Fang Lijun - Solo Exhibition : Life is Now
MAY 10 - MAY 18, 2006
GALERI NASIONAL, JAKARTA, INDONESIA

Although CP Foundation has been planning to hold Fang Lijun’s solo exhibition at the National Gallery, Jakarta, since last year, the idea for it originated long before—in 2003, when Fang Lijun and Yue Minjun came to Indonesia as participants to CP Biennale 2003, which was also held in the National Gallery, Jakarta.

This idea has to do with our belief that Fang Lijun is an important painter, especially if seen from the perspective regarding the emergence of the Asian art within the contemporary art world in the early 1990s. In the 1990s, Asian artists, including South Asian artists, appeared in the international art forums—from Indonesia there were names such as Heri Dono and Dadang Christanto. Fang Lijun’s name appeared first, preceding other Asian artists.

In the next developments during that decade, recognition for Fang Lijun’s works still proved to be controversial. Some international critics and curators thought that his works were too individualistic, and therefore close to modern art. Besides, Fang Lijun persistently created paintings, while the contemporary art works tended to be presented in the form of installation art and new media art. Amid such controversies, CP Biennale 2003 took a stand and still considered Fang Lijun—along with other artists from the China Avant-Garde movement—as an important artist in the emergence of the Asian art within the developments of the international contemporary art.

The idea to hold Fang Lijun’s solo exhibition then grew because of the close relationship between Fang Lijun and CP Foundation—not only during the opening of the CP Biennale 2003 in Jakarta, but also during CP Foundation’s visit to Beijing on Fang Lijun’s invitation in 2004. During this visit, Fang introduced CP Foundation to other China Avant-Garde artists who appeared alongside Fang Lijun in the early 1990s.

In the beginning of 2006, the plan for the exhibition, titled “Life is Now,” came to its final stage. The preparation is conducted in partnership with Fang Lijun’s representative, Alexander Ochs from Alexander Ochs Galleries, Berlin | White Space, Beijing. This partnership enables this solo exhibition at the National Gallery, Jakarta, to borrow and present Fang Lijun’s works that are already in collection in various countries. It was agreed that Alexander Ochs and Fang Lijun himself would curate the exhibition.

Previously, in the middle of 2005, the plan for the solo exhibition in Jakarta seemed to be granted a new meaning. This exhibition can be taken as a celebration, as one of Fang Lijun’s works, a woodcut work in the size of 396.2 cm x 853.4 cm, consisting of seven scrolls (one of the eight print editions), has been acquired by the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA).

MoMA has actually considered the acquisition of Fang Lijun’s work since June 2004, although the plan was only materialized in 2005, to coincide with MoMA’s plan to hold an exhibition on its new collection. This exhibition, held on June 29 – September 2005 in MoMA, displayed the new MoMA’s collection acquired since 2001. The new collection consisted of paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, new media arts, design objects, and architectural models. Fang Lijun’s work was also on display. CP Foundation sees the appearance of Fang Lijun’s work in this exhibition as an Asian breakthrough in the world contemporary art forum. 

When it was established in 2001, coinciding with the inauguration of the CP Artspace in Washington, D.C., CP Foundation had been set up as an institution that would promote and nurture the relationship between the art from Asia and those from Europe and the United States. CP Artspace in Washington, D.C., is a facility to display the works of Asian artists, especially those of the Indonesian artists. The international CP Biennale in Jakarta two years later was an effort to achieve this goal.

The inclusion of Fang Lijun’s work in MoMA’s collection, therefore, in CP Foundation’s perception is a recognition betraying the appreciation of the art institution in the United States toward Asian art. Amid the myriad of difficulties and obstacles faced as CP Foundation tried to promote the works of Asian artists to the international art forums, Fang Lijun’s breakthrough brought an indescribable delight.

In the effort to build a relationship between Asian art and the European and American art, CP Foundation tries to create communications between the works of the Asian artists and the art-loving public in the United States. A sign of communication that we expect to take place is the acquisition of Asian artworks in the private collections in the United States. This would be an alternative beside the existing relationships that have taken place among the museums, as reflected in the inclusion of Asian artists in the various international contemporary art exhibitions.

Although there were signs that the art-loving public in the Washington, D.C., were interested in the works of the Asian artists displayed in the CP Artspace, Washington, D.C.—including in the works of the Indonesian artists that were most often exhibited—there were almost no acquisitions. In the end, CP Foundation recognized the strong relationship between the art institution and the art-loving public in the United States. The public would wait for the judgment of the art institution, which would in turn be reflected in the acquisitions in museums.

This appraisal is not off the mark. CP Foundation believes—although this belief must still be read as an analysis—that the inclusion of Fang Lijun’s work in the collection of MoMA would affect the relationship between the works of Asian artists with the art-loving public in the United States. We can see one sign of it: in March this year, the Auction House Sotheby in New York for the first time opened an auction session with the theme of Asian Contemporary Art, although there were only three countries representing Asia in the session: China, Japan, and Korea. In this auction, the works of the China Avant-Garde artists, whose meaning in the developments of the contemporary art is still controversial, turned out to be the highlight.

This fact makes the CP Foundation feel that there are hopes that CP Foundation’s goals can be achieved. These goals have been set when there were still no such promising signs in sight. Fang Lijun’s solo exhibition in the National Gallery, Jakarta, which will be continued at CP Artspace, Jakarta, is therefore a celebration for the Asian breakthrough.

As a closing remark, CP Foundation along with Alexander Ochs Galleries, Berlin | White Space, Beijing, wish to express our appreciation to Fang Lijun, who is willing to celebrate this Asian breakthrough in Jakarta—although it is actually Beijing that deserves to see this celebration. In this case, CP Foundation is also grateful to Alexander Ochs. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the collectors of Fang Lijun’s works in many countries, who are willing to lend us their precious collections. To the staff of the National Gallery, Jakarta, we express our gratefulness for the impressive cooperation.

Alexander Ochs Galleries, Berlin | White Space, Beijing
CP Foundation, Jakarta

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