JP\/7\/Amir<\/p>\n
Women artists challenge limitations in Kartini spirit<\/p>\n
By Amir Sidharta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The current Indonesian Women Artists Exhibition
\nat the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, held until Sunday, and the
\nGroup Nine art exhibition opening next Tuesday, show the current
\ndevelopments in art by Indonesian women.<\/p>\n
The exhibitions feature many women who are challenging their
\nsociocultural limitations as artists, and also as women, in the
\nspirit of the heroine of emancipation, R.A. Kartini.<\/p>\n
Erica Hestu Wahyuni and Astari Rasjid courageously express a
\nfresh, unrestricted spontaneity in their work. While Erica's
\nenergy is personified through the characters in her cartoon-like
\npieces, Astari's breakthrough is evident in the development of
\nher abstract art.<\/p>\n
Erica Wahyuni's style, on display in her works at the Taman
\nMini, is reminiscent of the idiom used by other Yogyakarta
\nartists such as Heri Dono, A. Wulandari, M. Faisal and Titi Sari
\nDaru Jati.<\/p>\n
The placement of the two main figures, one on each side of the
\ncanvas, in Spirit of a Painter is also typical of Heri Dono's New
\nWayang Yogya composition, derived from the dualistic arrangement
\nof a wayang kulit shadow puppet performance, in which two main
\nfigures positioned on the sides of the work are in
\nconfrontational opposition to each other.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Erica's piece bursts with the explosive energy and
\nspirit of the painter. It is animated with a playful and free
\nvitality, much like Mat Groenig's Bart Simpson.<\/p>\n
Unlike the mythological characters in Heri Dono's work,
\nErica's subject matter seems to be much more familiar and
\nintimate, seeming to flow directly from her own personal life.<\/p>\n
Symbolic<\/p>\n
Nexus, Astari Rasjid's piece at the Taman Mini, epitomizes her
\ndeparture from her previous figurative depictions. Rather than
\ndescriptive or narrative, here her expression becomes deeply
\nsymbolic.<\/p>\n
The piece consists of two canvases. On the left is a blue
\nphallic form, while on the right is a purple circle in front of
\nwhich is placed a thin white tubular form.<\/p>\n
A triangle, divided into two parts of the canvas, is painted
\nbetween the two major elements. A piece of wood connects the
\ntriangle and the two canvases together.<\/p>\n
The connection between the two pieces also manifests itself
\nthrough a sense of balance or equilibrium that is portrayed in
\nthe painting.<\/p>\n
The painting, consisting of two distinct and detached
\nelements, has the potential of existing separately. However, the
\ntwo parts of the piece maintain common elements which unite them.<\/p>\n
Astari seems to be much freer in her exploration of artistic
\nexpression. She seems to be enthusiastic about using symbolic
\nelements enabling her to express her inner self, \"without having
\nto use any lines to portray clear figures.\"<\/p>\n
In preparation for the Group 9 exhibition, the artist is
\ninvestigating new brush strokes and other techniques in addition
\nto the use of symbols. It seems that we can expect more abstract
\nwork from her in the future.<\/p>\n
Three other artists, Rahmayani, Marintan Sirait, and Dolorosa
\nSinaga use the physical elements of confinement to represent
\ntheir attempt at challenging limits. While Rahmayani uses the
\nchest as a metaphor for constraints, the door and the threshold
\nappear in Sirait and Sinaga's works.<\/p>\n
Three renderings of chests on exhibit at the Taman Mini
\nexpress Rahmayani's solemn introspection. According to the
\nartist, an individual is but a match within a box of matches.<\/p>\n
The box, in turn, represents confinement. Hence, the box
\nsymbolizes life, full of constraints.<\/p>\n
The artist ponders upon traditional rites of passage through
\nthe cycle of life. In an attempt to free herself from those
\nconstraints, she devised a ritual of her own, a ritual of
\npainting.<\/p>\n
Rahmayani maintains that elements of tradition need not be
\ndismissed or rejected in modern expression. Rather, the
\nconstraints of tradition provide guidance through which she as a
\nmodern artist can excel. While the idiom of her expression
\nappears modern, the conceptual content is rooted in tradition.<\/p>\n
In Red Chest, Golden Chest and Yellow Chest,
\nrepresenting the spectrum of the variables that effect her as a
\nwoman in the arts, Rahmayani seems to be testing her own
\nlimitations.<\/p>\n
Secretive liaison<\/p>\n
Marintan Sirait's untitled piece, also at the Taman Mini,
\nconsists of a wooden door with a chain and padlock, on which are
\npasted three photographs portraying part of a mannequin's back in
\nthe midst of a field of grass and shrubbery.<\/p>\n
The flat photographic representation is as important as the
\nreal three dimensional elements, such as the door which frames
\nit. It may symbolize the union of the feminine body with nature.<\/p>\n
The shrubbery suggests a secretive sexual liaison. The use of
\na severed body part placed in the shrubbery reminds one of David
\nLynch's sexually perverted imagery, in particular the discovery
\nof an ear in the bushes in his Blue Velvet.<\/p>\n
The frame of the piece is no longer a mere border. It has
\nbecome an integral part of the whole art work. The use of the
\nlocked door as a frame introduces elements of both privacy and
\nconstraint. On one hand, the old door, which shares the character
\nof the shrubbery, enhances the notion of secrecy. On the other
\nhand the fact that it is locked represents Indonesian sexual
\ntaboos.<\/p>\n
An untitled piece by Dolorosa Sinaga, to be exhibited at the
\nGroup Nine exhibition, shows a figure standing at the threshold
\nof a door, pondering on which direction she should take. Here the
\ndoor does not become an element of constraint but rather a
\npassage through which one can advance.<\/p>\n
\"Now we are at the threshold of a new dawn, a dawn that will
\nenlighten the entire Nusantara,\" claimed Kartini. At the
\ntransitory space of the threshold, the figure becomes cautious.<\/p>\n
The prominent frame of the threshold, which the figure holds,
\nsuggests the artist's need for a strong frame of reference in
\norder to progress. As in Rahmayani's work, this frame of
\nreference may well be tradition.<\/p>\n
The works of the five artists on show at the two exhibitions
\nprovide evidence of the new direction some women have chosen to
\nfollow to deal with the social and cultural limitations of
\nIndonesian art. In their own ways, they have attempted to
\nchallenge those boundaries.<\/p>\n
The Group 9 art exhibition will open next Tuesday at the
\nSudirman Tower.<\/p>\n
- 30 -<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp7amir-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }