ethnogalleries
  Dea Sudarman  bercerita tentang kehidupan etnik melalui benda kumpulannya
Dea Sudarman shares stories about ethnic peoples through items she collects

 
Dea Sudarman (penggagas + pemilik gedung + perawat-koleksi) -- dalam perjalanan karirnya selama lebih dari 15 tahun sebagai pembuat film dokumenter untuk sebuah perusahaan TV swasta Jepang, Dea Sudarman mengumpulkan berbagai benda yang terdapat di dalam kehidupan sehari-hari masyarakat adat di Indonesia. walau pekerjaannya mengharuskan dirinya untuk menetap bertahun-tahun di Tokyo, tugasnya sering membawanya masuk ke pedalaman pulau-pulau Indonesia bagian timur, untuk jangka waktu lama. selagi menetap bersama penduduk asli, ia selalu menerima tandamata dari masyarakat adat yang hingga kini ia rawat dengan baik. seringkali ia menemukan benda-benda buangan (tidak terpakai lagi oleh pemilik/pencipta) dan juga ditawari untuk membeli karya-karya seni setempat. namun Dea juga mengumpulkan barang sehari-hari yang digunakan masyarakat adat. adalah impian masa kecilnya untuk membangun sebuah rumah seni+budaya. berkat dukungan sahabat-sahabatnya di berbagai tempat di dunia, pada akhir tahun 2001 gedungDUA8 menjadi impian yang terwujud di atas sebidang tanah yang awalnya direncanakan sebagai rumah-tinggal. di ruang-ruang gedung yang dirancang dengan konsep universal (tidak mengacu pada satu budaya tertentu) ini,  Dea berbagi cerita tentang masyarat adat yang pernah ia kenal. ia ingin agar  seni+budaya yang mereka miliki dapat bercerita tentang hakekat manusia yang selalu berbeda-beda dalam mengalami, menghayati dan menjalani hidupnya. "manusia di mana pun dan kapan pun akan selalu berbeda-beda," kata Dea. "perbedaan adalah suatu berkah alami yang memberikan keindahan pada pertumbuhan kesadaran insan manusia. dalam berbagi ruang, saya mengajak masyarakat lintasbatas untuk saling bercerita dalam ragam ekspresi seni+budaya agar... dari hari ke hari, generasi ke generasi, kita semua dapat memperoleh hikmah dari keragaman kita untuk tumbuh lebih indah dan toleran terhadap sesama."

Dea Sudarman (conceptor + building owner + collection-caretaker) -- throughout her 15-year career as a film documentary maker for a Japanese television production company, Dea Sudarman has taken into her custody a vast collection of art+cultural items which were found in the daily lives of the indigenous peoples of Indonesia. although her work demanded her to live in Tokyo for years, Dea's frequent journeys into the interiors of eastern Indonesia islands had brought her into the lives of many secluded indigenous communities. thanks to the nature of her work, she often had to live long periods in the interiors, mingling with different ethnic groups, bringing home memorable gifts which she has kept impeccably intact to this date and are now included in the gallery exhibitions. her collection also consisted of items which were originally abandoned or discarded by the owner/user. at some instances, items were traded by locals for monetary compensation. Dea had also kept numerous dailywares which many would consider valueless simply because her childhood dream was to build a house that brings together all things from different cultures. thanks to the continuous support of her personal friends around the world, in late 2001 her dream came true when gedungDUA8 was officially opened on a tract of land originally purchased for her private dwelling. in the spaces inside the building, which was designed to defy any partiality to any particular culture, Dea shares her story about the indigenous peoples she had come in contact with. she hopes that the different cultures that are presented in these spaces can tell how human beings have different ways of experiencing, acknowledging and creating their lives. "humans, anywhere and at any time, will always be different from one another," says Dea. "being different is the single natural blessing that creates beauty in our expanding awareness. i am creating spaces for people across all borders to share their stories through different arts+cultural expressions...so that day to day and generation to generation we may all gain wisdom from our differences to grow more beautiful from within and live with each other with greater tolerance."