Dwi Marianto goes beyond theories<\/p>\n
Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Today the public has often judged artists graduating from the
\nreputable Indonesian Institute of Arts of Yogyakarta (ISI
\nYogyakarta), particularly fine arts major, as being of a lower
\ncaliber than their predecessors.<\/p>\n
The campus seems to have been devoid of the spirit of art, the
\nelement that previously helped make its graduates great artists.<\/p>\n
Art critic Martinus Dwi Marianto, who was appointed director
\nof the institute's post-graduate program in May this year, was
\nnot unaware of the concern that the public has shown about the
\ninstitute's graduates.<\/p>\n
He was of the opinion that the spirit of art has gone from the
\ncampus particularly because of several reasons. First, he said,
\nunlike what happened in the campus of the Indonesian Fine Art
\nAcademy (ASRI) before, the academic community of ISI Yogyakarta
\nis yet to merge with the people in their surroundings.<\/p>\n
The next problem is that the institute's organization is too
\nfat which resulted in the prevailing long-winded bureaucracy in
\ncampus activities and the institute's curriculum as well as
\nacademic policies are disadvantageous to the students.<\/p>\n
\"What happens now is that the students get only academic
\ntraining but hardly any training to bolster their creativity and
\nsensitize artistic feelings,\" he lamented. Obviously, he added,
\nthe creativity of the students as artists will be stunted.<\/p>\n
It was hightime, he went on to say, that the students of ISI
\nYogyakarta must be equally trained academically and creatively.<\/p>\n
That's why, he said, in the post-graduate program, the
\nstudents were liberated in their way of thinking and are free
\nfrom the dichotomy of theory and practice.<\/p>\n
\"Let the students' ideas flow freely in their creation. They
\nmust be freed from the shackles of theories. They must be allowed
\nto think like people in meditation. Being and non-being will
\nmerge and be complementary to each other. Finally, this
\nliberating process will enhance your creativity,\" said Dwi
\nMarianto, who is also noted as an art critic in a number of
\nnational media publications.<\/p>\n
A graduate of Australia's Wollongong University, he borrowed
\nthe viewpoint of a quantum physicist to explain and treat reality
\nand view all art phenomena as part of man's daily cultural
\nexpressions<\/p>\n
Many artists, he said, were usually unwilling to change their
\nart approaches for fear that the public would consider them as
\nbeing unprincipled or having a weak personality.<\/p>\n
\"In short, they are afraid to create anything beyond the
\nexisting norms or theories although deep in their hearts they are
\nfully aware that this approach or method no longer suits their
\npresent taste,\" Dwi Marianto pointed out.<\/p>\n
\"There is an artist, for example, that has always used masks
\nas the subject of his painting. The way he painted when he was an
\nundergraduate student was hardly different from his method now,
\nwhen he is a student in a master's program,\" he continued<\/p>\n
This man, he said, erroneously believes that in this way he
\nwill be considered as a consistent artist.<\/p>\n
Then, he went on, there are also some artists that come up
\nwith the same issues despite the variety of the media, therefore
\ngiving the impression that for him time stands still. \"Ideology
\nis found not only in politics but also in arts. When an artist
\nclings to a particular esthetic ideology, he will view the world
\nin a repetitive work pattern and the same paradigm,\" he noted.<\/p>\n
To remain creative, however, an artist must avoid having an
\nestablished viewpoint. He must, instead, regularly reshape this
\nviewpoint. He must always look for new things although sometimes
\nwe have to disagree with other people in terms of their viewpoint
\nor theory.<\/p>\n
As a quantum reality, he said, art must be viewed in the
\nperspective of a wave or its particles simultaneously. Art
\nrepresentation that emphasizes only the idea or the form is an
\nincomplete reality.<\/p>\n
Dwi Marianto did not only sit still with his ideal roaming
\nwithout clear action. He has tried to overcome the stagnant of
\nthe spirit of art in his campus. He invited outside lecturers to
\nshare their experiences -- as fresh artistic touch -- to the
\nstudents and introduce something which was beyond the formal
\ncurriculum.<\/p>\n
\"Recently, we invited Nandini Shinha, an Indian dancer, to
\nhelp improve our artistic feelings. In the future we plan to
\ninvite people like her to our campus as guest lecturer. In this
\nway, our artistic feelings will always be enhanced and the
\nstudents will be imbued with the spirit of art,\" he said.<\/p>",
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