Indonesia at the Venice Biennale 2005<\/p>\n
Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Adjusting to the winds of change, the Venice Biennale, one of
\nthe oldest and most prestigious exhibitions of contemporary art
\nin the world, has nominated Maria de Corral and Rosa Martinez
\nfrom Spain as the two directors in charge of the 51st
\nInternational Arts Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, opening on
\nJune 12.<\/p>\n
It is the first time for women to take charge of the event,
\nwhich this year takes a look at the relationship between the
\npresent and the most significant past (to be held in the Italian
\nPavilion), and the relationship between the present and the most
\ninnovative trends (to be seen in the Arsenale di Venezia).<\/p>\n
In a further sign of the changing times, the president of the
\nFondazione la Biennale di Venezia, Davide Croff, and the
\ndirectors of the 51st International Art Exhibition have announced
\nthat the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will be awarded to
\nartist Barbara Kruger from the United States. The award will be
\npresented on June 10 in Venice during a ceremony at the Teatro
\nalle Tese in the Arsenale.<\/p>\n
It seems that the changing mood has also touched the works
\nthat will be exhibited at the Indonesian pavilion at the Venice
\nBiennale, beginning on June 11.<\/p>\n
As curator Dr. Dwi Marianto explained in an interview in
\nApril in Yogyakarta, at a time of overall gloom and sadness
\ncaused by bomb threats, terrorism, violence and a succession of
\ncalamities and national disasters, culminating in the tsunami in
\nAceh and the earthquake in Nias, it is important to allow oneself
\nto retreat from the flurry of news and the buzz of the everyday.
\nOne must be able to retreat into the space of the personal and be
\nstill in order to uplift the spirits and the flow of a new energy
\nto fill our lives.<\/p>\n
\"We may be devastated and poor, but we must never give up
\nhope,\" he said.<\/p>\n
With this in mind, Dwi Marianto selected four Indonesian
\nartists for the Indonesia pavilion at this year's Venice
\nBiennale, who were given the theme Daya Hidup (Life Force). While
\nthe works by Krisna Murti (1957), Noor Ibrahim (1966) and Entang
\nWiharso (1967) reflect efforts to cope with today's issues, Yani
\nMariani Sastranegara's work culminates in a sublimation of inner
\nspirit, resulting in an elevation of the human being.<\/p>\n
Entang Wiharso deals with the issue of intercultural marriage,
\nand the problems arising from different traditional backgrounds
\nand societal prejudice.<\/p>\n
His large three-by-six meter oil painting, consisting of three
\nparts and titled Forbidden Exotic Country, expresses his feelings
\nof critique and disappointment with U.S. travel warnings and the
\nhandling of Indonesian travelers at U.S. immigration gates.<\/p>\n
In an installation titled Behind Space, however, Entang
\nsymbolically indicates that the brushing together of two cultures
\nis bound to give birth to a new culture. In a three-by-four-by
\nthree meter house made of pink-magenta colored textile, two
\nfigures facing each other are hung in lying positions. The floor
\nin the obscure space is covered with rose petals, both from
\noriginal as well as hybrid roses. After a few days, the petals
\nsmell of decay. But in the next stage they will have dried,
\nfilling the space with a wonderful scent.<\/p>\n
For the sculptor Noor Ibrahim, the over 300 ethnic groups
\nunited in the Indonesian nation abound with problems and
\ndeportments that hamper progress in the human condition. On the
\nother hand, he feels there are strong survival instincts. Such is
\nvisualized in his installation works, inspired by the tsunami
\ndevastation: one is titled Fossilised Behavior, measuring
\n1.85-by-two-by-three meters, consisting of a metal figure rising
\nup from the earth covered with clothing, like the dead bodies of
\nthe tsunami disaster. Going Higher, an installation measuring
\n1.50-by-1.60-by-four meters, features a fossil body and stainless
\nsteel ladders.<\/p>\n
Video artist Krisna Murti's 15-minute video with images of
\nwater in waterfalls, water treatments and peaceful landscapes
\ninvites a rejuvenating experience. The video artwork is conveyed
\nthrough three projectors and a transparent cloth. Krisna Murti's
\nwork is the result of over two years of research into the
\nquestion of what \"paradise\" means in various religions.<\/p>\n
\"They all visualize paradise with water,\" he says, and water
\nis also a basic ingredient in modern spas. Hence the title Video
\nSpa.<\/p>\n
Yani Mariani Sastranegara's work is an experience not to be
\nmissed. As I sat in the dark at Yani's studio in front of the
\nwork (which was faintly lighted from the inside), together with
\ncurator Dwi Marianto, the Biennale's Indonesian commissioner,
\nSumarti Sarwono, arts manager Grace Anna Marie and a few others,
\nbefore the work was packed up for transportation to Venice, we
\nall felt we could sit there for much longer than our time would
\nallow. A profound sense of another world came over us, lifting us
\ninto the sphere of the imagery, of the non-material, a blend of
\nbeauty and suspense.<\/p>\n
Titled Lazuardi, a poetic name for \"blue sky\", the
\ninstallation consists of eight sculptures made of whimsical,
\nimaginary plant shapes using natural plant roots for the frames,
\ncovered with pastel-colored stretch material and resin for the
\nvisual roots.<\/p>\n
For some time, Yani Mariani has been preoccupied with the
\nissue of growth: is it limited or can it be prolonged without
\nend? Her work for the Venice Biennale reveals that growth in fact
\ncan be timeless if it is related to the spiritual.<\/p>\n
For the organizers of the Indonesia delegation, Sumarti
\nSarwono, Grace Anna and Dwi Marianto, bringing the works of
\nIndonesian artists to represent Indonesia at this prestigious
\nevent is a tough job. So far no financial sponsorship has been
\nobtained from the government. The artists have been selling their
\nworks in special fund-raising events, and are willing to show
\nsome of their works in exchange for a loan to pay for the
\nshipping of works, renting space, etc.<\/p>\n
In this sense, plans to hold an Indonesia Day in Venice on
\nAug. 17 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Indonesian
\nRepublic seem quite ambitious, though not impossible given the
\nstrong intent and hard work of Sumarti Sarwono and Grace Anna
\nMarie.<\/p>\n
Daya Hidup (Life Force), May 11 to Nov. 6
\nIndonesian visual arts at the Indonesian Pavilion
\nTelecom Italy Future Centre
\nCampo S. Salvador 4826, Boot station Rialto, Venice\/Italy<\/p>",
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