Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru en

An art movement organised in Indonesia in 1975 by a group of students, who were either from the fine art department of Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung or the art academy of Sekolah Tinggi Seni Rupa Indonesia, Yogyakarta. Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru can be translated into ‘New Arts Movement’. In response to the prevalence of decorative style and the blind embrace of Western abstract art, their manifesto called for rethinking the concept of art and revitalising Indonesian art through a critical revision of its visual art history. They held that social issues are more important subjects than personal sentiments of an individual artist and that idea matters more than skill. They also sought to break the division between ‘high art’ and ‘low art’, explore new visual possibilities and resume communication with the audience. During several group exhibitions from 1975 to 1979, their experimental works received wide coverage and mixed response. Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru is widely credited as the vanguard of Indonesian contemporary art.