THE IMPACT OF CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS ON THE ART OF MELLA JAARSMA<\/p>\n
By Carla Bianpoen<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): While many historians continue to debate the
\nDutch-Indonesian policies of the past, and diplomats keep busy
\nstrengthening trade between the two countries, not many people
\nremember the cultural encounters that continue to take place.<\/p>\n
The impact of this exchange is evident in the works of Mella
\nJaarsma, a native of the Netherlands who has lived in Indonesia
\nsince 1984. Her solo exhibition at the Dutch Cultural Center,
\nErasmus Huis, runs from April 8 through April 22.<\/p>\n
Twenty paintings and 27 monoprints testify to the impact
\nIndonesian culture has made on Jaarsma.<\/p>\n
Her works are distinctive due to her professional skill,
\nincluding the use of advanced technologies, blended with the
\nability to give traditional values contemporary significance, and
\na refined sensing of what lies behind material objects.<\/p>\n
\"The process of Jaarsma's creative work is unique because it
\nis the output of processed personal experience and perceptions,\"
\nsaid Director General of Culture Edy Sedyawati at the exhibit's
\nopening on April 7.<\/p>\n
Jaarsma's early exploration of the local culture began with
\nsketching the squatting forms on the streets and the shadows that
\nseemed to dominate the island of Java. Shadows in the wayang, in
\na half lit warung, but also in daylight. Jaarsma has used both to
\nbring her works closer to the culture in which she has decided to
\nspend her life.<\/p>\n
As she became acquainted with people squatting, which revealed
\nthe Indonesian closeness to the earth, Jaarsma started painting
\nin the squat position. She found that it added to the quality of
\nher work.<\/p>\n
Shadows<\/p>\n
Until this moment, she is obsessed by shadows. Shadows hover
\nover almost all of her work. At times it may be a silhouette or a
\nshade, at other times a reflection of traditional values.<\/p>\n
\"When I first came to Indonesia, I was overwhelmed by the
\neffect of sunlight,\" says Jaarsma, adding that the sun in the
\nnorthern countries has a different effect on colors. \"Shadows are
\neverywhere, you even walk in your own shadow,\" she once said.<\/p>\n
The impact of the tropical shadow on Mella Jaarsma is felt in
\nthe way she relates it to almost all aspects of life without
\ndifferentiating between the material and the immaterial. Shadows
\nstand between light and dark, symbolic of life and death. For
\nJaarsma, life is never-ending, because death indicates new life.
\nAnd so the life cycle with life and death as the essential
\nelements in human life, is a recurrent theme in the artist's
\nwork. Her inspiration draws from such traditional ceremonies as
\nthe burial cults in Toraja in South Sulawesi and cremation
\nceremonies in Bali.<\/p>\n
Shadows and the elements of human life continue to fascinate
\nthis artist, whom the highly respected local painter, Nunung
\nW.S., says has become Indonesian.<\/p>\n
In her more recent work, Jaarsma remains focused on life. But
\ncontrary to her earlier works, which took the human scale as a
\ncenter, she now relates the cycle to nature. \"Resin,\" says
\nJaarsma comparing the life of a tree to that of a human being,
\n\"circulates as does blood.\"<\/p>\n
Her nature series was done in Munduk, an idyllic village in
\nthe mountains of northern Bali. Here a sculpture of outstanding
\nvalue has been erected to be used as a place where the villagers
\ncan cremate their dead. In the Pralina Fire Altar as it is
\ncalled, a lying human shape made of stone is the base of the
\nactual cremation place, a shadow, so to speak, of the upright
\nhuman shape made of wire as the gate to the altar. The Balinese
\nconcepts of Utpeti (Birth), Setiti (Life) and Pralina (Death) are
\nall incorporated.<\/p>\n
Etching<\/p>\n
Less esoteric and more colorful are her monoprints. Here her
\ncreative talents find a new outlet. Etching is her latest
\nfascination. \"I love to do etching,\" says Jaarsma, while
\nexplaining that the etching process itself opens new directions
\nfor the work of art.<\/p>\n
Vibrations at her fingertips lead to new sensations and new
\ndimensions. On the same plate, Jaarsma adds paint with either
\nbrush or fingers, and completes the work with other media. \"I
\nhave to act fast, there is no chance for thinking things over, I
\njust let myself be guided by the vibration, inspiration and
\ninnovation of the moment.\"<\/p>\n
Some people find that knowing the conceptual background helps
\nthem appreciate Jaarsma's paintings. But others find themselves
\ndrawn in, inexplicably and without prior knowledge of the
\ndirection of her work.<\/p>\n
The number of exhibitions listed in her catalog reveals that
\nJaarsma is an active artist. She has participated in Dutch,
\nIndonesian and international exhibitions since 1987. Her works
\nare on the walls of municipal offices, banks and embassies, as
\nwell as in private houses in the Netherlands, Indonesia, Europe,
\nthe USA, Canada and Singapore.<\/p>\n
Born in Emmeloord in the Netherlands, Mella studied at the
\nMinerva Art Academy in Groningen and at the Art Institutes in
\nJakarta and Yogyakarta. She is married to Indonesian painter
\nNinditiyo Adipurnomo with whom she supports the development of
\nyoung Indonesian contemporary artists through displays in their
\nCemeti Gallery in Yogyakarta, and through promoting a Dutch-
\nIndonesian artists exchange.<\/p>",
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