Sotheby's Hong Kong sales of Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asia will feature an extremely rare, monumental piece by Indonesian artist, S. Sudjojono – Kami Present, Ibu Pertiwi (Stand Guard for Our Motherland) which has not been seen publicly since its completion in 1965. Executed on a canvas measuring 176 by 300 cm, this majestic painting portrays nationalism at its strongest and is the largest known work by Sudjojono to be auctioned. Last Autumn, S. Sudjojono (1914 – 1986)’s A New Dawn, sold for an impressive $1.4 million, setting the world auction record for the Indonesian artist.
From Sudjojono’s early role in defining Modern Indonesian Art in the late 1930s to his Realism period, Indonesia and its people have always been the heart and soul of the artist’s important paintings. The present work, Stand Guard for Our Motherland, portrays nationalism at its strongest. Depicting a sprawling vista in the background, and villagers and soldiers in the foreground, the scene is imbued with a sense of tension, suspense and drama. Although the work was created in 1965, its visual contents suggested that Sudjojono drew his inspiration from his experiences in the late 1940s when Indonesia was invaded by the Dutch. Almost two decades after Indonesia's independence, the country was still struggling with enormous socio-political and economic challenges. It was in this setting that Sudjojono revisited his credo, “back to realism”, and produced this patriotic work that calls once again for the nation’s unity in the face of adversity.
One of the most renowned and important works by Hendra Gunawan (1918–1983) will also be offered - Penari Ular (Snake Dancer). Inspired by a real snake dance performance the artist witnessed during the 40s or 50s, this piece captures human courage and perseverance at its most powerful. Filled with dynamic, contrasting yet balanced elements, it also serves as an allegory for the human condition and the triumphant strength of the human spirit.
Leading the Contemporary section is an earlier work by acclaimed Indonesian artist, I
Nyoman Masriadi – Dewa Perang (War God). Executed in 1999, at a time of Masriadi’s pivotal
creative path, War God is at once mind-boggling in form yet recognisable in essence. It renders an intimate portrait of the artist through the depiction of his trademark stocky black figure. War God features a soldier in a total state of war, a metaphor for reflecting the artist’s struggle as a painter. A conflation of traditional artillery and contemporary weaponry symbolising the opposing cultural currents the artist had conquered, it possesses an invaluable autobiographical note that defined the man Masriadi has become and the art that he creates: strong, fearless and unique.
