JP\/19\/EKO<\/p>\n
Eko Nugroho and his versatile art creations<\/p>\n
Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Events at all levels of life have moved artists throughout time
\nto express themselves in work reflecting the zeitgeist.<\/p>\n
But perhaps no time in history has seen such free use of
\nmedia, content and style in artistic expression as today.<\/p>\n
Amid such hustle and bustle, Eko Nugroho has emerged as an
\nartist whose artistic expression and democratic way of life stand
\nas a unique phenomenon in the world of art.<\/p>\n
An art student of the Yogya Institute of Arts, 28-year-old
\nEko, whose thesis is only pending its write-up, expresses himself
\nin images that formerly appeared comical, or had the air of a
\ncomic strip. Yet there is more to it than meets the eye.<\/p>\n
The hoods that he uses to paint over an image's face, for
\ninstance, express his intense aversion to discriminatory
\npractices. \"I deliberately did not want to show faces, as face-
\ntypes would give rise to racially or ethnically based
\ndiscriminatory thoughts,\" he once revealed.<\/p>\n
His work, currently on show at Artnivora gallery, has
\nevidently overcome that phase. Now the hoods have a variety of
\nmeanings, representing Eko's concern with urban space and urban
\nrealms of behavior in the capital city.<\/p>\n
A pointed shoe sticking out of a mask, an inverted vehicle
\ntopping the hood may be a cynical note on the concerns that
\nengage many an urbanite.<\/p>\n
Capricious roots looking like wild paws covering a hand held
\nup in the air (image 1) refer to the alarming level of pollution
\nin the urban sphere, and artificial arms taking the appearance of
\na puppet as used by a puppeteer (image 2) refer to the increasing
\nadvance of technology and the decline in the use of manual labor.<\/p>\n
Amid all of this, has the individual vanished from the scene?
\nApparently not, for \"Yes I Am\" writes Eko on a hooded image, now
\nwith an opening revealing part of the face.<\/p>\n
But there is also his immense resentment against ambiguity
\nthat seems to color human behavior today, and which he expresses
\nby depicting a figure (image 3) wearing a hood showing two pairs
\nof eyes, two pairs of hands with an invalid arm, and one hand
\nholding a flower against his breast marked by a text saying
\n\"trust them\", and another reading \"trick me\".<\/p>\n
His works, whether made on the bare walls of the gallery on
\ncanvas or on cloth, with ecoline ink, acrylic or embroidery, or
\nas an animation video, are products of his intense sensitivity to
\nwhatever is going on around him -- everyday life, politics,
\nsocial conditions, the human condition.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, they appear comical and laughable, or even absurd
\nas a consequence of his wild imaginings, while at other times
\nthey reveal a rebellious critique, dark humor, but also endless
\ncompassion.<\/p>\n
Eko Nugroho's art today is distinctly different to his works
\nof previous times, when his comments and critique could be
\nbiting. He seems to have matured after his recent residency in
\nthe Netherlands; his comments appear gentler than before -- the
\nmask has been partly lifted, his scope of vision enlarged.<\/p>\n
The comical style of Eko's works may not come as a surprise,
\nsince he is also actively involved in Daging Tumbuh, a form of
\ncomic that he created some five years ago, and published twice a
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Eko does not like the term \"comic\". Indeed, unlike other
\nindependent comics, it is open to whoever wishes to send in a
\nwork. Participants are also free to choose a theme and use a
\nmedium (ink, pen, pencil, oil, collage) or whatever mode they
\nwish, as long as it is submitted as a photocopy.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, every contributor is also reminded that their
\nwork will be liable to being pirated, so there is no problem of
\nintellectual property rights.<\/p>\n
So far, their contributors have spanned a range of people,
\nfrom becak (pedicab) drivers to journalists, from high-school
\nstudents to art students, from hobbyists to professional artists,
\nand, recently, contributors from Singapore, Malaysia,
\nSwitzerland, the UK and Australia have joined in.<\/p>\n
As there is no commercial intent, the bundle is sold for Rp
\n30,000 while there will be no more than 150 copies available each
\ntime.<\/p>\n
His initiative started when galleries or exhibition spaces
\nwere reluctant to set their space available to art of this kind,
\nand he and his friends -- students of ISI -- were left to create
\ntheir own space to show their artistic creations.<\/p>\n
He is a versatile artist, who also combines painting with
\nmusic, animation and comics, while also developing embroidery of
\nhis art work on cloth. Of the latter he says that he paints the
\nimage, and the embroiderer goes over the painting with her or his
\nthread -- it s not an imitation.<\/p>\n
Curator of the exhibition Rifky Effendi says Eko is mostly
\ninfluenced by today's pop culture. His works open up alternative
\nmeanings of conventional understandings, \"an enrichment of the
\nworld of art\".<\/p>\n
in box:<\/p>\n
Sorry I am Too Late to Celebrate
\nsolo exhibition by Eko Nugroho
\nthrough Sept. 15
\nArtnivora gallery
\nJl. Kemang Utara 50A,
\nKemang, South Jakarta<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp19eko-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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