A new slang in contemporary Indonesian art<\/p>\n
By Amir Sidharta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Contemporary Indonesian art, as that represented
\nin works nominated for the 1996 Indonesian Art Awards, according
\nto art critic Agus Dermawan T., \"showed a tendency toward the
\nodd, absurd, pathos, artificial and protest\". The works nominated
\nin the 1997 Indonesian Art Awards were not much different. Dark,
\ndaunting, and chaotic, was the title of an article about the
\nawards in Republika daily.<\/p>\n
Most art critics familiar with contemporary Indonesian art
\nwould agree that more and more works of art by young Indonesian
\nartists today show such a tendency. The same is true of works by
\nYustoni Volunteero, S. Teddy D. and Hafiz presented in an
\nexhibition titled Sebuah Percakapan (A Conversation) at Erasmus
\nHuis, South Jakarta, that runs through Aug. 26.<\/p>\n
The three young artists have been working together for the
\npast eight months establishing an art network. Artist and curator
\nof Cemeti Gallery, Mella Jaarsma, points out that they have found
\nsimilar approaches in their ways of thinking and expressing their
\nideas.<\/p>\n
The exhibition, a result of their work as a group within the
\nnetwork, clearly shows that they speak a common language. Perhaps
\nwhat Agus Dermawan and the other art critics have seen developing
\nrecently is precisely the development of a new prokem (slang) in
\nIndonesian contemporary art. Groups of young artists, such as the
\ngroup consisting of Yustoni, Teddy and Hafiz, seem to have
\ndeveloped their own dialects, if you will, within this new
\nartistic language.<\/p>\n
Their language, like Basquiat's, combines elements of visual
\nimages and text, Yustoni claims to no longer trust the printed
\nword, especially that in the mass media, and uses cut-out
\nnewspaper headlines combined with found or painted visual images
\nin \"scrap-book\" compositions, to create his own messages. He also
\nincorporates his own written text into the picture, and often
\nthey are crude curses in English, which are overused in Hollywood
\nmovies to which he is certainly exposed. These words certainly
\nsuggest a tone of protest.<\/p>\n
Born in a Central Java village in 1970, Yustoni entered the
\nArt Department of the Indonesian Fine Arts Institute (ISI)
\nYogyakarta in 1991. He often participates in demonstrations
\nopposing government and campus policies and these themes are
\npredominant in his works.<\/p>\n
Teddy was born in Padang, West Sumatra in 1970. He
\nentered the Indonesian Arts High School (STSI) in Surakarta,
\nCentral Java, in 1990, and transferred to ISI Yogyakarta two
\nyears later.<\/p>\n
Hafiz was born in Pekan Baru in 1971. Following in the
\nfootsteps of his father, a Riau artist, Hafiz became accustomed
\nto painting. In 1990 he entered the Jakarta Arts Institute and
\nstudied printmaking.<\/p>\n
Yustoni's visuals include icons of military soldiers, rural
\nfarmers and rice stalks. He includes words like paddy (rice),
\nhidup (life), land, rice and people-land, and bumiputera
\n(indigenous people). Both visual and textual symbols reflect his
\nconcern over abuse of power over the livelihood of common people
\nas well as the conservation of natural resources for our future.<\/p>\n
Teddy's work epitomizes the spontaneity of the group's style.
\nHis paintings seem to be completed very quickly using abrupt
\nbrushstrokes. Once the image appears, the artist stops; there is
\nno further attempt to improve the depiction. Instead, he
\ncompletes the picture with English words. Yet the incorporation
\nof text in his paintings is not even an attempt to clarify what
\nhe is trying to convey. His paintings seem to be purely an
\nexpression of his confused thoughts.<\/p>\n
Sculpture seems to be a more potent medium for the artist.
\nThree scorched yellow ironing boards in the form of human
\nfigures, on wheels, are lined up in Jalan Menuju Generalissimo
\n(The Way to Generalissimo).<\/p>\n
A glass of drink, a stool, a fan and the word \"LIER\" are icons
\ncommon in Hafiz's paintings. The images seem to be associated
\nwith the objects which can be found in the artist's room; they
\nhint at his somewhat reclusive life. His woodcut, titled
\nTerbuang, dan Tidak Apa-apa (Thrown Away, and Does Not Matter),
\nshows a naked figure standing within the confines of a small
\ntoilet stall. Sometimes the crescent moon and star, the symbol of
\nIslam, emerges in Hafiz's works, suggesting his strong ties with
\nthe religion he embraces. Yet, the symbol often appears along
\nwith other symbols which seem to be his temptation: a can of
\nbeer, a television set and even a cross. His art works provide
\nhim with a means for contemplation, while for other people it is
\none way to be able to know and understand his complex and perhaps
\neven confused way of thinking.<\/p>\n
The works of the three artists convey messages through
\ncompositions of symbolic visual and textual elements. Although it
\nis clear that they are still struggling to fully master these
\nelements, their compositions indicate tremendous spontaneity and
\npresent powerful expressions.<\/p>\n
Jaarsma traces the incorporation of text in their canvases to
\nthe incorporation of writing in the works of Sudjojono (1913-
\n1986), the pioneer of modern Indonesian art.<\/p>\n
However, while Sudjojono's texts are usually narrative, poetic
\nand philosophical, and provided as a means of further explaining
\nthe depiction, the text used by the three young artists often
\nhave no association with the painted images, but is included to
\nadd another dimension to the content of their paintings, often in
\na rather bombastic way. Nonetheless, in both cases the text leads
\nthe viewer to think beyond the image and even question its
\nvalidity. Even though the works by the three young artists may
\nnot always be communicative, at the very least they are thought-
\nprovoking.<\/p>\n
Although Yustoni, Teddy and Hafiz have used a new language or
\ndialect in their artistic expression, it is certain that the
\nlanguage is still developing and still needs to develop. None of
\nthe artists have quite mastered the semiotics of their vocabulary
\nand the semantics of their grammar. As a result, the audience
\nthey address also finds it difficult to comprehend their works.<\/p>\n
On one hand, there is no doubt that the development is
\nnecessary and will happen. Yet on the other hand, there is also
\nconcern that it will diminish the spontaneous energy and
\nambiguity in their current works. Should people be able to
\nunderstand what they are trying to say? Do they want people to
\nunderstand what they want to convey?<\/p>\n
Prokem was developed as an esoteric coded language in the
\nunderworld of Jakarta. Once the code was understood, it became a
\nlanguage with a widespread popularity among Jakarta's young.
\nHowever, it never developed any further than becoming an
\nalternative language for regular conversation, and hence became
\nmerely a short-lived fad.<\/p>\n
The new artistic language which has been used by Yustoni,
\nTeddy and Hafiz, will also become widespread among the young
\ngeneration of contemporary Indonesian artists. Taking into
\naccount the development of their prokem, it will be crucial for
\nartists continue to be innovative and creative in the use of
\ntheir new artistic language.<\/p>",
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