Artist Bimo brings glory of color to tableware<\/p>\n
By Mehru Jaffer<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Only a few years ago Bimo Chondro was just
\nanother employee in a bank.<\/p>\n
Then his colorful past returned to haunt the young Sundanese.<\/p>\n
Colorful childhood secrets that were piled up inside his
\nmother's cupboard and in the rainbow-colored clothes that she
\nwrapped daily around her sinewy contours knocked around in his
\nimagination constantly.<\/p>\n
As a child nothing had fascinated him more than to look, touch
\nand feel the different materials that belonged to the family.
\nLater he found himself mesmerized by the way in which Indian
\nweavers and dyers made attractive patterns on textiles and
\ncombined their use of imaginative color combinations.<\/p>\n
For a while, colors were forced to disappear into the deep
\nrecess of his subconscious as practicalities took over and Bimo
\nprepared himself for the ways of the world. After graduating from
\na school for hotel management he soon found a job in a bank. Bimo
\nwas well paid but surprised at how restless he was. Perhaps what
\nbothered him was the absence of colors in his black and white
\nlife at the bank.<\/p>\n
\"But I am too much of a coward to give up my regular job,\"
\ngrinned Bimo.<\/p>\n
Instead he decided to entice colors back into his life after
\noffice hours, and what he has ended up accomplishing is to
\ntransfer on to canvas all the different shades that he remembers
\nseeing on textiles.<\/p>\n
One day he took his works to Amalia Wirjono, owner of Koi
\nGallery, who happily hung up two of his paintings on her walls.
\nBimo was encouraged by the fact that within a few days both the
\npaintings were sold. That was in 1996.<\/p>\n
Yet another break came two years ago when the Hilton hotel in
\nCentral Jakarta renovated its popular Peacock restaurant and
\nchose Bimo to design place mats and coasters. One of the guests
\nof the newly opened restaurant was Allan Theo from Metro
\ndepartment store.<\/p>\n
Allan was absolutely charmed at the decor that evening and
\nsearched high and low for the designer. When he found Bimo he
\nwondered if the artist would like to use the same colors on
\ncrockery.<\/p>\n
Bimo recalled that his conscience was trying to tell him
\nsomething at that time. He wondered if he was commercializing his
\nart, and peddling away his intense love for colors in the crude
\ncorridors of the market place? Then he rationalized that it was
\nnot as if he painted just for himself. He did feel happy at
\nthe thought of sharing his creations with as many people as
\npossible.<\/p>\n
Price<\/p>\n
The price of his paintings was now on the rise and few from
\nthe masses could afford to buy one of his canvases. He thought
\nmany more could fulfill their love of possessing a piece of art
\nby buying one of the 600 salad bowls exclusively designed by him
\nand available at a more affordable price.<\/p>\n
So he accepted Allan's offer to design 16 pieces of tableware
\nincluding a tea set, dinner set and a salad bowl in four vivid
\ncolors; orange, yellow, green and blue. Research within the
\ndepartment store revealed that young upper middle class
\nIndonesian customers liked to use ethnic colors and
\nshapes as tableware instead of the more demure white and off
\nwhite shades, so popular with Europeans.<\/p>\n
After that it took nearly two years for 16,000 pieces to be
\nduplicated, colored and fired by Lydia Kusuma Hendra at her
\nfactory in Tangerang. And just before the end of the last month,
\ncoinciding with the end of Ramadhan, the Bimo ceramics were first
\ndisplayed at Metro.<\/p>\n
Few could have foreseen the excellent reception for Bimo's
\nwares.<\/p>\n
Customers have gone crazy at the possibility of bringing so
\nmuch color into their lives. Since the post-fasting month Idul
\nFitri holiday was soon approaching, many ordered Bimo hampers and
\nsent them as gifts to family and friends.<\/p>\n
\"To drink coffee in one of these cups first thing in the
\nmorning is to remain cheerful for the rest of the day,\" uttered
\none customer who returned to buy some more Bimo ceramics as a
\ngift for her mother.<\/p>\n
What makes Allan most proud is the fact that Indonesian
\npottery has at last come into its own, after playing second
\nfiddle to ware from China, Europe and the United States.<\/p>\n
Bimo's line of tableware is truly Indonesian. \"It is
\nconceived, born and marketed here in this country,\"
\nsays Allan, who is now on the lookout for an appropriate batik
\nmotif to put on the next line of crockery he wants to fire for
\nhis customers, who are increasingly appreciative of the idea that
\nart need not be just decorative but functional as well.<\/p>",
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