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Why was the reason behind the book?
After researching and authoring four books on expatriate artists in Bali I was ready to write about my true love the tribal art of Indonesia which I feel has always been under-appreciated in spite of its power and significance. The opportunity came to do so when I was invited by my good friend, Achim Sibeth, then Southeast Asia curator at Frankfurt's World Museum and renowned Batak expert, to join him.
What were your contributions?
Achim writes in German so I translated and edited his text. I also contributed two essays. The first was on the contentious debate over whether or not classifying the creations of non-western peoples as art was a form of cultural imperialism or not. While most collectors think this is asinine there is a serious and dangerous chorus of naysayers who have radical, if not dangerous ideas about this. My second essay, "Batak Hindoo", was based on my personal approach to art history which is based upon the precept that if two similar things are found in the same geographical region during the same period, the chances they are related are high. Specifically I identified the direct relationship between Batak sculpture and the 9-14th centuries Hindu-Buddhist temples of Padang Lawas in the Southern Batak lands. Finally the visual concept of the book with multiple views of each artwork was mine.
How was this book different from other books on Batak art?
It is ironic some questioned the need of a new book on Batak art even though only 4 or 5 have appeared in the last 50 years and most of these are in Dutch or German! Our aim was not to show a handful of masterpieces but a broad spectrum in each category. For example before Batak Sculpture the number of published of sahan magic horns was few. Further in most cases new general books re-published the same pieces over and over again leading to the impression there was only a handful of horns. Our book sought to focus on the art form of one distinct tradition in depth rather than submit to a Hollywood revue of the best of the best. In one coup we published more examples of horns, staffs and other types of Batak sculpture than all the previous publications combined!
Was there controversy?
Unfortunately the tribal art community and especially art dealers are a suspicious and often ignorant lot prone to jealousy and backbiting. The sudden appearance of so many pieces lead to all sorts of false rumors among the usual candidates. Not surprising a few were trying to buy things behind the scenes! Due diligence lead by Achim Sibeth who has a huge archive and has studied the subject for more than 30 years seems to mean little to those who have an inherent distrust of scholars. Notably these people are the same ones who continue to mislabel art and spread stories that have long since been disproved. Fortunately there are enough enlightened dealers, collectors and aficionados to counter balance such nonsense. Both Achim and I are sure that the book will stand as an important work on the subject far into the future.
New Projects?
After Batak Sculpture I had hoped to work on a Dayak Sculpture book. Although plans have been made the project has proven problematic. It might appear in 2013 but that depends on several unknown factors at this moment. Unfortunately funding for esoteric art books which inevitably lose money is difficult. I am currently working on two new books. The most important of these, co-authored with Anne Richter, is on the gold jewellery of the outer islands of the Indonesian Archipelago. It should appear in 2012.
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