Artist Yos Suprapto skewers a culture of barbarism<\/p>\n
By Aendra H. Medita<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Dissatisfaction and a desire for change from the
\nestablished order in which avarice and injustice have been
\nallowed to run amok are the grand themes in Yos Suprapto's
\npaintings and drawings.<\/p>\n
His works, on display at the National Gallery until June 30,
\nsymbolize how oppression affects all members of society on many
\nlevels, from the position of women to the chipping away at the
\nmoral fabric which should bind all of us.<\/p>\n
Art is the response of Yos, 49, to the turmoil of the
\npolitical and social situation, the arena for him to present both
\nhis esthetics and political messages.<\/p>\n
Yos has led an interesting and colorful life, dropping out of
\nthe Indonesian Arts Institute (ASRI) in 1973 and going to
\nAustralia, where he obtained his bachelor's degree from James
\nCook University in North Queensland in 1983 and his master's from
\nSouthern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales.<\/p>\n
During the New Order era, Yos was both an artist and a social
\nactivist; he once protested in Australia against the World Bank
\nand the International Monetary Fund in relation to the social and
\nenvironmental impacts of a dam built at Kedung Ombo in Central
\nJava.<\/p>\n
Yos began displaying his works in solo exhibitions in 1985 and
\nhas continued to do so, particularly in Australia and Indonesia.
\nHe is also an accomplished musician; in 1974 he joined The Lemon
\nTree, a musical group with the late Gombloh, a legendary
\nmusician, as one of its members. In 1991, Yos joined Black
\nBrothers and began working as an artistic director in a number of
\nexperimental theaters in Adelaide, Australia.<\/p>\n
As to be expected from his background as a social activist,
\nYos chooses themes related to and affecting society in his 50
\nworks featured in Barbarism: The Journey of the Nation.<\/p>\n
He takes aim at the true barbarism of the powers-that-be,
\nparticularly the New Order, and the ploys used by the strong to
\ncrush the weak are dissected in imaginative works.<\/p>\n
Although he obviously sides with the people, the criticism he
\nunleashes in these paintings is still tempered by a visual
\nsweetness due to the bright pastels he uses in some works. The
\nstarkness of the story that is being told comes through much
\nstronger in his black-and-white drawings.<\/p>\n
Ketoprak is a denunciation of a feudalistic culture in which
\nwomen are literally brought to their knees. There is one woman
\nkneeling in deference before a man -- her husband, her father? --
\nto another being crushed under the boot of a soldier. The message
\nis that oppression of women is one and the same, regardless of
\nwhether it is taking a secondary role in the home or becoming a
\nvictim of military atrocities in the troubled areas dotting the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
One of the most graphic and startling works is Tangga-Tangga
\n(Ladders), portraying our culture of sycophancy, where people
\nfrom all walks of life compete in pandering to those above them
\nin getting ahead in life. Yos shows a mass of people squirming
\nand pushing against each other from a labyrinth, each trying to
\nachieve their ultimate goal of licking the backside of the king
\nwho lounges above them.<\/p>\n
Although the drawings convey the same theme, Yos goes deeper
\nin their exploration. He illustrates injustices and barbarism in
\ndaily life through strong, deep lines and with the help of
\naccompanying text.<\/p>\n
Works such as Duit, Dolar dan Demokrasi (Money, Dollars and
\nDemocracy), Wartawan Sasaran Tembak (Reporters as Shooting
\nTargets), Rebutan Kursi I dan II (Fighting for the Throne I and
\nII), Teror Malam di Aceh (Night Terror in Aceh) and Sampit,
\nSampang, Sampah, Sampar (Sampit, Sampang, Garbage, Pest) are all
\nabout barbarism which has permeated society and culture during
\nthe 32-year authoritarianism of the New Order, when no allowances
\nwere made for the human cost.<\/p>\n
Yos is at his most powerful in these black-and-white drawings,
\nwhich capture the suffocating presence of oppression,
\nbackwardness and the shackles of domination which have plagued
\nthis country through its young life. His works are a reflection
\non our state of affairs, both then and now.<\/p>\n
Barbarism: The Journey of the Nation will be displayed at the
\nNational Gallery, Jl. Medan Merdeka 14, Central Jakarta, until
\nSaturday.<\/p>",
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