Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Gallery revitalization began to present a richer, more representative narrative of the fine arts as a space for exhibiting, preserving, studying, and developing fine arts in the country.
"We hope the National Gallery revitalization runs smoothly and will later become a home for Indonesian fine art and a showcase of the culture and civilization of our artists through the ages," Culture Minister Fadli Zon said at the groundbreaking ceremony here on Friday.
Through this project, the gallery will not only optimize exhibition space for its collection of 1,876 artworks but also permanently display works from the State Palace collection.
Visitors will later be able to enjoy masterpieces such as Raden Saleh's painting "The Arrest of Pangeran Diponegoro," works by Basuki Abdullah, and works by foreign masters who painted Indonesia, such as Walter Spies, Bonnet, and Le Mayeur.
"This is a home, including our fine arts journey from the past to the present, and also new works. Hopefully, we will also have our own contemporary art building, which can be initiated by the Culture Ministry," Zon said.
He explained that the revitalization stages will include updating the electrical system, repairing infrastructure, and expanding the exhibition building.
The revitalization is designed to create a more orderly visitor flow without damaging the historical character of the building, which has heritage site status.
The project, carried out by state-owned construction company Nindya Karya, is targeted to finish the repair phase by the end of this year, followed by improvements and arrangement of exhibition space in early next year.
The roughly 16,000-square-meter National Gallery area is expected to transform into a "living cultural pocket."
Zon hoped the revitalization will make the gallery a cultural tourism destination, a space for continuous learning, and a showcase of civilization representing the track record of Indonesian artists through the ages.
"Then the international community can see that Indonesian fine art from the past until now is extraordinary, and they describe an extraordinary diversity of cultural richness," he said.
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Translator: Farhan, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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