Cartoon exhibition sizes up a changing society<\/p>\n
By Chris Brummitt<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): From their first appearance in the mid 19th
\ncentury, cartoons have been a medium for social criticism and
\ncommentary. The time it takes to draw them means they are ideally
\nsuited for capturing the mechanics of a society in rapid change.<\/p>\n
Following in this tradition are the cartoonists currently
\nexhibiting their work at the Japanese Cultural Center, on the 2nd
\nfloor of the Summitmas 1 building, Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta.
\nThe Japanese Cultural Center held its third Asian cartoon
\nexhibition, featuring cartoons from all over Asia, last July. The
\nworks on show this month are 40 or so of the cartoons by
\nIndonesian artists which, through reasons of space, did not make
\nit into the earlier exhibition.<\/p>\n
The exhibition is called \"Indonesia 1999\", and the target of
\nthe artists' satire rarely strays from that which is indicated by
\nthe title.<\/p>\n
Many of the cartoons document the country facing up to the
\nmuch hyped \"global era\", the attendant absurdities and the
\npeoples' mixed feelings about the development. How, where and
\nwhat people eat are frequently made the subject of the cartoons,
\nin such a way that symbolic interpretations are inevitable.<\/p>\n
One cartoon shows an Indonesian man in a sarong squatting on
\nthe floor of an expensive restaurant, scooping up chicken and
\nrice with his right hand. The waiter looks on astonished. Another
\ndepicts a skyline of huge buildings topped with advertising
\nbillboards for multinational food companies. Lines of people are
\nleaving each building and heading for a lone warung (a
\ntraditional streetside eating house).<\/p>\n
The confusion of a society in transition -- from an
\nagricultural based, traditional one to a global, urban one -- is
\na recurring theme. A well-dressed mobile phone-toting woman stops
\nat a \"Warteg Spesial\", a warung which serves food from Tegal,
\nCentral Java. This cafe is special, however, because it serves
\nonly hamburgers, spaghetti and other non-Indonesian food. This
\nabsurdity is compounded by the 1 percent discount on offer. The
\ncustomer asks for the typical Indonesian spicy vegetable dish
\npecel, and the woman serving her looks blank and question marks
\nrise from her head.<\/p>\n
Other cartoons are more direct, and their criticism is of a
\nmore political nature. A fat official eats a stick of satay.
\nTaking the place of the meat, however, are photocopied images
\nfrom a Rp 50,000 note, including the face of former president
\nSoeharto. Drawing, publishing or displaying such a cartoon as
\nlittle as one year ago would have been asking for trouble from
\nthe authorities. Its appearance today is proof of the striking
\nchanges which have taken place in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The most detailed work on show is by Nur Andi. A Monopoly
\nboard is depicted being ravaged by hands belonging to the
\ngovernment, foreign countries and conglomerates. In one corner
\nthere is a single gravestone with the engraving R.I.P Rakyat
\n(R.I.P the People).<\/p>\n
If you are in the area, this exhibition is worth dropping in
\non, as almost all of the cartoons are well drawn and well thought
\nout. One criticism is the absence of biographical details on the
\nartists; it would not have taken much extra work and would have
\ngiven visitors a bit more to chew on.<\/p>\n
The exhibition, which is open to the public at no charge, is
\nopen daily in November until 6 p.m., except for Saturdays when it
\ncloses at 1 p.m. and Sundays.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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