Dr. Oei Hong Djien with Entang Wiharso’s huge “Dreaming machine chronicle wall” on the front of the OHD museum.

The OHD Museum, named after the initials of its owner Oei Hong Djien, is built in an old tobacco warehouse in Jenggolo 14, Magelang. Painted black, with a huge Entang Wiharso’s silvery artwork the “Dreaming Machine Chronicle Wall” covering its front side, the museum stands out from its surroundings. It sends a bold message and attracts the curiosity of passersbys. There, Hong Djien, now 77, shares his passion for art, holding thematic exhibitions selected from the over 2,500 artworks he owns including ones by Indonesian masters such as Affandi, Basoeki Abdullah, S. Sudjojono, Hendra Gunawan, and many others as well as inviting other artists to display their works.

“A museum should be a place to learn, to conserve, and mainly to share. I think good artwork should be seen by as many as possible and it would be too bad if it is just a feast for the eyes of the collector,” Hong Djien says. The museum is actually Hong Djien’s third museum; the other two are located in his house, in the same town, but  in a different address. The museum, opened in 2012, was meant to accommodate a wider public audience. For the eccentric building almost all the ornamentation is works of art. For example, famous artists Heri Dono and Masriadi made the concrete paving blocks in front of the entrance. “When I was about to open the museum some of my friends asked what can they contribute. So they contributed these,” he says.

Left: The OHD museum displays thematic exhibitions from Hong Djien’s collection, as well as displaying guest artists. Bottom: “Menonton Adu Jago” by affandi, from the collection.