“Ahead of Museum MACAN’s (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara) slated opening in November 2017, we sat down with Aaron Seeto, director of the museum, to find out what’s planned for Indonesia’s first museum dedicated entirely to international modern and contemporary art.
MACAN will officially be launching later this year, in November, and will be the first museum in Indonesia to focus on international modern and contemporary art. What is the main mission of the museum and what are you hoping to achieve with the space/programme? How do you think the local audience will respond to this?
Museum MACAN has three core components to its mission. Firstly, to develop and advance awareness and appreciation of art in Indonesia; to facilitate cultural exchange between Indonesia and the world, providing a platform for Indonesian art internationally and for international art in Indonesia; and to nurture and support the development of Indonesia’s art ecology through education and training. Through our exhibition and education programs, and a varied public program, we hope that we will be able to achieve this.
The program will include curated projects that are drawn from the Museum’s collection of modern and contemporary art, commissions by artists from Indonesia and further afield as well as education initiatives catering to all visitors. Education is central to the Museum’s vision, and we are dedicated to providing resources and programming for schools, students, and people of all ages and backgrounds in support of high-quality arts education.
For the many years that I have been observing the art community here in Indonesia – it is quite evident that Indonesia has a vibrant arts community and that people in Indonesia are curious and passionate about the arts. There are great artists and curators here and there is an extensive and supportive network of collectors. However, Indonesia lacks museum infrastructure, there is little governmental support for the arts, and private initiatives have been somewhat exclusive in their approach. We hope Museum MACAN will become an important platform for art in Indonesia – for research, exhibitions, education and contemplation. Museum MACAN will be a place where people from all walks of life can come together and access, and learn more about it. ….”
Read the full interview on The Artling.
