The Nation’s New Art Patron

Reflecting back on 2017, it has been a strong year for art in Indonesia, in both patronage and exhibition support. Not since the Soekarno period have we seen such a
strong government infrastructure for the arts. For the past 50 years, the development of the art market in Indonesia has been driven by private collectors. But under the direction of President Joko Widodo in the past two years the Creative Economy Agency (Badan Ekonomi Kreatif), better known as BEKRAF, has been instructed to support the creative industries, including fine arts, to further accelerate the economic growth in this often-overlooked sector. BEKRAF has become the new patron of Indonesian art by supporting
important exhibitions throughout the year.