Dyan Anggraini on speaking from behind the mask<\/p>\n
Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Throughout history, masks have served humankind not only as
\nartistic instruments and educational tools but also to hide
\nexpressions of power, fear, hate, malice, fragility, love or
\ncompassion.<\/p>\n
While some artists have been inspired to search for the truth
\nbehind the mask, it seems that Dyan Anggraeni, in her solo
\nexhibition now running at the CSIS building, wishes to critique
\nhuman behavior in today's society.<\/p>\n
Unlike most artists, Dyan is a civil servant -- now heading
\nTaman Budaya in Yogya. Her observations on the bureaucracy
\ntherefore comes from within the circle where she works.<\/p>\n
In a series called Priyayi she features bare male upper torsos
\nwith a tie as the only piece of clothing, thereby laying bare the
\nreal characters behind the masks that give them an important
\nappearance.<\/p>\n
Her critique on the political discourse in the country may be
\nmasked, but is quite poignant. Menunggu para badut (Waiting for
\nthe Clowns), depicting masks laid on empty chairs, speaks to
\nanyone who has followed political machinations.<\/p>\n
And what can be said about Kursi Manis Cikeas (The appealing
\nchairs of Cikeas), featuring masked male figures in poses that
\nwould otherwise be associated with the female? Or Sang Kurator
\n(The Curator), a painting featuring a strong man against a
\nblurred background of Javanese symbols and some text?<\/p>\n
Her political comments continue in paintings like Masih Ada
\nPemain (There are still players), where a masked strongman is
\nfeatured with hands tied to what looks like toy soldiers, and in
\nBabak Baru (A New Chapter), which features a line-up of masked
\nmen whose mouths are tied by a cloth, and empty chairs hanging
\nbehind them. In Sang Nakhoda (The Captain), a long-nosed toy
\nclown sits, confused, amid a heap of ships made of paper.<\/p>\n
Ships, or praus, for Dyan are a metaphor for the instable, the
\nvulnerable. In this sense, her paintings in the series titled
\nPerahu Kertas (Paper Boats) signify her various concerns with
\nuncertainty. Perahu Kertas II, for instance, depicts a woman
\nwith a child expectantly sitting by the beach with a few toy
\nboats made of paper, and may denote her concern with the lot of
\nrefugees.<\/p>\n
Another painting in the series depicts two lone figures of
\nchildren against a whitewashed empty canvas, evoking a sense of
\ncompassion. Paper ships also appear in her painting titled
\nBersatu (United), featuring a woman with a basket full of paper
\nships marked by flags in the national colors, and one paper ship
\nfalling astray.<\/p>\n
The woman is in a posture inviting the ship to return. Aceh is
\nalso featured in the painting titled Somania, the story of a
\nchild who survived the tsunami, and, searching for her parents,
\nfound only her doll at her devastated house.<\/p>\n
The fallacy of prominence is depicted in two paintings
\nfeaturing a masked man, one with bulging eyes, a bare upper torso
\nand a malicious grin, standing in front of a painting on the wall
\ndepicting a man covering his face with a piece of paper; the
\nother featuring a masked man, neatly sitting with questioning
\neyes.<\/p>\n
Within the context of such politically charged paintings that
\nfeature men with frightening masks, the masked women in Suara
\nNurani, dressed in green and holding their hands behind their
\nears, seem to hail women as the bearers of conscience.<\/p>\n
But women in Dyan's paintings are still haunted by the power
\nof men. This is evident in the painting The Woman in which a
\nwoman with her child against a background of elements from Arjuna
\nis celebrated, in cross-gender, by a mask being placed next to a
\nwoman in fine clothing.<\/p>\n
In Gendhing Asmaradana he says, \"Nothing has really changed in
\nthe teachings for girls or women; basically their chastity must
\nbe protected\", and he warns, \"Beware you maidens who dream of
\nwomen's independence; don't ever forget moral ethics\".<\/p>\n
Dyan Anggraeni Hutomo, born in Kediri, East Java in 1957,
\ncomes from a family of Tamansiswa educators. A graduate from the
\nIndonesian Fine Arts Academy in Yogyakarta, she now heads the
\nYogyakarta Taman Budaya, a government institution tasked to help
\ndevelop the arts and culture in their region.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, she remains active in pursuing her artistic
\ngoals, participating in joint and solo exhibitions in Surabaya
\nand Yogyakarta. She was a finalist in contests for the Philip
\nMorris and Indofood Awards.<\/p>\n
This is her first solo exhibition in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
In\/visible\/Mask<\/p>\n
Solo exhibition by Dyan Anggraini<\/p>\n
CSIS building, Jl. Tanah Abang III\/23-27<\/p>\n
until May 28<\/p>\n
Tel. 8378 3818\/19, Kupu-kupu Art Projects Management.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dyan-anggraini-on-speaking-from-behind-the-mask-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }