Eye of the mind and window of the heart<\/p>\n
Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
"I don't see that you're trying to return. I have seen no
\nsigns that you want to start changing the situation. Don't blame
\nme for being void of any tolerance. I believe this is the right
\nthing for me to do rather than allowing all to be disadvantaged.
\nBefore everything becomes too late. In this city, even in this
\nlife, you can't always depend on other people. My apology, once
\nagain, my apology."<\/p>\n
Handwritten in black marker on a canvas with the picture of a
\nlarge eye titled You Are, these words are Hanafi's outpouring of
\nfeelings. Not far from these written words, there are a number of
\nsmall dots resembling a poignantly painful gaping wound. As an
\nemphasis, the word "changing" is circled.<\/p>\n
You Are is one of 25 installation paintings by Hanafi now on
\ndisplay in an exhibition at the National Gallery in Jakarta that
\nwill run through to May 20. This solo exhibition is a
\nreconstruction of his 10-year journey as one of Indonesia's
\nabstract painters. In this context, reconstruction means
\nrepainting the works he has developed within this decade such as
\nthe Black and White Period (1993), Spiritual Window (1994),
\nDancers Dream (1995), Masrum's Field (1966), Putting Tradition
\nto a Test (1997), Room Ventilation I (1998), Study for Distance +
\nBlue Print (1999), Stone Village at Costa Grave + Time (2000),
\nSayan's Solitude (2001) and Footnotes in the Head + You Are
\n(2002).<\/p>\n
Born in Purworejo, Central Java, on July 7, 1960, Hanafi
\nstudied at the Indonesian Fine Arts Institute of Yogyakarta
\nbetween 1976 and 1979. Since 1992, he has had 14 solo exhibitions
\nin Indonesia, Canada and Spain. He has also taken part in joint
\nexhibitions dozens of times. In 1997 he won the Indonesian Fine
\nArts Foundation and the Philip Morris Indonesian Art Award.<\/p>\n
Indeed, the eye is the window of the mind. The titles of his
\nworks, expressed in the abstract language of his art, show that
\nin his creative activities, Hanafi has as his point of departure,
\nthe spiritual or inner cosmos, from which he peeps into the
\nsocial arena.<\/p>\n
Then, with his eyes he will, following tradition, also observe
\nthe world of discourse. In short, he peeps at the outside world
\nfrom his own village. Therefore, his works present, in tone, a
\ncombination of the spiritual cosmos and the world of reason. In
\nhis figurative painting, a reconstruction of the cover of The
\nLiars, he continues to shout, performing his duty as the era's
\nwatchdog.<\/p>\n
In a span of 10 years, Hanafi underwent a change each year.
\nThis periodical change, seemingly, has been made a method to
\nstimulate his emotion and energy in peeping at fresh items or
\npeeking at whatever "is disturbing" his mind and feelings.<\/p>\n
As he has painted in series, he can work on the canvas while
\nat the same time diving deep into the bottom of contemplation. As
\na consequence of a repetition, the first dive is not necessarily
\nshallower than the second, or the other way around.<\/p>\n
Space and time, and the mental condition of the painter at a
\nparticular time, considerably affect the output of an artist.
\nOnly by directly recreating these works in accordance with their
\nown peculiar time, can we enjoy the originality of the works with
\nthe emotional and historical content of a particular day on which
\neach of them was created.<\/p>\n
Here lies the strong and weak points of a reflection, or to be
\nmore precise, the reconstruction of the first decade of Hanafi's
\ncreative journey. Here he does not present his past works, as is
\nusually the case in a retrospection, but he has done his
\nreworking on his past themes with today's stroke of the brush and
\ncolors.<\/p>\n
He insists, though, that this is creative retrospection. In
\nhis opinion, a retrospective exhibition featuring past works is
\nbut stagnation.<\/p>\n
What has happened to Hanafi's abstract paintings in the past
\ndecade? For this exhibition, these paintings have been reworked
\nonly for a few months. While the series are many, the arrangement
\nof reworked paintings brings about monotony. We, observers, can
\nonly capture uniformity in ideas expressed similarly. As a
\nresult, the titles of the paintings will not always be very
\nimportant, as one painting and the others are not distinctly
\ndifferent.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, another way is needed to allow art buffs to look at
\nthis particular exhibition wisely. It must be borne in mind that
\nthe exhibition alone is not a separate entity. Neither does it
\npretend to be a focus of attention.<\/p>\n
Amid the exhibition alone, arranged with the domination of
\ntall coarse grasses to decorate the floor and limestone columns
\non which paintings may be hung, there are various interesting
\nevents, such as Leo Kristi musical shows, a theatrical
\ndiscussion, a cultural oration, presentation of documentary video
\nslides and alternative film shows.<\/p>\n
Amid the hustle and bustle of these events, the eye in a
\nnumber of Hanafi's paintings continues to gaze at objects from
\nits own place to come finally at his own mind's eye.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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