Yesterday night (5/02/2015) the Aku Diponegoro exhibition was officially opened and starting today is open for public. The procession was opened with speeches by the Director of Galeri Nasional, Goethe Institut in Indonesia Heinrich Blömeke, and Indonesia’s Minister of Education Anies Baswedan, who officially opened the exhibition with a symbolic sounding of the gong.

Surprising the guests, right before the sounding of the gong the organizers announced the return of a national treasure which will be displayed: Prince Diponegoro’s staff. The staff became part of a private collection of the Baud family in the Netherlands since the 1930s (after Diponegoro’s exile to Makassar by the Dutch). According to Radio Pelita Kasih, the Baud family didn’t know the significance of the staff but it was kept safe and in good condition. The family was approached by Dr. Peter Carey, one of the curators of Aku Diponegoro, and after a thorough examination at the Rijksmuseum, it was confirmed that the staff was Diponegoro’s. The Baud family was in attendance at Aku Diponegoro and announced that they will transfer ownership of Diponegoro’s staff to the government of Indonesia, and proceeded to hand over the staff to Minister of Education Anies Baswedan to the applause of the guests.

The Aku Diponegoro exhibition is one shouldn’t miss if living in the Jakarta area. Featuring the recently restored Raden Saleh masterpiece, The Arrest of Pangeran Diponegoro, Aku Diponegoro is a showcase of perspectives on the national hero. Divided into three sections – from his personal belongings, explicit portrayals of the prince’s excursions, contemporary interpretation of his persona and everyday objects sporting his likeness, Aku Diponegoro gathers interpretations of the Javanese Prince in one exhibition hall to form a collective identity. Whiteboard Journal will have a detailed feature article on the exhibition soon, so I won’t go into the works in this blogpost. Better than waiting for our article, though, is to visit Aku Diponegoro and enjoy the works for yourselves.

Aku Diponegoro

The exhibition from Raden Saleh to the present revisits the extraordinary story of Diponegoro (1785-1855), as presented through the eyes of classical painters, contemporary artists as well as the general public. The exhibition aims to encourage a deeper understanding of cultural and commemorative memory, allowing the Indonesian public to build a narrative picture of the past and therefore develop a certain image and identity for themselves.

Curators:
Dr. Wener Kraus
Jim Supangkat
Dr. Peter Carey

The exhibition will run from 6 February until 8 March 2015.

Free Entry

For information about the exhbition and programs visit Akudiponegoro.com