Stretching far since hundreds of years ago, the Indonesian archipelago has a historically distinguished diversity in population. This diversity has forged the fascinating uniqueness of cultures, as well as profound sensitivity and respect for the historical and artistic value of various art works from around the world.
The inequality of information dissemination and the domination of media from Europe, Eurasia, and Indigenous groups that occurred for almost 200 years in the Nederlands-Indië (now, Indonesia) had sidewalked a social class, namely the Babah Peranakan: art lovers who worked intensively in developing their culture as evidenced by the highly valuable art collections—private possessions that have never been published due to their exclusivity and difficulty of access to the particular Babah Peranakan high society during those times.
Surviving works from that period have been hidden in the darkest chambers of the Babah Peranakan families for the past 53 years, derived from the 1961 Economic Court decision that led to the order of confiscation. Hundreds of old paintings were successfully saved from the numerous houses that had been seized during the era. Treasures that embody the enduring tradition—scrolls and sets of ancient paintings, sitting in silence. Sealed. Untouched.
These Ming and Qing (Manchu) Dynasties paintings which are part of the “Dark Treasures” collection from the private possession of Tugu Hotels & Restaurants Group will be previewed publicly to Indonesian and international communities as the narration of cultural conviction—that alongside the art embodiment of European, Eurasian, and Indigenous communities, there is the cultural tradition of Babah Peranakan. This exhibition is Tugu Hotels and Restaurants Group’s contribution to the inspiring beauty-in-diversity Indonesia, that has made the art and culture in the archipelago so unique.
It is not our mission to contemporize our country’s history. At Tugu Hotels and Restaurants Group, our energy and blood are dedicated to the history itself as it is: Bhinneka Tunggal Ika–Unity in Diversity. One Archipelago, One Nation. Satu Nusa, Satu Bangsa! Indonesia Raya! Long live Indonesia!
Hundreds of houses that once sheltered the “Dark Treasures” of Tugu Hotels & Restaurants Group for decades may have disappeared with time. The remnants, nevertheless, remain as a reminder for us all: “What we must remember is history, not hatred.”
~ Anhar Setjadibrata, Founder of Tugu Hotels and Restaurants Group
