Could you tell Irish art from French? What about American from Dutch at a glance? The internet and cheap air fares have changed the nature of internationalism, as artists can now find their influences from far and wide with relative ease. Light and air temperature do change perceptions of colour: it was always fascinating to compare the works the late Tony O’Malley painted in Ireland, with the ones from the Bahamas; but increasingly national boundaries are melting away.
Nevertheless, it's interesting to pop down to CHQ in Dublin's Docklands this month and see what Gallery Lukisan has to show. Specialising in modern Indonesian art, Rising Sons from the Archipelagois on until July 11th, and features work by Ida Bagus Putu Purwa, and Putut Wahyu Widodo. Dutchmen Sander Salim and Roel van Veggel, who run the gallery, say that Indonesian art is set to become the Next Big Thing, and while I'd be highly sceptical of buying art for that reason, the works on show are intriguing, Putut Wahyu Widodo's, in particular, having a haunting beauty (pictured). Gallery Lukisan, CHQ, IFSC, see www.lukisan.nl.
