By Tri Hafiningsih<\/p>\n
Cartoons give people both pleasure and deeper insights<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): "Take time to think, smile and laugh,"
\nIndonesian cartoonist Dwi Koendoro says in the introduction of
\nhis book Plucky Koming, the English version of his comic series
\nfeaturing primary character, Panji Koming.<\/p>\n
Dwi hopes that through his comics, readers will not only be
\namused by the humorous drawings and text, but also gain far
\ngreater insights.<\/p>\n
Visitors to the Asean Cartoon Exhibition, being held at the
\nmain exhibition hall of Taman Ismail Marzuki Art Center, Central
\nJakarta, have been able to do just that.<\/p>\n
At least 100 cartoons on display until May 29 have been
\nsuccessful in holding the visitors' attention. Forgetting the
\ntime, they spend hours trying to deduce their meanings.<\/p>\n
Ismail, a visitor, planned to drop by for a glimpse of the
\npopular art before having lunch. He ended up spending his lunch
\nhour thinking, smiling and laughing at the cartoons.<\/p>\n
"I haven't had my lunch and I'm late for work," said the
\nemployee of the state-owned National Shipping Line (PELNI). He
\nlaughed and added that despite an empty stomach, the hour he
\nspent at the exhibition was refreshing after his tense hours at
\nwork.<\/p>\n
For 63-year-old Yusuf Wiran, another visitor, spending a
\ncouple of hours observing cartoons was an enjoyable break from
\nhis daily life.<\/p>\n
"The cartoons amuse you. They also remind you of more serious
\nthings, though the messages in many of them are not very clear to
\nme," he said.<\/p>\n
The exhibition is being sponsored by the Asean Cultural
\nCenter, an organization established in 1990 by the Japan
\nFoundation to promote South East Asia cultures. It features the
\nworks of noted cartoonists from five Asean countries, Thailand,
\nthe Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Tarcisius Sutanto and Priyanto Sunarto represent Indonesia in
\nthe ongoing exhibition entitled "Humorous Messages for the World
\non Changing ASEAN."<\/p>\n
This is a "homecoming exhibition" of two programs (in 1992 and
\n1993) promoting the works of Asean cartoonists throughout Japan.
\nThe foundation has organized four consecutive exhibitions since
\n1990, in which four cartoonists -- GM Sudarta, Pramono Pramoedjo,
\nT. Sutanto and Priyanto Sunarto -- have represented Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Tarcisius Sutanto, better known by his initials, TS, pictures
\nthe never-ending battle between two extremes -- the helpless, the
\npoor, or in his own term arus bawah (the undercurrent), and the
\npowerful, or the very rich. His cartoons appear regularly in The
\nJakarta Post and a Bandung-based daily, Pikiran Rakyat.<\/p>\n
Among his works on display is The Selfish Rich, which pictures
\na man's upper body clad in a suit, his head a bundle of notes and
\nhis tie strangling the helpless poor.<\/p>\n
Priyanto Sunarto, or Pris, is well-known for his wide-eyed,
\ndumbfounded characters appearing regularly in TEMPO newsweekly
\nmagazine. His works feature social rather than political
\nphenomena, such as Gullit in Jakarta picturing a local soccer
\nplayer who is so amazed at the Afro-braided hair of AC Milan star
\nRuud Gullit that he forgets how to play football.<\/p>\n
Condomization of Hotels features a little boy telling his
\nparents of a "funny-looking balloon" he found in one of the
\nbedside drawers. Pris, sneering but crisp, addresses one possible
\ncomplication of providing condoms in hotel rooms to promote safe
\nsex and AIDS prevention, leaving the parents with the task of
\nexplaining the "balloon" to their son.<\/p>\n
Themes<\/p>\n
Some of the cartoons on display have strikingly similar
\nthemes, although every cartoonist has a unique approach to the
\nissues. Problems of living in high-rise apartments, AIDS and
\nwaste are some of the issues addressed by many cartoonists.<\/p>\n
Lim Yu Cheng of Singapore features the consistently selfish
\nsnob, "Mr. Kiasu," a man who fits perfectly in bustling city
\nlife. Mr. Kiasu shops for cheap goods and sale items, eats free
\nsamples in supermarkets, but drives an expensive red car and
\ncarries a hand phone he uses in public phone booths to avoid
\nnoise.<\/p>\n
Khunpol Prompaet of Thailand portrays irony in his cartoons
\nabout high-rise condominiums. I Thought Condominiums Are Safe
\npictures a man jumping from his old one-story house up to a
\ncondominium where the top levels are on fire and the ground
\nlevels are flooding.<\/p>\n
AIDS, which has become an international concern, is given
\nlocal colors by the cartoonists. In his cartoon AIDS, Pris
\npictures a western tourist worrying he might catch a number of
\ndiseases due to the poor hygiene in the region, while the local
\nprostitute sitting on the other end of the bed worries that her
\nclient may be carrying AIDS.<\/p>\n
TS and Romeo "Boy" Togonon of the Philippines chose
\ncontrasting angles concerning unwanted waste. TS's cartoon The
\nShameful Modern Commodity, criticizes developed countries for
\ndumping toxic wastes in developing countries. His aim to warn the
\ninternational community contrasts with Togonon's cartoon which
\ncriticizes the lack of self-awareness on environment preservation
\namong indigenous people.<\/p>\n
Among the outstanding works on display is Singapore - The Land
\nof A Thousand Nos by Reggie Lee of Malaysia. He pictures a taxi
\nfull of stickers saying "no smoking, no drinking, no drugs, no
\nchewing gum, no littering, no spitting, no food," while the
\ndriver, who looks very much like Singapore's Prime Minister Goh
\nCok Tong, is asking for tips.<\/p>\n
How Much Can I Make Today by Togonon is about a traffic
\npoliceman hiding behind the "One-Way" and "Do Not Enter" signs
\nexpecting somebody to make a wrong turn.<\/p>\n
Communication<\/p>\n
Pris said in his introductory text that cartoons have become a
\npopular and effective means of communication, especially in
\nJapan.<\/p>\n
"People of all ages and levels of society like cartoons."<\/p>\n
He said that all fields of knowledge -- from entertainment and
\neducation to the sciences and management -- can be communicated
\neffectively through cartoons.<\/p>\n
Pramono Pamoedjo, popularly known as Pram, has had his
\ncartoons regularly published in the Suara Pembaruan afternoon
\ndaily. Pram, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian
\nCartoonist Association Pakarti, said at a press conference before
\nthe exhibition's official opening on May 20, that Indonesia still
\ndoes not take cartoons seriously.<\/p>\n
"One of the reasons is many people still think that working as
\na cartoonist is a leisure part of the more serious profession of
\njournalism."<\/p>\n
"Some people even believe that cartoonists have fun on the
\njobs all the time," he said.<\/p>\n
In response to this, Pris said that creating cartoons is very
\nserious work.<\/p>\n
"You must cope with a lot of stress too," he said.<\/p>\n
"My deadline for TEMPO is Friday, so after every deadline, I
\nsimply avoid reading or listening to any news, just to give
\nmyself a break," he explained.<\/p>\n
Besides being cartoonists, Pris and TS are also lecturers of
\ngraphic design in the Fine Arts Department of the Bandung
\nInstitute of Technology (ITB).<\/p>\n
Pris is a well-known graphics designer who worked as a
\ngraphics coordinator at the Pavilion Indonesia in EXPO '85 in
\nTsukuba, Japan, and EXPO '86 in Vancouver, Canada.<\/p>\n
Besides teaching at his alma mater, TS has also participated
\nin international exhibitions including the International Cartoon
\nFestival of Belgium in 1979. He has received several awards for
\nhis works, including one from the Ministry of Information and
\nTourism of Turkey.<\/p>",
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