The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara, shortened to Museum Macan, is a polished, air-conditioned oasis in Indonesia’s teeming capital Jakarta. It provides public access to the collection of businessman and property developer Haryanto Adikoesoemo.
The museum’s foundation, which runs the institution, is chaired by Fenessa Adikoesoemo, Haryanto’s daughter. The collection, which the museum holds on long-term loan, comprises more than 800 artworks, including those by Indonesian artists such as Raden Saleh, a pioneer of modern painting in the country, and international figures that include the American abstract expressionist Mark Rothko and the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
The 4,000 sq m museum (including 2,000 sq m of exhibition space) occupies the fifth floor of a high-rise tower block, part of a multi-purpose complex in West Jakarta, managed by Haryanto Adikoesoemo’s property development company. Alongside the main gallery is a 500 sq m indoor sculpture space, flooded with light from a floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the city.
Although privately financed, the museum’s ethos shares much with many public institutions. Director Aaron Seeto, previously the curatorial manager of Asian and Pacific Art at the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane, Australia, is putting a strong emphasis on education. The museum has a dedicated children’s art space, for which it will commission work at least twice a year.
Museum Macan hosted a series of performances and a discussion programme in August and September, before its official opening in November. Its first exhibition – Art Turns, World Turns – shows 90 artworks by more than 70 artists from across Asia, Europe and America.
How is Museum Macan different to other museums in Indonesia?
Aaron Seeto: Previously there were two types of museum here. Official museums with a historic focus, often housed in historic buildings; and private contemporary art collections in private houses. We are a private museum, but you don’t need an invitation to visit. We have regular opening hours, six days a week. We’re a professionally staffed facility. Our collection is modern and contemporary, and we have a focus on education.
What are attitudes towards contemporary art like in Indonesia?
We decided to preview the museum with no art on the walls, just showing performance art, for two reasons. Partly so we could test our facilities and train staff, and partly to see how far we could begin to programme. Performance art is not always easily digestible, but we found that people really engaged. They were here for long periods of time and we were able to build great word of mouth. And that indicated that we could really begin to push the programme.
Generally, I would say that there is a good understanding of contemporary art – a lot of people do collect. But we are keen to ensure that there is appreciation of art across broad social strata through our outreach programmes. Indonesia is fascinating demographically – its culture, languages and religions are really diverse. The museum has an attitude of openness, so that we can ensure that we support all types of community.
Who are the key audiences you want to engage with?
Children and families are very important to us. Alongside our commissions for the children’s art space, there is a range of activities devised by our education team. One of their roles is to liaise with schools. We want to have a symbiotic relationship with teachers: going out to show them what resources we have, and bringing them here to see exhibitions.
We want them to introduce our exhibition concepts to children. Weekend audiences will also be important. We see ourselves as an alternative to malls. In Jakarta there is not a lot of open space, so people spend a lot of spare time indoors. We hope people will use our museum as a place to meet and learn about things.
What impact do you hope the museum will have?
The museum and its infrastructure provide a missing link within Indonesia’s art ecology. There are great artist-run spaces and great things that artists do on the ground here. There is a strong market and lots of collectors, but the museum space for contemporary art hasn’t existed so much. We are hopefully part of the answer.
We can present things that maybe people take for granted elsewhere. Making the collection visible is a great opportunity for all kinds of people, from researchers and art students through to mums and dads. We want Jakartans to see Museum Macan as part of the civic architecture of the city and to take pride in it.
A facility like this also allows us to collaborate with museums and individuals overseas to bring work into the country. Our attitude towards programming, displaying international art alongside Indonesian works, opens up a whole range of conversations that may not yet have happened.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
Our climate is one of the biggest challenges for museums in this region – how to deal with humidity and temperature. That’s one of the reasons why many private collectors tend not to hold works on paper or photography. That’s something we have noted and which we will probably incorporate into our collection plans.
The traffic in Jakarta is notoriously bad. Has this affected the museum at all?
The reason why there is so much traffic ties into the reason why the museum was built – the city lacks infrastructure. On the flip side, traffic like this tells you that there are heaps of diverse people, so the potential for interesting conversations is always there. The traffic is both a blessing and a curse.
www.museummacan.org
Main funders Private funding
Architect MET Studio Design
Design Equus
Graphic design In-house
Lighting Erco; Lutron
Fit-out Yegar
Exhibition ends Art Turns, World Turns, until 18 March
Admission Adult 50,000 Indonesian Rupiah (£2.73); Child IDR 30,000 (£1.64); Concessions IDR 40,000 (£2.19)
The museum’s foundation, which runs the institution, is chaired by Fenessa Adikoesoemo, Haryanto’s daughter. The collection, which the museum holds on long-term loan, comprises more than 800 artworks, including those by Indonesian artists such as Raden Saleh, a pioneer of modern painting in the country, and international figures that include the American abstract expressionist Mark Rothko and the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
The 4,000 sq m museum (including 2,000 sq m of exhibition space) occupies the fifth floor of a high-rise tower block, part of a multi-purpose complex in West Jakarta, managed by Haryanto Adikoesoemo’s property development company. Alongside the main gallery is a 500 sq m indoor sculpture space, flooded with light from a floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the city.
Although privately financed, the museum’s ethos shares much with many public institutions. Director Aaron Seeto, previously the curatorial manager of Asian and Pacific Art at the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane, Australia, is putting a strong emphasis on education. The museum has a dedicated children’s art space, for which it will commission work at least twice a year.
Museum Macan hosted a series of performances and a discussion programme in August and September, before its official opening in November. Its first exhibition – Art Turns, World Turns – shows 90 artworks by more than 70 artists from across Asia, Europe and America.
How is Museum Macan different to other museums in Indonesia?
Aaron Seeto: Previously there were two types of museum here. Official museums with a historic focus, often housed in historic buildings; and private contemporary art collections in private houses. We are a private museum, but you don’t need an invitation to visit. We have regular opening hours, six days a week. We’re a professionally staffed facility. Our collection is modern and contemporary, and we have a focus on education.
What are attitudes towards contemporary art like in Indonesia?
We decided to preview the museum with no art on the walls, just showing performance art, for two reasons. Partly so we could test our facilities and train staff, and partly to see how far we could begin to programme. Performance art is not always easily digestible, but we found that people really engaged. They were here for long periods of time and we were able to build great word of mouth. And that indicated that we could really begin to push the programme.
Generally, I would say that there is a good understanding of contemporary art – a lot of people do collect. But we are keen to ensure that there is appreciation of art across broad social strata through our outreach programmes. Indonesia is fascinating demographically – its culture, languages and religions are really diverse. The museum has an attitude of openness, so that we can ensure that we support all types of community.
Who are the key audiences you want to engage with?
Children and families are very important to us. Alongside our commissions for the children’s art space, there is a range of activities devised by our education team. One of their roles is to liaise with schools. We want to have a symbiotic relationship with teachers: going out to show them what resources we have, and bringing them here to see exhibitions.
We want them to introduce our exhibition concepts to children. Weekend audiences will also be important. We see ourselves as an alternative to malls. In Jakarta there is not a lot of open space, so people spend a lot of spare time indoors. We hope people will use our museum as a place to meet and learn about things.
What impact do you hope the museum will have?
The museum and its infrastructure provide a missing link within Indonesia’s art ecology. There are great artist-run spaces and great things that artists do on the ground here. There is a strong market and lots of collectors, but the museum space for contemporary art hasn’t existed so much. We are hopefully part of the answer.
We can present things that maybe people take for granted elsewhere. Making the collection visible is a great opportunity for all kinds of people, from researchers and art students through to mums and dads. We want Jakartans to see Museum Macan as part of the civic architecture of the city and to take pride in it.
A facility like this also allows us to collaborate with museums and individuals overseas to bring work into the country. Our attitude towards programming, displaying international art alongside Indonesian works, opens up a whole range of conversations that may not yet have happened.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
Our climate is one of the biggest challenges for museums in this region – how to deal with humidity and temperature. That’s one of the reasons why many private collectors tend not to hold works on paper or photography. That’s something we have noted and which we will probably incorporate into our collection plans.
The traffic in Jakarta is notoriously bad. Has this affected the museum at all?
The reason why there is so much traffic ties into the reason why the museum was built – the city lacks infrastructure. On the flip side, traffic like this tells you that there are heaps of diverse people, so the potential for interesting conversations is always there. The traffic is both a blessing and a curse.
www.museummacan.org
Project data
Cost UndisclosedMain funders Private funding
Architect MET Studio Design
Design Equus
Graphic design In-house
Lighting Erco; Lutron
Fit-out Yegar
Exhibition ends Art Turns, World Turns, until 18 March
Admission Adult 50,000 Indonesian Rupiah (£2.73); Child IDR 30,000 (£1.64); Concessions IDR 40,000 (£2.19)