trends in contemporary art and design is to mix styles and periods. You don’t necessarily need European art with European design. Contemporary art in the 21st century transcends geographical boundaries. An artwork is created and influenced by modern society as well as a reaction to the global environment which is happing today. A good example of this concept is this painting by Izamu Kato, installed at Moie, paired with furniture from Armani Casa.
Izuma Kato is one of the leading Japanese artists whose artistic practice is derived by showcasing figures with human contours and abstract concepts. Kato applies the paint to build up layer upon layer of melancholy-hued pigment creating these lionized figures. These bobbed head figures feature prominently in his paintings and sculptures and remind us as humans that we have to look at the inside of a person as well as the outside.
When building a collection, it’s good to carry along a theme, which could be based on a style, a country of origin, gender or other concepts that define your taste. Taste is the hardest part of the collecting equation as you want to build a collection of value, but with art that you want to live with. That means your choice of art may not be dictated by the market and art influencers.
A recent project by Francine Denise at Pakubowono incorporated Indonesian art throughout the residence. Owned by a young executive, it’s a mixture of young contemporary art in a minimalist environment. It brings a since of sophistication as well as humour to the home.
Nyoman DarIa’s Art at Pakubuwono
The bedroom features artwork by Nyoman Daria, a mid-career artist. Daria, who creates these comical edgy situations, is an artist of Balinese descent. He focuses on inheritance, culture, and the parody of mankind as his main themes. In this instance, it’s a satirical comment on our environment, with the monster representing the tree and the nurse providing the environmental protection.
Artwork by Nyoman DarIa in Moie
Its quite a challenge to pair Nyoman DarIa’s artwork entitled “Update Status” in a dining room. Choosing one colour theme - beige and white - creates a feminine vibe of tranquility. But the choice of art can jolt you to a complex reality. “Update Status” is a social narrative on the way we live our life: obsessed with hand phones and our “status”. It’s a parody of mankind’s vain attempt at self-denial and is a talking point for the space. If you want to collect art, look at art according to your taste in art and don’t be afraid to experiment in exploring art and design.
Jonathan Meese’s Art at Promemoria
Another thematic concept for collecting is graffiti art. A painting by Jonathan Meese entitled GEFUMML’-HOTTIE BRU?LLT was recently installed at Promemoria. As a German Conceptual artist, Meese focuses on themes of power, desire, and identity. His is quoted as saying “I exhume to consume. My body is the reactor in a huge rubbish-recycling-experiment of leaden world and intoxicated images.” He has held private and public exhibitions in several countries, such as the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Hall Art Foundation in New York, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Miami, De La Cruz Collection and more. Coupled with this desk at Promemoria, it exerts power and influence on the ambiance of the space. If you want to look for an Indonesian graffiti artist, you can consider the works byEddy Hara.
Eddie Hara’s art at Can’s Gallery
When you start to collect art, don’t restrict yourself to one gallery or source. You need to look at many sources, galleries, museums and even on-line to find what you’re looking for. If you are diligent and focused, you need to visit all sources for inspiration and knowledge about art. If you like graffiti art, Eddie Hara is one of the leaders in the field. His art is inspired by his view about world and issues of politics, sexism, racism and more. Based in Basel Switzerland, Eddy Hara has already held solo and group exhibitions in Indonesia, Germany, India, Cuba, France, Netherlands, and Switzerland. A graduate from the Indonesian Institute or Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta Indonesia and Akademie voor Beeldende Kunst Enschede (AKI), Eddie Hara is one of the senior Indonesian artists that can be considered comparable to Meese.
The choice of art can change the mood of a space. But the question to be answered is do you want to be a collector or are you just decorating? Now the choice is not mutually exclusive, you can do both. Art is meant to be lived with and enjoyed and if it increases in value, it’s a dividend. As Oscar Wilde said, “Art is the most intense form of individualism the world has ever known”. And this is never more true than in the sanctuary of your own home.