Indonesia's 'Mid-Range' Artists: Still Struggling

A ramshackle red boat with green stripes owned by Pak Ujang, a fisherman from Situ Ciburuy, Bandung, West Java, was on display at the Southeast Asia Forum at Art Stage Singapore held on January 21-24 at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center in Singapore. The boat, a testament to the Ciburuy lake vicinity's struggle with environmental degradation, had been sunk years back. It was brought to the exhibition by visual artist Aliansyah Chaniago.

Alin, as Aliansyah is familiarly known, presented a short video documentary on Ujang's life. He also brought a ton of triplex wood waste collected from near Ciburuy that he piled up next to the boat. The piece, Alin said, was an attempt to illustrate the social effects of environmental pollution. "There are only three fishermen left. The lake will (soon) no longer be open for fishing. It will just become a tourist site," he said.