CCF is bridge to cultural exchange<\/p>\n
By Emilie Sueur<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): All of us hold on to an overflowing memory
\ncatalog of the important dates in our lives. For Ronny Augustinus
\nand Dwi Aryo Prihutomo, Aug. 21 will be retained on special file
\nas marking their first public exhibition, held in the gallery of
\nthe French Cultural Center (CCF) here.<\/p>\n
These graphic art students from the Jakarta Arts Institute
\n(IKJ) called their exhibition Tandatanya (Question Mark) as the
\ncore of their work queries their present situation.<\/p>\n
The paintings are dyed with pessismism, depicted most
\ngraphically by the colors -- white, black and red -- but also by
\nthe motifs.<\/p>\n
Sundamanda (Hopscotch), by 24-year-old Dwi, is stamped with
\nyearning for the innocence of childhood, especially the freedom
\nof expression permitted the young. \"Children can express
\nthemselves without thinking about social pressure,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The carefree game of hopscotch symbolizes \"the mastery of your
\nown destiny\". The child outlines on the ground the shape of the
\ngame, a representation of the game of life. Tossing the stone
\ndecides which direction life will go.<\/p>\n
Freedom of expression is the foremost wish of the two
\npainters. Ronny, 21, evinces this in Sing Your Own Requiem, in
\nwhich human heads are trapped in cages as symbols of the
\nimprisonment of the mind.<\/p>\n
The heads are painted in blurry brushstrokes to symbolize
\npassing through a brainwashing machine. Ronny describes the final
\naim of this process as \"the death of thought\".<\/p>\n
Both painters contend that human thought or ways of thinking
\nare framed so that innovation and renewal of the culture are very
\ndifficult to achieve. \"Innovation is perceived as deviance and
\nnot as evolution,\" Ronny says.<\/p>\n
This is also developed through the use of pieces of newspapers
\npainted over in dark colors. \"Newspapers used to be the way to
\nconvey opinions,\" Ronny says. \"The dark paint that masks the
\nsheets of newspaper is the symbol that newspapers don't express
\nanything anymore.\"<\/p>\n
The question of power underlies all their paintings. Power is
\nrepresented by foreboding chairs, the symbol of strength and
\nauthority in the Javanese culture.<\/p>\n
Supporting the work of students like Ronny and Dwi is an
\nessential axis of the policy outlined by CCF cultural director
\nYves Ollivier. \"The CCF wishes to play a part in the promotion of
\nyoung Indonesian artists' work. The CCF has to offer a place to
\nyoung artists, and not only to famous ones.\"<\/p>\n
Alternative<\/p>\n
The aim of a foreign cultural center is also to introduce its
\nculture to the local population. Ollivier defines a role of the
\nCCF in spotlighting \"French culture as an alternative to the
\ndominating American culture here\".<\/p>\n
The performance of French circus troupe Cirque Baroque earlier
\nthis month and the upcoming visit of three French comics called
\nLes Cousins are part of this goal.<\/p>\n
A main program is Nusantara, providing a French artist-in-
\nresidence to initiate cultural exchanges between French and
\nIndonesian artists. \"Making people from different cultures work
\ntogether is really important for us,\" Ollivier said.<\/p>\n
French artists spend time in Indonesia and work with local
\nartists under the program. It is financed by the French
\nAssociation for Artistic Action and by the French Embassy in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
The ultimate aim of Nusantara is to define the common cultural
\nground between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Thus, Olivier Patay, premier dancer at the Opera de Paris,
\nspent one month in Jakarta working in collaboration with two
\nIndonesian dancing schools, Namarina and Sumber Cipta.<\/p>\n
The fruit of this collaboration was an original ballet,
\nL'Union des contraires, performed last month at Gedung Kesenian
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Even the stage setting was the result of an intercultural
\npartnership between Michel Costiou, a French stage designer, and
\nfour graphic art students from the IKJ.<\/p>\n
Future cultural ambassadors are Eric Wurtz, a French lighting
\ntechnician for entertainment productions, and Gladys Sanchez, a
\nFrench dancer.<\/p>\n
After spending one month in Bali and Surakarta working with
\nshadow puppet artists, they will set up a workshop open to
\nstudents of the IKJ and to professionals of live entertainment.<\/p>\n
They will return to France to create a show fusing Western
\ntechniques and the traditional use of light and shades in
\nIndonesian shadow puppet plays.<\/p>\n
This creation, to be performed here next year, will be one
\nmore entry in the French Cultural Center's mission to draw two
\ndistant cultures closer together through the arts.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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