Gallery VI Bali Travel News

To celebrate the 6th Anniversary of Bali of Travel News ( BTN), a painting exhibition was held at Kriya Uncaiswara, Art Center Denpasar, with the theme “Gallery VI”. This exhibition was opened by Bali’s Governor deputized by Head of Bali Culture Department, Nyoman Nikanaya. Even in light rain, the grand opening was right on schedule which was attended by Head of Bali Tourism Authority, Gede Nurjaya, Chief Cultural Park, Dewa Putu Beratha, City Mayor of Denpasar, Puspayoga, Head of Tourism Office of Badung Regency, Oka Darmawan, THK Team, Bali Travel News, few hotel’s GM’s and hotel’s PR’s.

In his greeting, General Manager of BTN, B. Ashrama explained that there are three special activities conducted, namely gallery VI exhibition, Sympathetic election of PR’s utilized to test their knowledge of Balinese culture, and the last is Tri Hita Karana ( THK) Tourism Awards.
The gallery exhibition was solely to assist painters in promoting their works also concern to young painters that does not have access and sometimes cheated by the gallery owner in selling their art work. “In fact, many young painters in Bali posses great potential talent as equal as other senior masterpiece figures,” he said specifically.
Previously this exhibition was often conducted in star hotels, but for the last two years were performed at the Art Center Cultural Park in Denpasar, which is targeting to attract and introduce the center to tourists who spent their vacations in Bali.
While Bali Governor in his greeting speech which was read by the Head of Bali Cultural Office said that culture is the leading sector of Bali’s development, so this exhibition is of most importance and deepen the philosophic values. Told also, was the undeniable creative artisan who accepts cultural influence from outside. “We expect the painter to be selective in accepting the mentioned external culture and not destroy the Balinese culture itself,” he said.
Exhibition took place for about 6 days (22 - 27 November), which displayed 43 masterpiece works from 12 artists. They are Gung Man, Wayan Beratha Yasa, Nyoman Suyasa, I Gst. Nengah Sura Ardana, Ketut Samudrawan, I Ketut Nuada, Ida Bagus Lolec, Made Karang, A.A. Ngr. Paramartha, I Ketut Kasib, I Made Hatten Suardana and Harry Rump from Holland.
( BTN/015)

The Rise and Fall of Comics in Indonesia

Comics made by Indonesian cartoonists have always been favored and became host in their own home. It occurred during the decade of 1970s. Then, nearly everyday there were new comics published and distributed. Book rentals provided comics for rent flourished well just like mushrooms in the rainy season. Most visitors were school students. They were comic junkies who were always reading comics and many of them forgot to concentrate on their studies. At that time, many students were too absorbed in reading comics. And, perhaps for that reason many parents were extremely opposed to them and declared war against comics.

The center of the comic then was Jakarta and Bandung. From these two big cities comics spread out to other cities in Indonesia. Other cities that took part in enlivening the comic world of Indonesia, like Surabaya and Semarang. But, quantitatively, they were far left behind compared to the cities mentioned previously.
In the meantime, in the decade of the 1960s the center of Indonesia’s comic industry was in Medan (North Sumatera), in which at that time, Taguan Harjo and Zam Nuldyn became the most admired comic artists. The market leader of comics in the 1970s were Yan Mintaraga, Teguh Santoso, Ganes TH, Hans Jaladara, Jeffry, SIM, Zaldy, R.A. Kosasih, Sapoiku, Usyah, Mansur Daman, Leo, Djair, Wid, NS, Ardisoma, Oerjo, Hasmi, Tati, Hengky and a number of other names. They were present with their own distinctive characteristic like martial arts, romance, puppets and humor.
The golden period of Indonesia’s comics seemed to have made the market of Indonesia’s comics punch drunk. Control on the quality of comics marketed became so loose many appeared in numbers with poor quality. It specially fell on the comics of HC Anderson that were made by instant comic artists. Besides the pictures were no good, typography was not appropriate, either, except for that of Gerdi WK. The presence of instant comic artists was caused by publishers that desired much more profits. These instant comic artists usually were paid less than that of professional artists. Such mischievous acts of publishers then made the market saturated. They began to realize that what they read was not far different from rubbish.
Slowly but surely the lovers of Indonesia’s comics turned their face. Book rentals that rented comic books lacked visitors, and even some shut up shop. Publishers stopped their activities since they found the market for comics was not promising any longer. Comic artists were in shock due to the situation only some newspapers and magazines provided a comic section page. Yang Mintaraga, Teguh Santoso, Wid NS, Hasmi, Mansur Daman, Ganes Th., and a number of other quality comic artists their work was still printed in the daily Sinar Harapan (Suara Pembaruan) and youngster magazine HAI. In the meantime, in Bali, especially the Bali Post of Sunday Edition provided a special page for local comic artists.
Comics in Indonesia progressively grew worse when newspapers and magazines replaced the comic section on their pages. Comics then just became like the one who did not have a house and was not able to rent a house. Slowly but surely , comics in Indonesia finished up in the graveyard more so after the emergence of Japanese comic (manga) filled up in the bookshelves in bookshops and children rooms in Indonesia. There are even Japanese comics translated into Bahasa Indonesia and more strangely parents are not in opposition to them.
Nowadays, the comic industry of Indonesia may be said to have died in keeping with the passing away of talented comic artists like Yan Mintaraga, Ganes TH, SIM, Teguh Santoso, Wid NS and Taguan Harjo. Probably, they were the heroes of Indonesia’s comic strips. Seemingly, nobody feels bereaved more so expressing any condolences.

(BTN/Gung Man)