Erica's vision spreads to foreign shores<\/p>\n
By Dion Hallpike<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The bright, colorful paintings currently
\ncovering the walls of Galeri Nasional Indonesia on Jl. Merdeka
\nTimur are only a third of what Erica Hestu Wahyuni has produced
\nup until now.<\/p>\n
This dynamic young artist, who turned 30 on Jan. 1, told The
\nJakarta Post that the gallery simply wasn't big enough for her
\ncollection, which is a retrospective of her development as an
\nartist.<\/p>\n
While some artists are applauded for adapting to new schools
\nof thought or complex artistic methods, Erica's development
\ntranslates more openly as a continuing thread and unique style
\nfor which she has received praise in one form or another since
\nchildhood.<\/p>\n
Although some art critics are not receptive to this
\ndevelopment and see little in her work that is mature by their
\nown critical standards, many love Erica's works and are drawn
\ninto her optimistic, fantastical and sometimes dreamlike visions
\nof the world.<\/p>\n
Bright orange elephants in a procession across a city
\nlandscape; an exuberant gathering of smiling people sitting,
\nready to eat a banquet of fish; and curious, even surprised
\nlooking cats stretching lazily across the canvasses, all catch
\nthe eye.<\/p>\n
The viewer is invited to join in the joviality of the scenes,
\nperhaps an invitation to reconnect with the inner-child we all
\npossess.<\/p>\n
And like the disproportionate and wildly colorful figures and
\nlandscapes in her paintings, Erica's approach to her work is
\nambitious, optimistic, even idealistic at times, while she
\ncontinues to ground her art in discipline and consistency.<\/p>\n
\"Every day I try to put aside some time to paint or make
\ncharcoal sketches, it is like a diary of my life as well as my
\nwork\" Erica told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Erica added that many people see this as an attempt to make
\nmoney, but she thinks they are misinterpreting her purpose. Not
\nonly does Erica want people to see the improvements and
\ndevelopment of her work through time, she also has plans for
\nfurther study of artistic methods, including a three-year Russian
\nexcursion starting in October, and eventually aims to set up an
\n\"open house\" in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Erica's work does at times, however, share a passion for
\ndepicting a dynamic, happy people involved in harvests and other
\ncommunal occasions, as can be seen in The Monument of the
\nFriendship of People. Erica said she will most likely struggle
\nwith the plastic realism in Russian art, but she is willing to
\ngive it her best -- \"Even if my work is not accepted, it will be
\nworth it\".<\/p>\n
Hints of melancholy do pervade some of Erica's later works,
\nsuch as Imajinasi Indonesia 2000 (The Imagination of Indonesia in
\n2000), where a trendy young girl, sporting a crown of hearts,
\nwings of an angel and lace-up army boots, sheds tears with an
\norange elephant, who is also crowned. This takes place amid a
\ncollage of recognizably Indonesian monuments and contexts -- the
\nNational Monument with its eternal flame stands out, as do two
\nmen wearing peci (caps) engaged in debate at the dinner table
\nwhile a passive woman waits beside them (their choices of food
\nare heart, human, cow, stars or a military officer). The dull
\ngaze of a red cow dominates the background, staring carelessly
\npast the viewer.<\/p>\n
As we scan the colorful frame surrounding this vaguely
\npolitical mix, the looks of three different women vie for our
\nattention; one woman lying down with a cat on her lap, looks
\ndirectly at the viewer as if anticipating some worthwhile
\nmovement or observation; another woman appears to be falling
\ndownwards and backwards with a mixture of despair and ecstasy
\nworn upon her face. A blue horse with green wings gallops onwards
\nin her wake. Another woman is singing on a television program,
\ndressed in traditional clothing.<\/p>\n
Likewise, in one of her paintings from last year, Menunggu
\nBuka (Waiting for the Opening), a gleeful child gestures with
\nfar-flung arms at the dinner table, but the carelessness and
\nanticipation of the child is made solitary by the brooding of the
\nmother, who sits, resting her chin upon her hands, obviously
\nthinking about something else. There is still a colorful and
\norderly arrangement of food and domestic luxuries, but something
\nis missing from the scene.<\/p>\n
After studying the Russian language, new techniques and
\ncontemplating the social and political context of Russian
\nmonumental art, Erica will no doubt return to Indonesia in three
\nyears time with some exciting new perspectives stemming from
\nchallenging interactions.<\/p>\n
Erica told The Jakarta Post of her plans to set up an \"open
\nhouse\" in her hometown of Yogyakarta. \"I have traveled abroad
\nvery often, and from what I have experienced I see that
\nprofessionalism and experience is very important for community
\nprojects like the one I am undertaking. It can't be a temporary
\nproject, it takes time. I can't do it straight away, that would
\nbe 'Mission Impossible'!\"<\/p>\n
Erica's \"open house\" would be a place for children and keen
\nyoung artists to gather and spend time with her, either painting
\nor simply observing her at work. They could also play with a
\ncollection of traditional Indonesian games - \"No Playstation or
\nSega!\" Erica insists. The bravest of the children might even be
\nlured into stroking her pet python!<\/p>\n
Erica's depiction of animals with people retains an
\nelement of childhood fascination which is often given the cold
\nshoulder in artistic circles. Nevertheless, there is definitely
\nsomething mystical and enchanting about her colorful elephants,
\nbizarre cats and seemingly dumb cows. Even if the skin of an
\nelephant is rough and gray, this is not how Erica sees them.<\/p>\n
The exhibition Reka-reka Erica will continue at Galeri
\nNasional Indonesia, Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur 14, Central Jakarta,
\nuntil April 19. The launch of the book, Erica, Art's Most
\nPlayful Child, will take place on April 18, beginning at 6:30
\np.m..<\/p>",
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