Exhibit shows the phenomena of the urban painters<\/p>\n
By Chandra Johan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Galeri Milenium in Jakarta organized a painting
\nexhibition recently titled Urban Community Phenomena.
\nParticipated in by 15 painters, the works on display certainly
\nvaried widely.<\/p>\n
With such a too-wide and floating theme, the exhibition was
\nonly felt as a change of title, without attempting to show an
\nurban paradigm, whether in the manifestation of the creations or
\nin the artists' behavior. Perhaps it would have been more
\nappropriate if the theme \"urban society\" were changed to \"urban
\npainters\" because the exhibition featured the works of a number
\nof painters, not of different professions.<\/p>\n
The phenomena is interesting as it happens when exhibitions
\nand painting business are centered in cities. Since the painting-
\nart boom of more than 10 years ago, artists have gotten more
\nchances to exhibit and market their works to art lovers and
\ncertain classes of society who grow in metropolises like Jakarta.
\nLately in Jakarta, almost every day there are painting
\nexhibitions with the works for sale, especially in hotels and
\noffice buildings.<\/p>\n
With such a trend, a number of painters are pushed to urbanize
\nand gamble with their fate in big cities. An urban-mentality
\nattitude for each modern society that doesn't want to miss an
\nopportunity. That also does not look to slip away, influencing
\nartists' behavior, and this symptom can roughly be seen in
\nseveral tendencies of certain groups of painters.<\/p>\n
First, there is a group of painters who attempt to adjust
\nthemselves to the appreciative condition of the society of art
\nlovers. This group is usually very tolerant of the market laws
\nrather than of the dictum \"art for art's sake\" and \"personal
\nexpression\". To them, a work of art is alive, a source of living,
\nto provide sustenance for themselves and their families.<\/p>\n
And more so, they already realize that life in a big city like
\nJakarta has proved be hard, where dreams and art romanticism are
\nforced to be buried. In the manifestation of their creations they
\nfollow society's taste. The painting style portraying the legong
\ndance, mother and child, still life, scenery (especially rice
\nfields), are the favored themes. So it is reasonable if we see
\noften a reminiscence in the manifestation of their creations.<\/p>\n
In this group there are always artist wannabes who also have
\nthe technical capability but who do not let this field become a
\nliving. So we also find several celebrities, rich mothers,
\ngovernment officials or businesspeople who paint. The success of
\nthese artist wannabes is often more profitable because their
\nsocial status has been welcomed by society. (Ratih Sanggarwati,
\nTriwatty Marciano, Firman Ichsan, Dewi Motik and some others do
\nnot let their fate depend on this profession).<\/p>\n
The second group of painters are those who tend to follow the
\ntaste of the era and attempt to fit in with the development of
\ncontemporary art in their own as well as in foreign countries.<\/p>\n
If they rely solely on painting, they will also always face
\ncontradictions or dilemmas. On the one hand, they want to get an
\navant-gardist degree, pioneer, but on the other hand, they also
\nwant society to \"make them live\".<\/p>\n
In short, they are always in a condition between following the
\n\"buyer-market\" and the \"discourse-market\", between a name and
\nmoney. This situation is not only experienced by urban artists
\nnowadays, but also by modern artists in general.<\/p>\n
The third group of painters believe in \"self-expression\",
\nwithout caring about the \"discourse-market\". But they care about
\nmoney. The target they want to achieve as an urban painter is how
\nart lovers (of course not only love without money) appreciate
\ntheir self-expression, no matter whether its manifestation is
\nreally expression or not.<\/p>\n
Contradictions and dilemmas are also often experienced by this
\ngroup. To support their art and themselves, they are forced to do
\nother jobs, whether as a land broker or merely making an
\nillustration for the mass media. This kind of choice is
\nconsidered more honorable than just accepting an order of
\nphotograph painting or \"prostituting oneself\" by painting things
\nthat are not in line with their self-expression.<\/p>\n
The fourth group are those who are clever in lobbying and
\ncooperate with companies and office buildings. They accept orders
\nto paint for the need of office art, like banks, hotels and other
\nbuildings. Because the orders are big, the prices of the works
\nthey supply are usually far from the market standard that counts.
\nIn this case, they are sure that a painting is no different from
\na design or another commodity.<\/p>\n
This reality is a phenomenon that characterizes urban
\npainters, although in general they do it silently. Contemporary
\npainter Irawan Karseno, who also participates in urban society
\nexhibitions, could be said to be the most realistic about the
\nreality of metropolises. He puts upside-down the values by
\nattaching the profession to his name-card as an \"art trader\", and
\nin that way he is freed from the load as an artist.<\/p>\n
The fifth group are those who are established painters. Their
\nworks are widely welcomed. Financially, they are secure.
\nTherefore, also, they are finally nailed to their style because
\nit is that style that makes them live and grow.<\/p>\n
The Ancol Art Market is a good example of an urban painters'
\ncommunity. There we can find painters of different origins,
\nbackgrounds, motivations and styles. Because they choose that
\nplace as to make a living, people consider them as mere traders.<\/p>\n
In fact, the urban reality of Ancol Art Market does not make
\ntheir creativity stagnant, especially when we have seen the works
\nof Sapto, Munadi, Achmad Syahri, Cubung and many others. They
\nrealize that to become urban in this metropolis, they must be
\nwilling to face the market reality, although they ought not to
\nsacrifice quality of art or follow the taste of the market.<\/p>\n
So, this is where we find the group of real urban painters.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/exhibit-shows-the-phenomena-of-the-urban-painters-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }