Forty-six original artworks,

Twenty contemporary artist collaborators,

One hundred and seventy-four pots of paint,

Two hundred and eighty-one sheets of Fabriano cotton paper,

An unspecified large amount of thoughtfulness to eliminate use of toxic materials…

...And yet, we're still to complete one revolution around the sun.

Our aim in establishing Black Hand Gang is to fill the void of fine art print in Indonesia; A previous situation of little-to-no access to facilities, rarely found specialist knowledge and practitioners, a lack of artists using the medium, and an initial hesitation of collectors appreciating paper-based works.

We intend to change all of that and start a revolution.

In this show, BHG partnered with Artsphere and Maya Sujatmiko to introduce the world of fine art print to Jakarta. This exhibition seeks to create a dialogue with the art community about the print medium and the value of the works.  We have chosen several prominent contemporary artists to showcase a number of different techniques, each with stunning artworks on display.

In particular, we have partnered with Agus Suwage to challenge the boundaries of creativity whilst under the physical limitations set by the pandemic. The resulting remote-based collaboration of lithographic work using aluminium plates has an inspiring story during this adversity, and equally impactful artwork.

We also decided to focus on some tools from the varying techniques, to create a virtual bridge into our print studio and spark discussion about the print works.  By elevating several objects used in the studio, they become symbols of the unseen labor, craft, expertise, knowledge and specialism of the print medium.  Both as symbols and objects themselves, they transcend the industrial studio and draw parallels with easels and brushes used by master painters and sculptors.

As we travel around the sun, closer to our first birthday, and connect more with the Indonesian and International art community, we realize print is even more an exciting space then we dreamed and realising this for artists and collectors is our hope.

Sixty Percent
Around
The Sun