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Contemporary Indonesian art on display at Richmond Center

by Tonya Durlach

Sept. 8, 2011 | WMU News

Photo of Entang Wiharso's Temple of Hope.
Wiharso's "Temple of Hope"
KALAMAZOO--Two new art exhibits open this month at the Richmond Center for Visual Arts on the campus of Western Michigan University.

"Installation Arts: Indonesia" and Ellen Armstrong's "Starting Anew—Where I Live and Love" can be seen during regular gallery hours through Friday, Oct. 7. All exhibits are open to the public free of charge.

Richmond Center Gallery Hours

The Richmond Center galleries are closed on Sundays.

"Installation Arts: Indonesia"
Monroe-Brown Gallery

Curated by Dr. Mary-Loise Totton, associate professor of art at WMU, "Indonesia" features installations by three of Indonesia's most prominent contemporary artists: Arahmaiani's "I Love You," Heri Dono's "Trojan Ghost" and Entang Wiharso's "Theatre of Life."

As the fourth most populous country on earth, the vibrancy of Indonesia's contemporary arts scene is, in part, attributable to its multiple layers of cultural richness. This sweeping archipelago of 17,000 islands that stretches between the Pacific and Indian oceans, has a diverse medley of 350 ethnic groups that continue to recall their unique aesthetics and languages.

Although the three featured artists live in close proximity to remnants of the historical past and within a culture that still is densely permeated with traditional arts such as puppetry and traditional mores, they use their own unique visual vocabularies to express experiences of their country and views of the world in general.

Snyder Creek Farm oil painting by Ellen Armstrong.
Armstrong's "Snyder Creek Farm"
"Starting Anew—Where I Live and Love"
Netzorg-Kerr Gallery

"Starting Anew—Where I Live and Love" features the artwork of Ellen Armstrong, former staff member in the WMU Frostic School of Art. Armstrong retired in 2010, after 14 years of service to the University. Her oil paintings recently were on display in the Michigan Governor's Mansion as part of the Governor's Residence Michigan Artists Program.

For more information, contact Don Desmett in the Richmond Center Exhibitions Office at donald.desmett@wmich.edu or (269) 387-2455.