JP\/19\/BETAWI<\/p>\n
Betawi painter changes style<\/p>\n
Yusuf Susilo Hartono
\nContributor
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Painter Sarnadi Adam is always associated with Betawi, a name
\nwhich refers to everything indigenous to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Born and bred in Jakarta, Sarnadi, a graduate of the
\nIndonesian Fine Arts Institute (ISI) in Yogyakarta, has since
\n1988 regularly explored the lives of the Betawi in his paintings.
\nHis works have included such themes as the old days of Betawi,
\nlife in Betawi settlements and Betawi traditions, arts and
\nreligious activities.<\/p>\n
He has displayed his works in a number of solo and joint
\nexhibitions at home and abroad, including in Southeast Asian
\ncountries, Holland and the U.S.<\/p>\n
His exhibitions abroad, particularly those in Holland, where
\nhe displayed works in 1992, 1994, 1997 and 1999, are the fruit of
\nhis friendship with one of his collectors, A. Q. Jansen.<\/p>\n
A Dutchman, Jansen, who first struck up a friendship with
\nSarnadi in 1986, worked in Semarang, Central Java, but now has
\nresided in Holland.<\/p>\n
Sarnadi first exhibited his works in Holland in 1992. In that
\nexhibition, all 20 pieces on display were sold, although at half
\nthe price he usually got in Jakarta. The paintings were bought by
\nJansen's friends, Dutchmen who used to study or work in
\nIndonesia. They bought Sarnadi's works out of their deep longing
\nfor Betawi, or Batavia, as the city was called during the Dutch
\ncolonial period.<\/p>\n
With more exhibitions in Holland, the number of Sarnadi's
\ncollectors grew, and one of them invited him to hold an
\nexhibition in the U.S.<\/p>\n
And next month, Sarnadi will again depart for Holland at the
\ninvitation of Jansen for a solo exhibition in Alkmar. The
\nexhibition will run from July 25 through Aug. 25, after which it
\nis scheduled to move on to Switzerland.<\/p>\n
For this solo exhibition, Sarnadi has chosen about 25 of his
\nworks, all with the theme of Betawi. Some of them are new
\npaintings, while others are those which are now being exhibited
\nat the Galeri Milenium in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Before concentrating on producing paintings with a Betawi
\ntheme and in decorative patterns, Sarnadi, who began displaying
\nhis works in 1978 while still studying at the Indonesian Fine
\nArts Secondary School in Yogyakarta, used to dwell on free themes
\nand patterns.<\/p>\n
Once, he even devoted himself to abstract painting. But he
\nrealized the need to explore the lives of the Betawi when he
\nreturned to Jakarta after graduating from ISI Yogyakarta. This
\nchoice has clearly positioned him in the realm of Betawi or
\nIndonesian fine arts.<\/p>\n
Today, Sarnadi, the chairman of the Jakarta Association of
\nArtists and also a lecturer at the Jakarta State University, has
\nestablished himself as a Betawi painter thanks to his prolific
\noutput and regular exhibitions.<\/p>\n
In his latest exhibition at Galeri Milenium, there are two
\nchanges noticeable in his work, which his collectors and fans in
\nHolland can look forward to.<\/p>\n
The first change is concerned with color. His paintings,
\nPenari Betawi Santai (Relaxing Betawi Dancer), Dua Penari Betawi
\n(Two Betawi Dancers) and Dua Wanita Betawi (Two Betawi Women),
\nall oils on canvas, give great prominence to the primary colors.<\/p>\n
The colors green, red and yellow are present, unmixed, on the
\ncostumes of the dancers. And there is a strong bright red used
\nfor the background of two Betawi women wearing yellow bras and
\nsitting on bamboo couch in a traditional Betawi house.<\/p>\n
The second change is concerned with the format of the
\npaintings. In his Panen Ikan (Fish Harvest), he uses a canvas
\nformat which tends to be vertical, at a size of 50 cm x 140 cm,
\nin four frames. Each depicts women carrying baskets of fish on
\ntheir heads and men carrying fish on their shoulders.<\/p>\n
The object (the women) is placed on the canvas without
\ncompliance to the law of perspective. The composition looks so
\nfree that the women seem to be stepping on each other's feet.<\/p>\n
\"I care little about perspective and the contrast of dark and
\nlight. What's important to me is how to paint comfortably,\" he
\ntold The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
As a matter of fact, the use of a vertical format or bright
\ncolors are not new in the fine arts realm. These two aspects play
\nan important role in Sarnadi's works, though, because since he
\nbegan to devote himself to Betawi themes, he has never made any
\nradical esthetic changes.<\/p>\n
This is a phenomenon contradictory to the great dynamism of
\nJakarta. The city keeps changing, sometimes drastically, from
\ntime to time so that Betawi, as a territory and a culture, has
\nbeen greatly marginalized.<\/p>\n
In such a situation, Sarnadi, through his paintings on Betawi
\nthemes, seems to record what remains in the memory of the Betawi
\ncommunity. Through these paintings, he hopes to expose which
\naspects of the Betawi community have been set aside and which
\nhave been lost or buried under the concrete jungle of Jakarta,
\nthe capital of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Art observer Merwan Yusuf has voiced his suspicion that by
\nmeans of his decorative paintings, Sarnadi hopes to conserve folk
\nart in Betawi and document the cultural diversity of Betawi,
\nwithout forgetting to expose the problems, hopes and fears
\nrelated to this community.<\/p>\n
The exhibition will run through June 30 at Galeri Milenium,
\nD'Best shopping center, Jl. RS Fatmawati #15, Jakarta. Tel.
\n7507828. The exhibition will continue in Alkamar, Holland, from
\nJuly 25 through August 25.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp19betawi-1447899208",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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