Sidharta carves his own path in art<\/p>\n
Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Expressions of a serious artist usually denote the ups and downs
\nof the stream that rushes through life, manifesting itself in
\nboth the personal and social realms. The retrospective exhibition
\nof Gregorius Sidharta Soegijo's art at Bentara Budaya Jakarta
\nuntil Nov. 16 shows the artist's unwavering strength in thwarting
\nlife's forces that appeared to have granted him only a few
\nmoments of solace and \"let go\".<\/p>\n
Emaciated shapes emanating strength in spite of everything,
\nprimeval figures with harsh features and sculptures referring to
\nthe traditional, such are the features of most of Sidharta's
\npersonified 3-dimensional works in his retrospective solo
\nexhibition that culminates with his installation titled Jejak
\nPerjalanan (Traces of a Journey).<\/p>\n
At 70, Sidharta affirms the age-old truth of balance and
\nequilibrium, a philosophy with which he grew up in the tradition
\nof his Javanese roots, now readjusted to the changing times.<\/p>\n
Returning to the realms of his ancestors, Sidharta creates
\nthree figures -- a woman Ibu Wadon, a man Bapak Lanang and
\nan in-between Paman Wandu, each marked by a mask in green, gold
\nand silver, respectively.<\/p>\n
Made of clay, the 190, 205 and 205 cm tall figures look almost
\nraw and unfinished, evoking a sense of primordialism. Sidharta
\nexplains they are metaphors for the earth, and the elements of
\nfire and water respectively.<\/p>\n
When Wadon and Lanang stand face to face and the scale of
\nbalance flows over to either side, then Wandu will act as a
\nbalancing factor. Each must interact with each other to safeguard
\nbalance, lest the universe break down in shatters.<\/p>\n
Balance then, is the message that Sidharta wishes to underline
\nwhen he celebrates his 70th birthday on Nov. 30. It is also a
\nstatement based on his life's experience, the impact of which is
\nvisualized in the 70 masks that make up the installation's
\nbackground.<\/p>\n
Considered one of the icons of modern art in Indonesia,
\nSidharta looks back to more than 50 years of art involvement,
\ncarving his path through cultural confusions colored by political
\nsentiments when he came back from Holland, a graduate of the
\nAcademie voor Beeldende Kunsten\/Maastricht.<\/p>\n
He never faltered in following the voice of his own
\nconscience, even if he had to \"retire\" from the Yogyakarta Arts
\nInstitute, taking on odd jobs to ensure his family's survival. As
\nthe winds of change swept over the country, he eventually landed
\nas a teacher at the Bandung Institute of Technology and returned
\nto Yogya in 1998, where he now lives and works.<\/p>\n
Departing from the modernist sculptural formalism of his
\nearlier years toward indigenous aesthetic values and traditions,
\nSidharta's imagery often comes from the folktales and myths of
\nJava, while his painterly treatment and decorative elements
\nrecall the long tradition of painted wooden sculptures and crafts
\nin Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Sidharta became convinced that artists on this side of the
\nglobe should not solely rely on western artistic tradition, but
\nshould delve into their own rich artistic traditions as well.<\/p>\n
He began to create symbols derived from eastern artistic
\ntradition. As he did so, he also questioned existing concepts
\ntraditionally followed both in the arts and the society in which
\nhe lived.<\/p>\n
An outspoken example is his sculpture Dewi Kebahagiaan III, or
\nthe Goddess of Happiness, showing features that would be fitting
\nfor the usual image of a female commoner in the village or a male
\nlaborer: course facial treats, broad shoulders, big flat feet.
\nCertainly not the usual picture of a goddess. But yes, that's
\nSidharta: going against the stream. And why not? Happiness is
\nachieved after hard work, he says, and this doesn't exclude
\nanyone, not even a goddess.<\/p>\n
Most of Sidharta 's sculptures in bronze provoke a sense of
\nthe earliest times of the world. Missing any form of flesh, they
\nare all bones, with hollow eyeballs in an emaciated face. Yet
\nthese living skeletons emanate strength.<\/p>\n
Whether it is the flutist in Suling Gambuh, the drummer in
\nPemain Kendang II, the dancer in Penari Topeng or even the
\nnewlywed in Penganten Adat (2002), they all have that austere,
\nascetic and out of the world look. No frills for Sidharta, just
\nthe naked truth, the essence of life, the heart of the matter.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the softer sides of life do pop up, now and
\nthen, like in Dua Sejoli, reflecting intimate and deep emotions
\nbetween a couple, or Wanita Duduk II, which shows the flowing
\ncurves of a woman's body, or Kuda Jelmaan II, where the rider
\nlies in splendid harmony and a completely carefree position on a
\nhorse's back.<\/p>\n
As well, many of his graphic art works shows an undercurrent
\nof tender care, such as in Sesaji untuk Arwah Tercinta (Offering
\nfor a Beloved Soul) in which the meditative and the spiritual
\ntake prominence.<\/p>\n
Consisting of 36 sculptures and about 80 paintings and
\ndrawings, the retrospective exhibition spanning over half a
\ncentury shows Sidharta as multifaceted artist, a sculptor,
\npainter and printmaker, who stands for what he believes. At times
\nhe responds to changing perspectives, like his installation,
\nwhich can be interpreted as seeking equilibrium in the
\ninteraction between humans and earth.<\/p>\n
At face value, one might also have perceived the figures which
\nhave the same shape and the same flat feet, as the artist's sense
\nof gender-equality. Yet, one cannot escape the continuing of male
\nsuperiority.<\/p>\n
How else would one explain the green color for Ibu Wadon
\n(green having a negative connotation in the tradition of Javanese
\nmasks) in comparison to the gold for Bapak Lanang? A masculine
\norientation is further perpetuated in the work Pusat Dunia, the
\nCenter of the World, featuring a man sitting triumphantly on a
\nturtle.<\/p>",
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